Much of the assistance money that the US government sends out to the world goes through an agency called USAID. Their web site has a wealth of information on who we are sending money to, and why. Here are some interesting facts. Note that I have used the abbreviation M for millions, and G for billions (i.e. metric abbreviation for Giga, or 10 to the 9th power), and the numbers in [brackets] are references (see list below).
Note: This post was written in 2006, and all the information in it was current then. Some things have changed since then, however, and the pages on US government web sites that were referenced here have largely been replaced or removed.
- The stated goals of US foreign assistance are to further US foreign policy interests (democracy and free markets) and to improve the lives of people in the developing world [1].
- USAID works in the following areas: Agriculture, Democracy & Governance, Economic Growth & Trade, Environment, Education & Training, Global Health, Global Partnerships (which means: trying to get private individuals and corporations to give foreign assistance), and Humanitarian Assistance. [2]
- Non-governmental entities (American citizens and companies) give four times as much foreign assistance money as the US government. [3]
- The USAID annual budget is about 0.5% of the total US government budget [1], which is to say, their budget request was around $7.6 G in 2005 [4].
- That budget number seems strange to me, since they apparently spend more than that on aid. For instance, in 2004 USAID programs sent out $11.2 G in loans and grants. Other agencies also spent money on overseas assistance, including the Department of Agriculture (food aid primarily), the State Department (HIV/AIDS, anti-terrorism, anti-narcotics), and the Peace Corps, for a total of $26.6 G in 2004. [5]
- In 2004, the US government sent aid to the following regions (some of the total was "unspecified", which is why the numbers do not add up, and I've also specifically listed countries that received at least $100 M in aid): [5]
- Middle East: $8.5 G (Iraq $6.4 G, Egypt $664 M, Israel $555 M, Jordan $400 M, West Bank $137 M)
- Sub-Saharan Africa: $3.9 G (Ethiopia $433 M, Sudan $474 M, Uganda $222 M, Kenya $176 M, Liberia $138 M, South Africa $126 M, Nigeria $125 M, Congo $119 M, Angola $118 M, Tanzania $101 M)
- Latin America & Caribbean: $2.2 G (Colombia $648 M, Peru $275 M, Bolivia $178 M, Haiti $158 M)
- Asia & Oceana $2.8 G (Afghanistan $1.5 G, India $172 M, Philippines $168 M, Indonesia $157 M, Pakistan $155 M)
- Europe & Eurasia $2.4 G (Russia $1.1 G, Serbia $235 M, Kosovo $110 M, Kazakhstan $107 M)
- The top 10 countries (by total dollar amount) receiving US foreign assistance in 2004 were (in order): Iraq, Afghanistan, Russia, Egypt, Colombia, Israel, Sudan, Ethiopia, Jordan and Peru [5]
- The top 10 countries (per capita) receiving US foreign assistance were: Marshall Islands ($775 per person), Palau ($742), Micronesia ($571), Iraq ($268), Israel ($92), Jordan ($76), West Bank/Gaza ($63), Djibouti ($54), Afghanistan ($53) (see Attachment below) [5,6]
References -- unfortunately, most of these references are no longer available on the web in 2022:
- About USAID page from USAID web site in 2006 [no longer available] -- see USAID Mission and Values page for current information
- USAID Our Work page from 2006 [no longer available] -- see USAID What we Do for current information
- USAID Global Partnerships page from 2006 [no longer available]
- USAID 2005 Budget Summary page [no longer available]
- USAID "Greenbook" from 2005 (Overseas Loans and Grants, Obligations and Loan Authorizations Report)
- US Census Bureau's Global Population Profile, 2002