How much aid does the United States give?
Less than 1 percent of the U.S. budget goes to foreign aid.
President Bush’s 2003 budget proposes about $11.4 billion in
economic assistance and about $4.3 billion for peacekeeping
operations and to finance, train, and educate foreign armed
forces.
How do U.S. aid levels compare with those of other countries?
The U.S. foreign-aid budget as a percentage of gross national
product (GNP) ranks last among the world’s wealthiest
countries (at about 0.1 percent). In raw dollars, however, the
United States is now the world’s top donor of economic aid,
although for more than a decade it was second to Japan,
which is far smaller and has been beset by economic woes. In
2001, the United States gave $10.9 billion, Japan $9.7 billion,
Germany $4.9 billion, the United Kingdom $4.7 billion, and
France $4.3 billion. As a percentage of GNP, however, the
top donors were Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands,
Luxembourg, and Sweden. The tiny Netherlands (pop. 5.3
million) gave $3.2 billion in 2001—almost a third of what
America contributed.
Do Americans understand how much of the U.S. budget goes to foreign aid?
No. A 2001 poll sponsored by the University of Maryland
showed that most Americans think the United States spends
about 24 percent of its annual budget on foreign aid—more
than 24 times the actual figure.
Do Americans support increasing foreign aid?
Yes. A University of Maryland poll, which was conducted in
July 2002, indicated that 81 percent of Americans support
increasing foreign-aid spending to fight terrorism. According
to the poll’s findings, the typical American would like to spend
$1 on foreign aid for every $3 spent on defense; the real ratio
in the proposed budget for fiscal year 2003 is $1 on aid for
every $19 spent on defense.
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