- Obligations
- A binding agreement that will result in outlays, immediately or in the future.
- Disbursements
- Amounts paid by federal agencies, by cash or cash equivalent, during the fiscal year to liquidate government obligations.
Foreign Assistance Fast Facts: FY2010
- The United States remained the world's largest bilateral donor, obligating approximately $53 billion: $38 billion in economic assistance and $15 billion in military assistance. By comparison, the United States obligated $34 billion and $15 billion, respectively, in 2009.
- The $38 billion in obligated U.S. economic assistance went to 182 countries. Afghanistan received the most, approximately $5 billion, while Iceland received the least, just $83.
- The U.S. disbursed $30 billion in economic assistance and $14 billion in military assistance.
- Afghanistan remained the top recipient of total U.S. economic and military assistance—both obligations and disbursements—for a third consecutive year. Iraq had held the top spot from 2003 to 2007.
- Haiti was a newcomer to the list of top ten recipients (obligations), as West Bank/Gaza dropped to 14th.
Economic Assistance
Funding
- Twenty-one U.S. government agencies funded foreign assistance activities.
- The five primary agencies providing bilateral foreign assistance are the
- U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID),
- State Department,
- U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA),
- Department of Defense (DoD), and
- Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC).
Combined, these five agencies accounted for about 86 percent of total economic assistance (obligations).
FY2010 U.S. Economic Assistance by Funding Agency
(in $US millions)
| Funding agency |
Obligations |
Disbursements |
| USAID |
14,369 |
10,489 |
| Department of State |
12,618 |
9,453 |
| Department of Agriculture |
2,638 |
2,590 |
| Department of the Treasury a |
2,246 |
2,239 |
| MCC |
1,617 |
1,288 |
| Department of Defense |
1,278 |
1,252 |
| Department of Energy |
1,037 |
734 |
| Department of Health and Human Services |
918 |
740 |
| Peace Corps |
354 |
274 |
| Department of the Interior |
343 |
343 |
| Department of Labor |
67 |
70 |
| Trade and Development Agency |
50 |
42 |
| Environmental Protection Agency |
41 |
9 |
| African Development Foundation |
33 |
33 |
| Inter-American Foundation |
26 |
27 |
| Department of Justice |
14 |
13 |
| Open World Leadership Center |
13 |
15 |
| Department of Commerce |
7 |
7 |
| Department of Transportation |
2 |
2 |
| Federal Trade Commission |
1 |
1 |
| Department of Homeland Security |
0 |
0 |
| SOURCE: USAID Foreign Assistance Database (http://gbk.eads.usaidallnet.gov/). |
| a. Over 98 percent of the Department of Treasury's economic assistance obligations and disbursements are U.S. contributions to multilateral organizations. |
| Prepared by USAID Economic Analysis and Data Services. |
Recipients—By Region (obligations)
- Sub-Saharan Africa received the largest share of economic assistance—26 percent.
- Of the 51 countries that received over $100 million in economic assistance, 20 were in Sub-Saharan Africa.
- Of the 182 countries that received economic assistance,
- 48 were in Sub-Saharan Africa,
- 47 were in Europe and Eurasia,
- 37 were in Asia,
- 31 were in Latin America and the Caribbean,
- 18 were in the Middle East, and
- 1 (Canada) was non-regionally specified.
FY2010 Top 5 Recipients by Region of U.S. Economic Assistance
(Obligations, in $US millions)
| Country |
2009 |
2010 |
| Asia |
| Afghanistan |
2,784 |
4,647 |
| Pakistan |
1,327 |
1,940 |
| Indonesia |
211 |
313 |
| Mongolia |
37 |
235 |
| Bangladesh |
171 |
227 |
| Europe and Eurasia |
| Georgia |
593 |
420 |
| Russia |
425 |
379 |
| Moldova |
31 |
308 |
| Kazakhstan |
90 |
304 |
| Ukraine |
175 |
288 |
| Latin America and the Caribbean |
| Haiti |
366 |
1,406 |
| Colombia |
711 |
678 |
| Mexico |
431 |
622 |
| Peru |
140 |
189 |
| Guatemala |
138 |
160 |
| Middle East and North Africa |
| Iraq |
2,231 |
1,082 |
| West Bank/Gaza |
1,039 |
693 |
| Jordan |
577 |
463 |
| Egypt |
480 |
397 |
| Lebanon |
155 |
156 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa |
| Ethiopia |
952 |
981 |
| Sudan |
1,198 |
871 |
| Kenya |
915 |
816 |
| Senegal |
134 |
698 |
| South Africa |
567 |
566 |
| SOURCE: USAID Foreign Assistance Database (http://gbk.eads.usaidallnet.gov/). |
| Prepared by USAID Economic Analysis and Data Services. |
Recipients—By World Bank Income Group (obligations)
- Low income countries received nearly a third of all U.S. economic assistance, more than any other income group.
FY2010 Top 5 Recipients by Income Group of U.S. Economic Assistance
(Obligations, in $US millions)
| Country |
2009 |
2010 |
| Low Income |
| Afghanistan |
2,784 |
4,647 |
| Haiti |
366 |
1,406 |
| Ethiopia |
952 |
981 |
| Kenya |
915 |
816 |
| Tanzania |
378 |
554 |
| Lower-Middle Income |
| Pakistan |
1,327 |
1,940 |
| Iraq |
2,231 |
1,082 |
| Sudan |
1,198 |
871 |
| Senegal |
134 |
698 |
| West Bank/Gaza |
1,039 |
693 |
| Upper-Middle Income |
| Colombia |
711 |
678 |
| Mexico |
431 |
622 |
| South Africa |
567 |
566 |
| Jordan |
577 |
463 |
| Russia |
425 |
379 |
| High Income |
| Poland |
53 |
166 |
| Israel |
40 |
36 |
| Canada |
26 |
26 |
| Czech Republic |
7 |
19 |
| Spain |
2 |
16 |
| SOURCE: USAID Foreign Assistance Database (http://gbk.eads.usaidallnet.gov/). |
| NOTE: World Bank Income Groups divide economies according to 2010 GNI per capita, calculated using the World Bank Atlas method. The groups are: low income, $1,005 or less; lower-middle income, $1,006–3,975; upper-middle income, $3,976–12,275; and high income, $12,276 or more.
|
| Prepared by USAID Economic Analysis and Data Services. |
Implementing Partners (Channel of Aid Delivery)
Funding agencies may choose to implement aid programs themselves or work with other organizations as implementing partners through contracts or other binding agreements. The U.S. government and multilateral organizations-such as the World Bank, United Nations, and World Trade Organization-implement roughly 60 percent of total U.S. economic assistance (obligations).
