What is development aid?

Development aid is usually a package of financial or technical support that can be provided in the form of direct grants, initiatives or training. In most cases, advanced economies are those providing the aid but developing countries can also offer it.

Where does development aid come from?

About 80% of the aid measured by the OECD comes from government sources as official development assistance (ODA). The remaining 20% or so comes from individuals, businesses, charitable foundations or NGOs (e.g., Oxfam ). Most development aid comes from the Western industrialised countries but some poorer countries also contribute aid.

What are the different types of development aid?

Analyses of development aid often focus on ODA, as ODA is measured systematically and appears to cover most of what people regard as development aid. However, there are some significant categories of development aid that fall outside ODA, notably: private aid, remittances, aid to less-poor countries and aid from other donor states.