This snapshot, taken on 22/04/2009, shows web content selected for preservation by The National Archives. External links, forms and search boxes may not work in archived websites.

Statistics on International Development 2008

Section 5

Contents | Section 1 | Section 2 | Section 3 | Section 4 | Section 5 | Tables Index


What is the Purpose of UK Expenditure on International Development?

1. This section considers what sectors UK aid supports within developing countries. It is important that readers be aware that demonstrating the exact areas on which aid is being spent is not a simple and exact exercise and a certain amount of judgement is involved. Increasingly projects are multi-dimensional and address interrelated policy areas. In addition more innovative types of aid instruments are being introduced. Together these make attributing expenditure to specific topics difficult.

2. DFID uses input sector codes to track its expenditure to sectors. An explanation on input sector codes is provided in Section 2.

The DFID Programme

3. Figure 9 shows the split of DFID’s bilateral programme between sectors for 2003/04 to 2007/08. In 2007/08 just over a quarter of DFID’s bilateral programme was classified under the ‘government and civil society’ sector (27 per cent, £791m). This was followed by the ‘health’ (18 per cent, £543m) and the ‘economic’ (17 per cent, £495m) sectors. ‘Education’ received the next largest amount with 12 per cent (£351m), followed by ‘humanitarian assistance’ with 11 per cent (£315m).

Figure 9 DFID Bilateral Programme by Sector, 2003/04 – 2007/08

4. The sectors seeing the greatest increase in support in 2007/08 are ‘government and civil society’ (up £161m, 26 per cent), ‘economic’ (up £49m, 11 per cent) and ‘health’ (up £48m, 10 per cent). Two sectors saw reduced support in 2007/08, ‘education’ (down £22m, 6 per cent) and ‘humanitarian assistance’ (down £9m, 3 per cent). All other sectors saw increased support in 2007/08.

5. The main reason support to the education sector decreased in 2007/08 was lower contributions to the Education Fast Track Initiative (FTI). DFID's commitment to the FTI totals £150 million over three years, but the schedule of disbursement is not even (at the request of the FTI) with £70 million being provided in 2006/07 and £7 million in 2007/08.

6. Figure 10 shows how the DFID bilateral programme is broken down by sector and region. In 2007/08 all regions had ‘government and civil society’ as the sector receiving the most DFID bilateral assistance. ‘Government and civil society’ received 22 per cent of bilateral assistance to Africa, 32 in Asia and 45 in Europe, the Americas and the Pacific. In Africa ‘health’ saw the next largest share with 20 per cent, followed by ‘economic’ with 19 per cent. In Asia ‘health’ was second with 21 per cent and ‘economic’ was third with 18 per cent. The sector receiving the second highest share in Europe, the Americas and the Pacific was ‘economic’ with 15 per cent. This was followed by ‘health’ with 10 per cent.

Figure 10 DFID Bilateral Programme by Region and Sector, 2003/04 – 2007/08