Only six nations – the UK, Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Luxembourg – reached the UN development goal target of spending 0.7 per cent of gross national income on foreign aid during 2015, according to figures from the Organsation for Economic Development and Cooperation.
The OECD data for 2015, the latest available, shows that the UK gave 0.71 per cent of GNI in foreign aid during 2015, the Netherlands 0.76 per cent, Denmark 0.85 per cent, Luxembourg 0.93 per cent, Norway 1.05 per cent and Sweden 1.4 per cent. Australia sat below the UN target of 0.7 per cent at 0.27 per cent and the US at 0.17 per cent.
In terms of amounts, the US topped the list at $US31.08 billion followed by the UK ($US18.7 billion), Germany ($US17.78 billion) and Japan ($US9.32 billion). Australia came 12th on the list of the OECD’s 30 nation Development Assistance Committee with $US3.22 billion.
The figures also show that the largest recipient of aid in 2015 was Syria ($US4.9 billion) followed by Afghanistan ($US4.3 billion) and Pakistan ($US3.8 billion).
The UN first set out the commitment of 0.7 per cent back in 1970.