How Much Does the U.S. Spend on Foreign Aid?

This content leverages data from USAFacts, a non-profit that visualizes governmental data. You can learn more on its website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Wondering how much the U.S. spends on foreign aid each year, and what the funding goes toward? Here’s a look at the foreign aid budget.

The U.S. spent $14.7 billion on foreign aid in 2018, most of the aid comes in the form of defense or economic support. In 2018 the U.S. provided its partners:

• $6.8 billion for international security assistance.
• $5.8 billion for economic support and development.

The other major categories of foreign aid spending include:

• $950 million for nonproliferation, anti-terrorism, demining, and related programs.
• $696 million for peacekeeping operations.
• $262 million for the foreign military financing loan program.
• $125 million for international military education and training.

Here’s a look at how federal spending on foreign aid fluctuated by year in terms of the dollar amount and spending on aid as a percentage of GDP, chart courtesy of USAFacts:

Aside from the foreign aid budget, the State Dept. provides additional assistance through its global health programs, which received $8.8 billion in funding in 2018.

— Eric Revell

(Photo Credit: iStock.com / Lucy Brown - loca4motion)