Britain cuts aid to poorest countries by 6.7% — The Guardian
In the United Kingdom, funding for the least developed countries and low-income states fell by 6.7%, or £118 million, in 2025. At the same time, the share of British international aid allocated to higher-income countries increased, The Guardian reports, citing data from the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office.
Aid budget cuts
The United Kingdom’s total official development assistance budget fell to 0.44% of gross national income in 2025, compared with 0.5% in 2024. In monetary terms, the reduction amounted to £987 million.
Further cuts to international aid spending are expected under plans announced by Keir Starmer last year. According to him, the funds were to be redirected to defence spending.
The largest share of the aid budget — 18.4% — was spent in the United Kingdom on domestic costs related to accommodating asylum seekers. This was less than in 2024, when 20% of the budget was allocated for such purposes.
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Distribution of funds
The three largest recipients of British aid were Ukraine, Yemen and Afghanistan. Aid to Ukraine has protected status, but funding for Yemen is planned to be cut by 28% and for Afghanistan by 39% by the 2028/29 financial year.
The amount of aid to low-income countries decreased. At the same time, it rose by 13% for lower-middle-income states and by 2% for upper-middle-income countries.
Gideon Rabinowitz, policy and advocacy director at the Bond network of charitable organisations, said that the poorest countries were disproportionately affected by the cuts. According to him, humanitarian programmes are already being closed as a result, including maternal health programmes in Sierra Leone and education for children with disabilities in Africa.
According to the Active Learning Network for Accountability and Performance, 64 million fewer people received aid because of the cuts last year. Humanitarian aid experts warn that reduced funding from the United Kingdom, the United States and European countries is forcing organisations to focus only on urgent life-saving assistance.
