Official preliminary data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) shows that global official development assistance (ODA) fell by 23% between 2024 and 2025, marking one of the steepest single-year declines in decades. The drop exceeds earlier projections and signals a significant setback for international development financing, particularly for low- and middle-income countries that rely heavily on external support for health, education, and basic services.
Research cited from ISGlobal and The Lancet Global Health warns that if current trends continue, reduced aid flows could have severe human consequences. The modelling suggests that a sustained decline in ODA could result in at least 9.4 million additional preventable deaths by 2030, including an estimated 2.5 million children under the age of five across 93 countries, underscoring the potential humanitarian impact of shrinking global support.
In response to the OECD findings, the Rockefeller Foundation has called for an urgent and coordinated global effort involving governments, multilateral institutions, the private sector, and philanthropic organizations. It warns that major donor countries, including the United States, United Kingdom, France, and Germany, have reduced development assistance for two consecutive years, further deepening concerns about long-term funding stability.
The Foundation emphasized that traditional development financing models are under strain and called for new approaches that combine targeted investments, technology, and country-led strategies in areas such as food security, health, and energy. It highlighted ongoing initiatives aimed at strengthening global cooperation, including support for research on aid flows, new financing observatories, and large-scale partnerships in energy access and school feeding programmes.
It also pointed to efforts to mobilize private capital, optimize development finance systems, and reduce debt burdens in developing countries as part of a broader strategy to sustain progress. The Foundation stressed that innovative financing models and stronger partnerships will be essential to offset declining aid and protect decades of development gains.
Reiterating the urgency of the situation, the Rockefeller Foundation urged the global community to recommit to collective action, warning that rising aid cuts risk reversing progress in poverty reduction and global health. It emphasized that continued investment in international cooperation is essential to prevent large-scale loss of life and to ensure that development gains are not undone.
