Management of the official development assistance spending target

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We have published an information note describing the UK’s management of the official development assistance (ODA) spending target and highlighting issues that merit further scrutiny.

We expect to publish a comprehensive review of how the UK has managed its ODA spending in March 2026, with recommendations on increasing the impact, value for money and transparency of UK development assistance.

Summary

The period since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 has been one of exceptional turbulence for UK development assistance. UK ODA spending was reduced from the statutory target of 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) to 0.5% in 2021, and is now being progressively reduced to 0.3% by 2027.

At the same time, government expenditure on support to refugees and asylum seekers in the UK has increased, sharply reducing ODA available for spending overseas. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) and other aid-spending departments have been required to manage both a succession of large-scale reductions and a lengthy period of uncertainty in their ODA budgets.

The information note sets out the nature and origins of the ODA spending target, the processes by which ODA budgets are allocated across government departments, and how the ODA target is managed at the cross-government level.

The full review will assess the effectiveness of the UK’s processes for allocating and managing the ODA budget from 2021-22 to 2024-25. It will draw forward-looking lessons to inform the UK’s approach to ODA management from 2025 onwards. It will also assess the impact of development spend supporting refugees and asylum seekers in the UK on the government’s ability to ensure long-term value for money in ODA allocations.

Read the terms of reference for more information about the scope of the full review.