Switzerland less generous with development aid

Switzerland's aid was below the UN target. Stiftung Menschen für Menschen Schweiz

Switzerland’s official development assistance (ODA) amounted to 0.44% of Gross National Income (GNI) last year, down from 0.46% in 2017 and below the UN target of 0.7%. 

It is also below the 2018 European Union average of 0.47% of GNI.  

Total Swiss ODA spending in 2018 was just over CHF3 billion, down CHF68 million on the previous year. In a statementExternal link, the foreign ministry attributed the decline to a drop in asylum-related costs and cuts decided by parliament. 

The bulk of Swiss ODA (80%) goes to international development projects that “help reduce poverty and global risks, promote peace and respect for human rights, and mitigate the causes of forced displacement and irregular migration,” according to the foreign ministry. 

“Switzerland also contributes to sustainable, environmentally-friendly development worldwide, particularly in terms of sustainable resource management,” it said. 

In 2018, Sweden, Luxembourg, Norway, Denmark and the United Kingdom reached the United Nation’s 0.7% target of GNI to be spent on ODA. Switzerland is placed eighth in international rankings compiled by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.