Share the page

8 things to know about Overseas Development Assistance

Published on

© Cyril Le Tourneur d'Ison / AFD

Numbers released by OECD this week reveal that Official Development Assistance (ODA) in 2022 from official donors rose to an all-time high of $204 billion. This more than 13% increase from the previous year is one of the biggest rises ever. France’s ODA rose to just under $16 billion, making it the world’s fifth largest donor, and at 0.56% of GNI, French aid surpassed the government’s target of 0.55%. So what does it all mean? Who is involved, and what are they doing on the ground? We explain.

Official Development Assistance (ODA) designates the funding provided by public entities in the most developed countries to improve living conditions in countries with low or intermediate income. But the kinds of assistance and sheer range of options are not well known. 

What follows is a summary in eight points.

This article was originally published in April, 2019 and updated on 13 April, 2023. 

1. Official Development Assistance (ODA) supports neglected sectors

© Yashas Chandra / AFD

2. ODA does not exclusively involve grants

© Clément Tardif / AFD

3. There is a "French style" approach to development assistance

© Laurent Weyl / AFD

4. Nations are not the only players

© United Nations / Flickr

5. There are many development aid entities in France too

© Alain Goulard / AFD

6. Public aid is only one part of development funding

© Nicolas Beaumont / AFD

7. It focuses on Africa

© Joseph Moura / AFD

8. It contributes to increased growth in beneficiary countries