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Foreign aid

How much aid does Denmark give abroad?

In 2024, Denmark gave € 2.8 billion in development and humanitarian aid. That is about € 468 per inhabitant. 33% of it went through international organisations, such as the UN, the World Bank and the EU.

Good to know (click to read)
  • This is official development assistance as countries report it to the OECD: grants and cheap loans for development and humanitarian aid. Military aid is not included.
  • These are the amounts actually paid out in a year, not promises. The OECD counts in dollars; we convert to euro at that year’s average rate.
  • Part of every EU country’s money goes through the EU. So do not add up a country’s figures and the EU’s: you would count that part twice.
  • Figures for the latest year are sometimes still provisional.

Per year

Development and humanitarian aid in total, in euro of that year.

0 mld € 1 mld € 2 mld € 3 mld € 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023
In billions of euros

Which countries received the most in 2024?

  • Ukraine € 200.1 million
  • Syria € 57.3 million
  • Somalia € 50.8 million
  • Kenya € 48.9 million
  • Palestinian Territories € 46.5 million
  • Ethiopia € 39.4 million
  • Burkina Faso € 38.8 million
  • Uganda € 38.2 million
  • Afghanistan € 38 million
  • Niger € 31.3 million

Only what went directly to a country. Money through international organisations is not included here.

Through which organisations in 2024?

  1. European Commission [EC] € 358.4 million
  2. Other UN € 119.1 million
  3. International Development Association [IDA] € 110.1 million
  4. Other Multilateral € 99.9 million
  5. UNHCR € 33.5 million
  6. International Bank for Reconstruction and Development [IBRD] € 33.5 million
  7. UNFPA € 30.1 million
  8. WFP € 25.9 million

In focus: Ukraine

Year Development aid Denmark EU development aid All EU spending there
2020 € 14.8 million € 1.4 billion –
2021 € 29.6 million € 998.4 million –
2022 € 143.1 million € 10.1 billion € 1.8 billion
2023 € 158.1 million € 19 billion € 785.8 million
2024 € 200.1 million € 17.5 billion € 3.6 billion
2025 – – € 3.5 billion

"All EU spending there" comes from the European Commission’s transparency system: including loans and reconstruction support, such as the Ukraine Facility. Do not add up the columns.

All support to Ukraine, including military

According to the Kiel Institute, from 24 January 2022 to 31 August 2026. This counts what Denmark allocated: delivered or firmly planned.

Military

€ 10.5 billion

Humanitarian

€ 990 million

Financial

€ 215 million

Promised in total (including what is still to come): € 12.2 billion. For military support, Denmark ranks 2 of the 27 EU countries.

Source: Kiel Institute, Ukraine Support Tracker (release 31). Based on government announcements, not official figures. Military aid is not part of the development aid above. See the Ukraine Support Tracker

What the EU itself spent outside the EU in 2025

Part of it comes from the contribution of Denmark to the EU. So do not add it to the figures above. It is not only aid: loans, reconstruction and, for example, research cooperation with the United Kingdom or Switzerland are also included.

  1. Ukraine € 3.5 billion
  2. Czechia € 1.9 billion
  3. United Kingdom € 730.4 million
  4. Türkiye € 660 million
  5. Palestinian Territories € 235.9 million
  6. Norway € 209.3 million
  7. Switzerland € 167.1 million
  8. Lebanon € 124.5 million

Sources: OECD, official development assistance (DAC2A); European Commission, Financial Transparency System (CC BY 4.0); Eurostat, exchange rates; Kiel Institute, Ukraine Support Tracker (totals per country).