Small states: Net ODA received (% of GNI)

Key figures

What the numbers say

In 2021, Small states' net ODA received (% of GNI) fell 0.36 percentage points on 2020 (from 2.45% to 2.09%).

Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was −0.1 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.35 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

On record, the biggest yearly rise was 0.91 percentage points in 1978 and the biggest yearly fall was 1.41 percentage points in 1977. The numbers show how large and when, not why; for the cause, look at what happened in that country in those years.

From 2012 to 2021 there is no clear straight-line trend: a straight line explains 9% of the movement over 10 observed years, so the value is moving around more than it is heading anywhere.

Worked out from the yearly values above. How the checks work: standard deviation, z-scores and straight-line trends.

How it compares

See how every economy compares in the full ranking.

What this measures

Net official development assistance (ODA) consists of disbursements of loans made on concessional terms (net of repayments of principal) and grants by official agencies of the members of the Development Assistance Committee (DAC), by multilateral institutions, and by non-DAC countries to promote economic development and welfare in countries and territories in the DAC list of ODA recipients. It includes loans with a grant element of at least 25 percent (calculated at a rate of discount of 10 percent).

Limitations: Data on ODA is for aid-receiving countries. The data cover loans and grants from DAC member countries, multilateral organizations, and non-DAC donors. They do not reflect aid given by recipient countries to other developing countries. As a result, some countries that are net donors are shown as aid recipients. The indicator does not distinguish types of aid (program, project, or food aid; emergency assistance; or post-conflict peacekeeping assistance), which may have different effects on the economy. Ratio of aid to gross national income (GNI) provides measures of recipient country's dependency on aid. But care must be taken in drawing policy conclusions.

Regional and income-group figures are computed by the World Bank as a weighted average.

All 46 values

Net ODA received (% of GNI) in nearby economies

• Afghanistan — 17.76% (2023)
• Algeria — 0.08% (2023)
• Djibouti — 5.56% (2023)
• Egypt, Arab Rep. — 0.13% (2023)
• Iran, Islamic Rep. — 0.05% (2023)
• Iraq — 0.74% (2023)
• Jordan — 5.08% (2023)
• Lebanon — 8.8% (2023)
• Libya — 0.78% (2023)
• Morocco — 0.54% (2023)
• Pakistan — 1.2% (2023)
• Syrian Arab Republic

More economic policy & debt data for Small states

• Foreign direct investment, net outflows (BoP, current US$) — US$12.49 billion (2025)
• Personal remittances, paid (current US$) — US$4.28 billion (2025)
• Foreign direct investment, net inflows (BoP, current US$) — US$40.34 billion (2025)
• Foreign direct investment, net inflows (% of GDP) — 12.23% (2025)
• Portfolio equity, net inflows (BoP, current US$) — US$643.45 million (2025)
• Personal remittances, received (current US$) — US$4.56 billion (2025)
• GDP (current US$) — US$337.31 billion (2025)
• GDP per capita (current US$) — US$16,578 (2025)
• Net financial flows, IBRD (NFL, current US$) — US$94.11 million (2024)

Reading data like this

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Questions people ask

What is Small states's net ODA received (% of GNI)?

2.09% in 2021, according to the World Bank (World Development Indicators).

How has it changed since 1976?

It is down 4.07 percentage points from 6.16% in 1976. The highest value was 6.16% in 1976 and the lowest 1.38% in 2016.

Is the latest change in net ODA received (% of GNI) unusual for Small states?

In 2021, Small states' net ODA received (% of GNI) fell 0.36 percentage points on 2020 (from 2.45% to 2.09%). Across the 30 yearly changes before that (1991 to 2020), the average change was −0.1 percentage points and a typical year strayed about 0.35 percentage points from that (the standard deviation). This year's change was 0.7 standard deviations below that average, so it was an ordinary year: it sits within the range of normal year-to-year movement.

Where does this data come from?

Source

World Bank, World Development Indicators, indicator DT.ODA.ODAT.GN.ZS, licensed CC BY 4.0. Original source: Development Assistance Committee, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), uri: www.oecd.org/dac/stats/idsonline; Geographical Distribution of Financial Flows to Developing Countries, Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), uri: www.oecd.org/dac/stats/ids… Figures are fetched from the World Bank API and refreshed monthly; see the series on data.worldbank.org. The full definition and method are in the World Bank's metadata glossary. Comparisons use the same World Bank release.

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