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How much foreign aid does the U.S. give?
$28 billion in 2009. (OECD)
How does that compare to other foreign policy priorities?
$530 Billion: U.S. Military Budget
$130 Billion: U.S. War Spending
Source DoD)
How does the U.S. compare to other wealthy nations?
Not very well. In volume given, the U.S. government does better than other nations. When factoring potential to give, the U.S. is usually ranked near the bottom.
Perception vs. Reality?
Americans drastically overestimate the level of funding going to assisting the world's poor and consequently there hasn't been public outrage over the miniscule funding levels. On average, Americans believe 25% of the federal budget goes to foreign aid, and ironically think it should be "slashed" to only 10%. In realitiy, less than 1% of the federal budget goes to foreign aid.
CS Monitor
Americans Say...
Listen to the Money Talk
$73 - Amount per American the U.S. spends on aid.
$1,763 - Amount per American the U.S. spends on defense.
(Source)
Watch Hipsters Guide to U.S. Foreign Policy
Watch Foreign Aid 101
USAID Timeline of Successes
Global Giving: The Major Players
In 1970, the world's rich countries agreed to give 0.7% of their gross national income as official international development aid. Most rich countries have failed to reach this reasonable goal, but five countries have exceeded the target: Denmark, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden. The U.S. is ranked toward the bottom at .2%.
Giving in Terms of GNI
Chart shows wealthy nations Offcial Development Assistance as a percentage of Gross National Income.
