Development Co‑operation Profiles: Greece
Table of contents
Greece’s official development assistance (ODA) has yet to pick up as its economy recovers from its deep financial crisis in the 2010s. Greece’s development co-operation is primarily comprised of multilateral expenditure, principally to European Union (EU) institutions, and in-donor refugee costs. Greece’s total official development assistance (ODA) increased in 2024 to USD 357.6 million (preliminary data), representing 0.14% of gross national income (GNI).
This profile presents verified data on development assistance allocation. See the Development Co-operation Profiles.
The 2021 Law on Development Co-operation and the 2022-25 National Programme guide Greece’s development co-operation policy. The programme sets out a pragmatic geographic concentration on seven countries in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea as first priorities and an additional eight countries as second priorities; all countries have strong cultural ties to Greece in Southeast Europe, the Middle East, North Africa, the Black Sea and sub-Saharan Africa. Greece’s priorities are poverty, health, education and sustainable economic development while climate, governance, gender and digital transformation are to be addressed across the programme. While Hellenic Aid is responsible for planning and formulating Greece’s development co-operation strategy, the majority of Greece’s ODA is disbursed by the Ministry of Finance to EU institutions.
Greece’s multilateral expenditure almost exclusively comprises core contributions, with the only non-core contributions being programmatic funding to EU institutions. Greece seeks to resolve the challenges facing the Mediterranean, Southeast Europe and the Middle East and advocates for a safe marine environment in the eastern Mediterranean.
The OECD-DAC 2022 mid-term review noted Greece’s efforts to reform its legislative, institutional and internal systems – providing the building blocks for effective development co-operation once the bilateral programme resumes. It also highlighted Greece’s improvements in streamlining the management of migration. Given the context of a decreasing ODA budget, with a very limited bilateral budget beyond in‑donor refugee costs, Greece has, to date, limited scope to test these reforms. Discover insights from Greece’s 2019 Peer Review and 2022 mid-term review.
Greece provided USD 357.6 million (preliminary data) of ODA in 2024 (USD 345.4 million in constant terms), representing 0.14% of GNI.1 This was an increase of 3.3% in real terms in volume and a decrease in the share of GNI from 2023. While the government has not stated what ODA/GNI ratio it wants to achieve, Greece is committed, at the European level, to collectively achieving a 0.7% ODA/GNI by 2030. Greece provided all of its ODA as grants in 2023.2
In 2024, Greece ranked 30th among Development Assistance Committee (DAC) member countries when ODA is taken as a share of GNI. Greece’s ODA is yet to recover from significant cuts in public sector expenditure following the global financial crisis. In-donor refugee costs make up the lion’s share of Greece’s bilateral ODA.
Greece has committed to several international targets and DAC standards and recommendations. Learn more about DAC Recommendations.
Note: This table only includes information about ODA data-related DAC Recommendations. ODA: official development assistance; GNI: gross national income; DAC: Development Assistance Committee.
Greece provided a higher share of its ODA multilaterally in 2023. Gross bilateral ODA was 17.1% of total ODA disbursements. Six per cent of gross bilateral ODA was channelled through multilateral organisations (earmarked contributions).
In 2023, Greece provided USD 280.5 million of gross ODA to the multilateral system, a fall of 8% in real terms from 2022. Of this, USD 277 million was core multilateral ODA (82.9% of total ODA), while USD 3.5 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 12.5% of Greece’s non‑core contributions and 87.5% was programmatic funding (to pooled funds and specific-purpose programmes and funds).
The United Nations (UN) system received 3.1% of Greece’s contributions to multilateral organisations, mostly through core contributions. Out of a total volume of USD 8.7 million to the UN system, the top three UN recipients of Greece’s support (core and earmarked contributions) were UNDPO-UN Peacekeeping operations (USD 2.4 million), the UN Secretariat (USD 1.7 million) and the Multilateral Fund for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol (USD 1.6 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 dashboard on DAC members’ use of the multilateral system.
In 2023, Greece’s bilateral spending declined compared to the previous year. It provided USD 57.3 million of gross bilateral ODA (which includes earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations). This represented a decrease of 47.4% in real terms from 2022.
In 2023, country programmable aid amounted to USD 0.1 million, or 0.2% of Greece’s gross bilateral ODA, compared to the DAC country average of 43.1%. In-donor refugee costs were USD 50.2 million in 2023, representing 87.6% of Greece’s gross bilateral ODA. This was a decrease of 36.8% in real terms over 2022.
Greece disbursed USD 0.3 million for triangular co-operation in 2023. Its regional priority is Europe, with a focus on emergency response. Learn more about triangular co-operation.
In 2023, Greece channelled its bilateral ODA mainly through the public sector. Technical co-operation made up 0.5% of gross ODA in 2023.
