What is the UK’s foreign aid budget and how much does the UK spend compared to other countries around the world?
Penny Mordaunt, the secretary for the Department of International Development, has proposed a radical shake-up of how aid is delivered overseas
THE voluntary transfer of resources from rich to poorer countries rarely escapes controversy.
But what is the UK's foreign aid budget and how much does Britain actually spend compared to other countries? Here's what we know.
What is the UK's foreign aid budget?
The UK currently fulfils its target of donating 0.7 per cent of its Gross National Income (GNI) on foreign aid each year.
Gross National Income describes the country's annual output of goods and services. This effectively means that for every hundred pounds made in this country 70p goes towards foreign aid.
The amount is the UN's target for all developed countries and was first promoted in the 1970s.
But it wasn't until 2013 that the UK achieved this target for the first time, before it was enshrined into British law in 2015.
According to Full Fact, , the UK spent £13.4billion on oversea aid in 2016, in line with its target.
The amount spent in the future directly corresponds to how large the economy is at that time, but the Office for Budget Responsibility forecasts that spending could rise to £14.5bn by 2021.
How much does the UK spend compared to other countries around the world?
The US contributes the most at $35.26billion (£25bn) a year - but this is only around 0.18% of the country's national income.
In 2017 the UK's donation was the third largest in the world in terms of volume ($17.94bn or £13.75bn).
But proportionately it was fifth, coming behind Sweden, Luxembourg, Norway and Denmark.
Only these four countries and the UK are currently fulfilling the 0.7% target set out by the UN.
shows Sweden spent the most proportionately on foreign aid.
Last year it donated 1.01% of its GNI ($5.51bn or £4.23bn).
Aside from the UK, Germany is the only other G7 country to come close to fulfilling the UN target, donating $24.68bn (£18.92bn) in 2017, 0.66% of its national income in 2017.
How is the money spent?
In 2015, 37 per cent of UK foreign aid was delivered via international organisations and 63 per cent was spent as bilateral aid.
Bilateral aid goes directly to developing countries. In 2015 the top recipients were Pakistan, Ethiopia, Afghanistan, Nigeria and Syria.
In 2017, Africa remained the largest recipient with 58.5% or £2.5bn of the UK's bilateral aid budget.
Syria received the second largest amount - £352m - followed closely by Ethiopia with £334m.
According to Full Fact, around 15% of the money goes towards humanitarian aid while the rest is focused on long-term goals.
Why is foreign aid controversial?
The amount Britain sends overseas and the way it is managed has frequently come under fire.
Critics claim that the Department for International Development (DiFD) has little say over how the money is distributed as much of it goes directly to multilateral organisations.
Some criticism has focused on how the money is given to powerhouse economies such as India and China.
In September 2018 David Davis MP said India did not "want or need" UK aid, after it emerged India would be given £98m between 2018-2020.
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In 2015/16 the vast South Asian country received £254m but gave away £912m in foreign aid.
However, supporters would argue that aid in growing economies can play a catalytic role to support change and progress.
They would also argue that the vast majority of aid goes to less economically developed countries and helps save and rebuild lives.
Bill Gates has been to continue with its funding promises after Donald Trump threatened to slash America's foreign aid budget by a third.
In August 2018 Theresa May PM claimed she made an "unashamed" vow to ensure foreign spending benefits UK interests.
And in October 2018 Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt proposed a radical shake-up of how aid is delivered overseas by asking investors to contribute to the aid budget.
Ms Mordaunt hopes to persuade the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) to reform rules on aid spending to allow her plans to go through.
Under the proposals, Britain would still meet the controversial target of 0.7% of its annual income on foreign aid.
-A previous version of this article reported that the UK spent £13.4 billion on overseas aid in 2017. It should have read 2016, and has now been amended.
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