Development Co‑operation Profiles: Austria
Table of contents
Austria’s development co-operation is rooted in human rights, partnership and responsibility principles. Geographically, it focuses on the European Eastern neighbourhood, sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East. Austria’s total official development assistance (ODA) (USD 1.8 billion, preliminary data) decreased in 2025, representing 0.33% of gross national income (GNI).
This profile presents verified data on Austria’s development assistance allocations. See the Development Co-operation Profiles.
The Federal Act on Development Co-operation (2003) defines Austria’s three main development co‑operation objectives as poverty eradication, ensuring peace and human security, and preserving the environment. In addition, the Three-year Programme on Austrian Development Policy 2025-2027 (3YP) provides an operational framework for aligning sectoral and institutional policies across ministries. Bilateral co-operation focuses on least developed countries (LDCs) in sub-Saharan Africa (Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mozambique and Uganda); the Western Balkans (Kosovo) and the European Eastern Partnership (Armenia, Georgia and the Republic of Moldova); and fragile contexts in the Middle East (West Bank and Gaza Strip). Austrian co-operation emphasises humanitarian action, sustainable development, climate action and peace-related interventions.
Austria channels most of its support to multilateral organisations, with its allocations to international financial institutions guided by the Ministry of Finance’s Strategic Guidelines. Austria’s foreign policy priorities include supporting conflict prevention, nuclear non-proliferation, disarmament, arms control and the rule of law. These priorities are evident in Austria’s leadership in its immediate neighbourhood – Southeast Europe – where it plays an important role in promoting regional and European integration. Austria also seeks to promote peace and security in its engagement with the European Union (EU).
Austria’s mid-term review, conducted in February 2023, noted that Austria had made progress on 5 of the 11 recommendations of the 2020 Peer Review and limited progress on the remaining 6. The review welcomed the government’s adoption of the 2022‑2024 3YP as a step towards a more co-ordinated approach but noted that further work is needed to make it a whole-of-government strategy. The review also praised Austria’s successful efforts to mobilise additional resources for humanitarian assistance. It encouraged Austria to continue working towards strengthening the coherence, co-ordination, visibility and accountability of its development co-operation and humanitarian efforts.
Discover insights from Austria’s 2020 Peer Review and 2023 mid-term review, and learn from Austria’s practices in Development Co-operation Tools Insights Practices.
Austria provided USD 1.8 billion (preliminary data) of ODA in 2025 (USD 1.7 billion in constant terms), representing 0.33% of GNI.1 This was a decrease of 6.3% in real terms in volume and a decrease in the share of GNI from 2024. The decrease was due to a decline mainly in multilateral ODA. ODA volume increased from 2018 up to 2022, with growth in in-donor refugee costs between 2020 and 2022. Austria’s ODA is not in line with its domestic, international and European Union (EU) commitments to collectively achieve a 0.7% ODA/GNI ratio by 2030.
In 2025, Austria ranked 19th among Development Assistance Committee (DAC) members in terms of ODA volume and 15th when ODA is taken as a share of GNI. Compared to other DAC members, a large share of its bilateral ODA channelled through multilateral organisations was allocated to humanitarian assistance (38.3%) in 2024. Austria relies on technical co-operation, which accounted for 23.4% of total ODA, and has one of the largest shares of private sector instruments amongst DAC members (4.7% of total ODA in 2024).
Austria is committed to several international targets and DAC standards and recommendations. Learn more about DAC Recommendations.
Notes: This table only includes information about ODA data-related DAC recommendations. ODA: official development assistance; GNI: gross national income; DAC: Development Assistance Committee.
Austria provided most of its ODA multilaterally in 2024. Gross bilateral ODA was 49.5% of total ODA disbursements. Of this, 25.4% was channelled through multilateral organisations (earmarked contributions).
In 2024, Austria provided USD 1.1 billion of gross ODA to the multilateral system, a fall of 6.5% in real terms from 2023. Of this, USD 879.6 million was core multilateral ODA (50.5% of total ODA), while USD 218.9 million was non-core contributions earmarked for a specific country, region, theme or purpose. Project-type funding earmarked for a specific theme and/or country accounted for 14.3% of Austria’s non‑core contributions, and 85.7% was programmatic funding (to pooled funds and specific-purpose programmes and funds). The European institutions (USD 507 million) are by far Austria’s main multilateral partner, followed by the World Bank (USD 254.2 million)
The United Nations (UN) system received 14.8% of Austria’s contributions to multilateral organisations, of which USD 112.1 million (68.8%) represented earmarked contributions. Out of a total volume of USD 162.8 million to the UN system, the top three UN recipients of Austria’s support (core and earmarked contributions) were World Food Programme (USD 32.1 million), United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (USD 23.5 million) and the UN Secretariat (USD 12 million).
