After a decade on the rise, bilateral allocable official development assistance (ODA) with gender equality objectives dropped by 13% from 2023 to 2024. With overall ODA projected to decline further, essential programmes and women’s rights organisations are at risk. To retain hard-won gains, remaining ODA for gender equality must target key areas. Strengthening partnerships and strategically using diverse financial instruments can help sustain and optimise financing for gender equality.
Gender equality is not just a fundamental human right. It is also good for the economy, boosting employment, productivity and long‑term growth, benefiting society at large. That is why new OECD data on official development assistance (ODA) to advance gender equality indicates a potential crisis for development as a whole.
Recent global developments and shifting bilateral priorities have impacted ODA from the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members, resulting in an overall decline of 8.3% from 2023 to 2024. Bilateral allocable ODA with gender equality objectives has been particularly affected, falling by 13%. This is its lowest volume since 2021. In addition, the share of total bilateral allocable aid integrating gender equality objectives also fell. The OECD's dashboard on development finance for gender equality tracks and visualises the state of funding for individual DAC members and various sectors over time.
With ODA projected to decline in the coming years, and with gender equality being deprioritised by some major development partners, ODA with gender equality objectives is expected to be affected even further.
Which sectors are most at risk?
From governance to infrastructure, all sectors are exposed to declining financial support, yet some are particularly at risk.
The ‘population and reproductive health’ sector is necessary to achieve gender equality and universal health coverage, yet OECD projections indicate that funding for this sector may drop by 35-53% in 2025. Financial cuts of this magnitude would result in drastically reduced access to fundamental health services, undermining women’s health and human rights.
Similarly, women’s rights organisations are under pressure. Despite their vital role in promoting equal power relations and ending harmful social norms, women’s rights organisations have long received less than 1% of ODA for gender equality. This already small figure dropped by 28%, from USD 799 million in 2023 to USD 578 million in 2024. A downward trend is projected to continue according to OECD data.
Equally concerning, while ODA for ending violence against women and girls had been steadily rising, it is now projected to drop by 17-20% in 2025. With nearly 1 in 3 women subjected to physical or sexual violence at least once in their lifetime, the implications of this decline for the safety of women and girls is worrying.
Finally, while the volume of bilateral humanitarian aid increased over the past decade, only 21% of this included gender equality objectives in 2024. This low integration is particularly evident in emergency food assistance. This is not gender neutral, as women and girls often have less access to educational opportunities, financial services and the documentation needed to access food aid. In addition, they are more exposed to gender‑based violence when collecting assistance.
Powering gender equality in the energy sector
Encouragingly, integrating gender equality objectives into ODA for the energy sector is improving. In 2014, only 4% of ODA to energy included gender equality objectives. This figure rose to 49% in 2024, with programmes relating to clean energy having a stronger gender focus. Promising programmes include those that support women’s participation in the energy labour market, build capacity, and promote women's leadership in influencing energy governance, policy and planning.
What can be done to protect gender equality?
As ODA for gender equality declines, there are various ways to protect progress:
Ensure a sustained and targeted focus of remaining ODA in key areas for gender equality and women’s rights to prevent a reversal of the progress made. These key areas include reproductive health, support for women’s rights organisations, and ending violence against women and girls.
Use technical expertise and political influence in partnerships, and concessional finance to mobilise and de-risk investments by others. This helps mitigate ODA financing gaps through complementary sources of finance.
Inform investment decisions with data and prioritise the areas that are most at risk. Robust financial reporting, including through the DAC gender equality policy marker, is essential for tracking efforts, ensuring accountability and mobilising resources.
Prioritise gender equality and empowering women and girls in policy and political dialogue with all development partners and stakeholders.
For any questions, please contact dcd.gendernet@oecd.org
