The DAC List of ODA Recipients shows all countries and territories eligible to receive official development assistance (ODA). These consist of all low and middle income countries based on gross national income (GNI) per capita as published by the World Bank, with the exception of G8 members, EU members, and countries with a firm date for entry into the EU. The list also includes all of the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as defined by the United Nations (UN).
Updates to the list
The DAC revises the list every three years. Countries that have exceeded the high-income threshold for three consecutive years at the time of the review are removed.*
The DAC List presents countries and territories in groups. The Least Developed Countries (LDCs) as defined by the United Nations are in the first column; the other columns show all other ODA recipients according to their Gross National Income (GNI) per capita as reported by the World Bank at the time of the triennial review.
* During the 2020 triennial review of the List, the DAC agreed to an exceptional one-year delay to updating the List of countries and territories that are eligible to receive ODA. The only update to the List for reporting on aid in 2021 is the move, within the List, of Vanuatu to the lower-middle income (LMIC) grouping to reflect its graduation from the UN List of LDCs. During the review, Palau was identified to graduate from the DAC List as of 1 January 2022. However, the GNI per capita figures released by the World Bank in July 2022 (on 2021 data) showed that it fell below the high-income threshold. Palau therefore remains an ODA recipient. The following changes and timelines were agreed:
1 January 2021: Vanuatu moves from LDC to LMIC grouping on the List. No other changes to any of the classifications.
1 January 2022: Antigua and Barbuda graduated from the DAC List of ODA Recipients. Countries remaining on the List have been classified according to the World Bank’s 2020 income classifications, with LDCs listed separately.
The next review of the DAC List will take place in 2023.
The current list of Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPCs) is available on the IMF site.
DAC List of ODA Recipients for reporting on aid in 2020:pdf;
DAC List of ODA Recipient for reporting on aid in 2021:pdf; csv
DAC List of ODA Recipients for reporting on aid in 2022 and 2023:pdf; csv
Membership of the OECD or the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) does not affect eligibility to receive ODA. Several OECD members have been on the DAC List for many years and continue to receive ODA. Currently, no DAC members are on the list, but the DAC has made clear that leaving the list is not a requirement for DAC membership. Likewise, the provision of statistics to the DAC Secretariat has no bearing on a country's eligibility to receive ODA. Today, there are a number of countries that are both significant providers and recipients of ODA - e.g. Turkey and Thailand, both of which report their flows to the DAC.