See the section on Geographic, sectoral and thematic focus of ODA for the breakdown of bilateral allocations, including ODA earmarked through the multilateral development system.
Learn more by exploring the DAC members’ use of the multilateral system dashboard.
In 2024, Austria’s bilateral spending declined compared to the previous year. It provided USD 860.7 million of gross bilateral ODA (which includes earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations). This represented a decrease of 9.6% in real terms from 2023.
In 2024, country programmable aid amounted to USD 204.6 million, or 23.8% of Austria’s gross bilateral ODA, compared to the DAC country average of 46.5%.
Austria’s in-donor refugee costs amounted to USD 103.9 million (12.1% of gross bilateral ODA) in 2024, while humanitarian aid was USD 167 million, or 18% of gross bilateral ODA.
Austria disbursed USD 1.1 million for triangular co-operation in 2024. Its regional priority is Africa, with a focus on energy. Learn more about triangular co-operation.
In 2024, Austria channelled its bilateral ODA mainly through universities, research institutes or think tanks, public sector and multilateral organisations. Technical co-operation made up 23.4% of gross ODA in 2024.
In 2024, civil society organisations (CSOs) received USD 141.2 million of gross bilateral ODA, of which 4.1% was directed to developing country-based CSOs. Overall, 0.2% of gross bilateral ODA was allocated to CSOs as core contributions and 16.2% was channelled through CSOs to implement projects initiated by the provider (earmarked funding). From 2023 to 2024, the combined core and earmarked contributions for CSOs increased as a share of bilateral ODA, from 11.4% to 16.4%.
Learn more by reading the DAC Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid and by exploring the ODA to civil society organisations dashboard.
In 2024, Austria’s bilateral ODA primarily focused on ODA-eligible countries in Europe. USD 251.8 million was allocated to ODA-eligible countries in Europe (of which 34.3% for Ukraine) and USD 147 million to countries in Africa, accounting respectively for 29.3% and 17.1% of gross bilateral ODA. USD 108 million was allocated to Asia (excluding the Middle East). Countries in Europe were also the main recipient of Austria’s earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations. This is in line with Austria’s development policy, both for bilateral and earmarked multilateral co-operation.
In 2024, 30.6% of gross bilateral ODA went to Austria’s top 10 recipients. Except for Iran and India, its top 10 recipients are in the Western Balkans, Eastern Neighbourhood, and sub-Saharan Africa, which are in line with Austria’s regional focus and priority countries. The share of gross bilateral ODA not allocated by country was 40.1%, of which 30.1% consisted of expenditures for processing and hosting refugees in provider countries.
In 2024, Austria allocated 0.07% of its GNI to the LDCs. Austria allocated the highest share of gross bilateral ODA (23.4%) to lower middle-income countries in 2024, noting that 40.1% was unallocated by income group. LDCs received 11.9% of Austria’s gross bilateral ODA (USD 102.7 million). Additionally, Austria allocated 12.4% of gross bilateral ODA to land-locked developing countries in 2024, equal to USD 106.5 million.
The distribution of Austria’s ODA in net terms in relation to “ODA per person in extreme poverty”2 was USD 0.3 in LDCs, USD 1.1 in lower middle-income countries (LMICs) and USD 2.1 in upper middle-income countries (UMICs).
In 2025, Austria provided USD 111.7 million of net bilateral ODA to Ukraine to respond to the impacts of the Russian Federation’s full-scale invasion, a 20.8% increase from 2024 in real terms. USD 27.3 million of the amount was humanitarian assistance in 2025, a 75.3% increase in real terms from 2024.
Support to contexts with high and extreme fragility was USD 199.7 million in 2024, representing 23.2% of Austria’s gross bilateral ODA. Of this ODA, 36.6% was provided in the form of humanitarian assistance, an increase from 33.4% in 2023, while 6.2% was allocated to peace, a decrease from 6.4% in 2023. Conflict prevention, a subset of contributions to peace, represented 0.7% of gross bilateral ODA, decreasing from 1.6% in 2023.
Learn more about the States of Fragility platform.
In 2024, the largest focus of Austria’s bilateral ODA was social infrastructure and services. Investments in this area accounted for 44.2% of bilateral ODA commitments (USD 409.4 million), with a strong focus on support to education (USD 301.9 million), government and civil society (USD 55.5 million) and health and population (USD 21.2 million). ODA for other macro sectors totalled USD 247 million, with a focus on refugees in donor countries (USD 103.8 million). Earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations also focused on social sectors in 2024.
In the period 2023-2024, Austria committed 52.4% of screened bilateral allocable ODA to gender equality and women’s empowerment compared to 40.2% in 2021-2022 and a DAC average of 48.2% in 2023-2024. This is equal to USD 238.1 million of screened bilateral allocable ODA in support of gender equality on average per year. In addition:
The share of screened bilateral allocable ODA committed to gender equality and women’s empowerment as a principal objective was 6.8% in 2023-2024, compared with the DAC average of 4.2%.
