US-Led Historic Foreign Aid Decline in 2025 Amid Trump Cuts: OECD

Preliminary data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) reveals a historic 23 percent drop in international development aid from its members between 2024 and 2025, totaling $174.3 billion. This marks the largest annual decline since records began and is the first time all five top donors simultaneously reduced their contributions. The United States drove three-quarters of this decrease, slashing its official development assistance by nearly 57 percent to approximately $29 billion after dismantling USAID under President Donald Trump's second term. Other major contributors including Germany, the UK, Japan, and France also saw reductions. OECD officials warn that this funding collapse coincides with rising global humanitarian needs, exacerbated by conflicts such as the US-Israeli war with Iran and growing food insecurity. Experts predict severe consequences, including increased armed conflict in Africa and surges in preventable diseases like HIV-AIDS and malaria.