LUSA
04/17/2025
Paris, April 16, 2025 (Lusa) - Portuguese Official Development Assistance (ODA) increased by 21.3% in 2024, in real terms, compared to 2023, to €619 million, also increasing in relation to Gross National Income (GNI), to a ratio of 0.24%.
According to the data sent to Lusa by the ministry of foreign affairs, "Portuguese ODA reached a ratio against GNI of 0.24%, higher than the 0.19% recorded in 2023, thus marking the biggest increase since 2010," when the increase was 0.29%, adds the ministry in its commentary requested by Lusa.
The ministry of foreign affairs (MFA) emphasises that "Portugal is still the European Union country with the highest positive variation compared to 2023, and one of the seven member states to increase its ODA," but acknowledges a decrease of 8% in bilateral ODA, to €184 million.
"Angola, Mozambique and São Tomé and Príncipe are the main beneficiaries, followed by Cabo Verde, Timor-Leste and Guinea-Bissau," says the government, adding that "bilateral aid to Ukraine totalled €4.7 million" and that 76% of ODA, or €243 million, was directed bilaterally to the LDCs, i.e. the least developed countries, low-income nations with strong structural obstacles to development.
Portuguese financial aid to multilateral institutions, continues the ministry, "registered a significant increase, varying positively by 50% compared to the previous year (current prices), reaching €434 million", the result of a "significant strengthening" of aid instruments to developing countries through the European Union and the World Bank, and also through the United Nations and regional development banks.
The figures sent to Lusa by the government come after the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) released preliminary figures for last year at world level, which show a fall of 7.1%.
"In 2024, Official Development Assistance from member countries of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) totalled US$212.1 billion, representing 0.33% of the combined Gross National Income of DAC members; total Official Development Assistance in 2024 decreased by 7.1% in real terms compared to 2023, marking the first drop after five years of consecutive growth," reads the OECD statement.
In the text, the Paris-based organisation explains that "the fall in Official Development Assistance (ODA) was partly due to a 10.9% drop in contributions to international organisations, which had increased in 2023 due to higher contributions from Development Assistance Committee (DAC) member states to the World Bank's International Development Association (IDA), but also to large funding from the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) Resilience and Sustainability Facility", created in the wake of the pandemic to help the most disadvantaged countries.
Bilateral aid from DAC member countries "also fell by 5.8% due to several factors: a decrease in aid to Ukraine, lower levels of humanitarian aid, as well as refugee reception costs in donor countries," adds the OECD.
The figures presented are measured in real terms, i.e. they take inflation and exchange rate fluctuations into account, so they are not a simple comparison between the 2023 figure and the 2024 figure, which incidentally will not have a final version until December this year.
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