Austria includes gender equality objectives in 57.5% of ODA for humanitarian aid, above the 2023‑2024 DAC average of 21.5%.
Austria screens almost all bilateral allocable ODA against the DAC gender equality policy marker (91.4% in 2023-2024).
Austria committed USD 6.4 million of ODA to end violence against women and girls, and USD 3.5 million to support women’s rights organisations and movements, and government institutions on average per year in 2023-2024.
Learn more by reading the DAC Recommendation on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of All Women and Girls in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Assistance and the DAC Recommendation on Ending Sexual Exploitation in Development Co-operation, and by exploring the development finance for gender equality dashboard.
In 2023-24, Austria committed 32.2% of its total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 159.9 million) in support of the environment and the Rio Conventions, down from 37.6% in 2021-2022. The DAC average was 39%. In addition:
18.4% of screened bilateral allocable ODA focused on environmental issues as a principal objective, compared with the DAC average of 11.2%.
28.1% of total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 139.6 million) focused on climate change overall (the DAC average was 35.4%), down from 34.5% in 2021-22. Austria had a greater focus on adaptation (26%) than on mitigation (16.4%) in 2023-24.
12.2% of screened bilateral allocable ODA (USD 55.6 million) focused on biodiversity overall, up from 7.2% in 2021-22 (the DAC average was 8.6%).
4.6% of screened bilateral allocable ODA (USD 20.9 million) focused on desertification overall, up from 3% in 2021-2022 (the DAC average was 4.2%).
Learn more about the DAC Declaration on Aligning Development Co-operation with the Goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
The OECD's tracking of ODA for the sustainable ocean economy shows that Austria committed USD 3 million in support of the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean in 2024, USD 0.8 million less than in 2023. The 2024 value is equivalent to 0.7% of Austria's bilateral allocable ODA.
In 2024, Austria:
Allocated 3.4% of its bilateral ODA (USD 29.4 million) to core poverty-reducing sectors as defined by Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 1.a.1. This indicator captures grants to basic social services (such as basic health and education, water supply and sanitation, multisector aid for basic social services) and development food aid. In addition, 1.1% of bilateral ODA (USD 9.2 million) went to social protection support. Learn more by exploring the Reducing poverty and inequalities through ODA data explainer.
Committed USD 43.8 million (8.3% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to development co-operation projects and programmes that promote the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities.
Typically seeks exemptions for the payment of local tax and customs duties for ODA-funded goods and services. It does not make information available on the OECD Digital Transparency Hub on the Tax Treatment of ODA.
Committed USD 52.8 million (10.1% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to promote aid for trade and improve developing countries’ trade performance and integration into the world economy in 2024. Learn more by exploring the Aid for Trade dashboard.
In 2024, total official and private flows from Austria to developing countries amounted to USD 2.1 billion in net terms. Official sources accounted for USD 1.6 billion, while USD 542.6 million originated from private sources.
To help build markets in developing countries and incentivise greater mobilisation of private resources for development, many providers, including Austria, have established development finance institutions and similar vehicles that extend private sector instruments (PSI). The Austrian Development Bank (OeEB) was assessed as an ODA-eligible PSI vehicle. PSI represented 4.7% of Austria’s ODA in 2024 while the DAC average stood at 1.9%.
In 2024, OeEB extended USD 293.3 million in the form of PSI to developing countries.3 Of this, loans accounted for 71.1% whereas equities accounted for 28.2%. Other private sector instruments included mezzanine finance instruments.
In 2024, USD 25.3 million (8.6%) of Austria’s private sector instruments were allocated to the LDCs and other low-income countries (LICs), with 33.3% received by middle-income countries and lower middle‑income countries in particular (20.1%). USD 170.4 million was unallocated by income. Austria’s PSI primarily supported projects in the banking and financial services (31.2%) and energy (29.9%).
Austria uses leveraging mechanisms to mobilise private finance for sustainable development. In 2024, Austria’s Development Agency and OeEB mobilised USD 87.7 million from the private sector through direct investment in companies and special purpose vehicles, simple co-financing, shares in collective investment vehicles and syndicated loans. This constituted a 125.7% increase compared to 2023.
Private finance mobilised by Austria in 2023-2024 mainly targeted LDCs and other low-income countries, representing 40.3% of its total mobilised. Only 25.3% of total mobilised private finance during this period benefited middle-income countries (LICs), noting that 34.4% was unallocated by income.
Mobilised private finance by Austria in 2023-2024 related mainly to activities in energy (37.3%), as its top sector. Furthermore, over this period, 55.6% of Austria’s total mobilised private finance was for climate action.
Learn more by exploring the Mobilisation of private finance for development dashboard.
Total official support for sustainable development (TOSSD) is an international statistical standard that monitors and increases the transparency of all official and officially supported resources for financing the SDGs received by developing countries (Pillar 1) and for addressing global challenges (Pillar 2). In 2024, activities reported by Austria as TOSSD totalled USD 2.2 billion, marking a 12% decrease compared with the previous year.4 Austria’s TOSSD activities mostly targeted SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 17 (partnerships for the Goals) and SDG 13 (climate action).
Activity-level data on TOSSD by recipient are available at: https://tossd.online.
The Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs develops and co-ordinates Austria’s development policy and allocates and oversees the budget of the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the operational unit of Austrian development co-operation. The Federal Ministry of Finance is responsible for most core contributions to multilateral organisations and is involved in the oversight of OeEB. Local governments, the federal states and several other federal ministries – including the Ministry of Education, Science and Research; the Ministry of Defence; the Ministry of the Interior; and the Federal Chancellery – also contribute and are involved in delivering Austria’s ODA.
Austria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has 37 staff members working on development co-operation. ADA has 228 staff, 104 in headquarters in Vienna and 123 abroad in its co-ordination and project offices.
A Parliamentary Sub-Committee on Development discusses Austria’s ODA targets and the 3YP. CSOs active in development co-operation, humanitarian assistance and global citizenship education co-ordinate through the umbrella body, the Platform for Development and Humanitarian Aid.
The Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development placed a renewed emphasis on strengthening the effectiveness of all forms of development co-operation by upholding and elevating the Effectiveness Principles. Adherence to these principles is measured through the partner country-led monitoring exercise of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation (GPEDC).
Notes: The global aggregate results of the 4th GPEDC monitoring round (2023-2026) will be published in the forthcoming 2026 GPEDC Global Monitoring Report. Learn more about partner countries’ participation, progress and country-specific results by exploring the GPEDC Global Dashboard. CRS: Creditor Reporting System; IATI: International Aid Transparency Initiative.
Internal systems and processes help ensure the delivery of Austria’s development co-operation. The table below highlights select features.
Access the full list of development co-operation providers at: Development Co-operation Profiles.
2023 OECD-DAC mid-term review of Austria: https://one.oecd.org/document/DCD/DAC/AR(2024)3/2/en/pdf.
2020 OECD-DAC Peer Review of Austria: https://doi.org/10.1787/03b626d5-en.
Austrian Development Agency (ADA): https://www.entwicklung.at/en.
CSO umbrella organisation Global Responsibility: Platform for Development and Humanitarian Aid: https://www.globaleverantwortung.at/global-responsibility-platform-for-development-and-humanitarian-aid.
Development Bank of Austria (OeEB): https://www.oe-eb.at.
Federal Ministry for European and International Affairs (BMEIA): https://www.bmeia.gv.at/en/european-foreign-policy/development-policy-and-cooperation.
Austria has been a member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) since 1965.
The methodological notes provide further details on the definitions and statistical methodologies applied, including the grant-equivalent methodology, core and earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations, country programmable aid, channels of delivery, bilateral ODA unspecified/unallocated, bilateral allocable ODA, the gender equality policy marker, and the environment markers.
This work is published under the responsibility of the Secretary-General of the OECD. The opinions expressed and arguments employed herein do not necessarily reflect the official views of the Member countries of the OECD.
This document, as well as any data and map included herein, are without prejudice to the status of or sovereignty over any territory, to the delimitation of international frontiers and boundaries and to the name of any territory, city or area.
The statistical data for Israel are supplied by and under the responsibility of the relevant Israeli authorities. The use of such data by the OECD is without prejudice to the status of the Golan Heights, East Jerusalem and Israeli settlements in the West Bank under the terms of international law.
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← 1. DAC members adopted the grant-equivalent methodology starting from their reporting of 2018 data as a more accurate way to count the donor effort in development loans. See the methodological notes for further details.
← 2. Aid per person in extreme poverty is calculated by dividing net ODA (bilateral and imputed multilateral) by the population in extreme poverty in each country. It estimates how much ODA each person in extreme poverty would receive if total ODA was divided evenly among the extreme poor. This metric does not measure the amount of ODA actually received by each person in extreme poverty, nor does it measure how much ODA goes to poverty reduction. It instead highlights patterns in total ODA allocations relative to the number of people living in extreme poverty in each country. Group averages are calculated based on a weighted average of aid per person in extreme poverty and the number of people in extreme poverty for each country in the group. See the methodological notes for further details.
← 3. In 2023, the DAC agreed on revised reporting methods for measuring PSI in ODA based on ODA grant equivalents. Members may, however, take up to two years to transition to the new methods, with their PSI continuing to be accounted for on a net ODA basis during the transition period.
← 4. This amount does not include mobilised private finance by Austria.