In 2023, Greece did not provide support for civil society organisations (CSOs). Learn more about the DAC Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid.
In 2023, Greece’s bilateral ODA primarily focused on ODA-eligible countries in Europe. USD 3.2 million was allocated to ODA-eligible countries in Europe (of which 0% was for Ukraine) and USD 0.8 million to countries in Africa, accounting respectively for 5.6% and 1.4% of gross bilateral ODA. USD 0.5 million was allocated to the Middle East. Europe was also the main regional recipient of Greece’s earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations. This is in line with its overall policy regional focus.
In 2023, 7.7% of gross bilateral ODA went to Greece’s top 10 recipients. Its top recipient was Türkiye, for which support mainly consisted of support to the European Union’s Facility for Refugees in Türkiye. The share of gross bilateral ODA not allocated by country was 91.7%, of which 95.5% consisted of expenditures for processing and hosting refugees in provider countries.
In 2023, Greece allocated 0.02% of its GNI to the least developed countries (LDCs). Greece allocated the highest share of gross bilateral ODA (7%) to upper middle-income countries in 2023, noting that 91.7% was unallocated by income group. LDCs received 0.2% of Greece’s gross bilateral ODA (USD 0.1 million). Additionally, Greece allocated 0.5% of gross bilateral ODA to land-locked developing countries in 2023, equal to USD 0.3 million. Greece did not allocate gross bilateral ODA to small island developing states in 2023.
Looking at the distribution of Greece’s ODA in relation to “ODA per person in extreme poverty”,3 the amount was USD 0.1 in LDCs, USD 0.5 in lower middle-income countries and USD 0.9 in upper middle-income countries.
In 2024, Greece provided USD 6.1 million of net bilateral ODA to Ukraine to respond to the impacts of Russia’s full-scale invasion. USD 6.1 million of the amount was humanitarian assistance in 2024.
Support to contexts with high and extreme fragility was USD 1.3 million in 2023, representing 2.2% of Greece’s gross bilateral ODA. Seventy per cent of this ODA was provided in the form of humanitarian assistance, an increase from 2% in 2022. Learn more about the OECD States of Fragility platform.
In 2023, more than half of Greece’s bilateral ODA was allocated to support refugees in donor countries (USD 50.2 million). Administrative costs of donors accounted for USD 1.3 million. ODA for humanitarian assistance totalled USD 1.9 million, with a focus on emergency response (USD 1.9 million). Social infrastructure and services amounted to USD 1.8 million (3.2% of bilateral ODA). Earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations also focused on other macro sectors and social sectors in 2023.
In the period 2022-23, Greece committed 0.1% of screened bilateral allocable ODA to gender equality and women’s empowerment, compared to 1.9% in 2020-214 and a 2022-23 DAC average of 45.8%. This is equal to USD 0 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 0.1% in 2022-23, compared with the DAC average of 4%.
Greece did not include gender equality objectives in its humanitarian aid, below the 2022-23 DAC average of 19.1%.
Greece screens all bilateral allocable ODA activities against the DAC gender equality policy marker (100% in 2022-23).
Greece committed USD 0 million of ODA to end violence against women and girls and USD 0 million to support women’s rights organisations and movements, and government institutions on average in 2022-23.
Learn more about 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 dashboard on DAC members’ development finance for gender equality.
In 2022-23, Greece committed 0.9% of its total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 0.1 million) in support of the environment and the Rio Conventions, up from 0.1% in 2020-21. The DAC average was 39% in 2022-23. In addition:
One per cent of screened bilateral allocable ODA focused on environmental issues as a principal objective, compared with the DAC average of 9.6%.
Zero per cent of total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 0 million) focused on climate change overall, down from 0.1% in 2020-21 (the DAC average was 34.8%).
Zero point four per cent of screened bilateral allocable ODA (USD 0.1 million) focused on biodiversity overall, up from 0.1% in 2020-21 (the DAC average was 7.6%).
Learn more about the DAC Declaration on Aligning Development Co-operation with the Goals of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change.
Total Official Support for Sustainable Development (TOSSD) is an international statistical standard that monitors and increases transparency of all official and officially supported resources for financing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in developing countries, as well as for addressing global challenges. In 2023, activities reported by Greece as TOSSD totalled USD 347 million, down from USD 405.1 million in 2022. Greece’s TOSSD activities mostly targeted SDG 4 (quality education), SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions) and SDG 6 (clean water and sanitation). Activity-level data on TOSSD by recipient are available at: https://tossd.online.
In 2021, with the new Law (4781/2021) regulating the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ function, the status of the former Directorate General of International Development Cooperation-Hellenic Aid (YDAS) as an independent unit within the ministry shifted to that of a directorate-general of the ministry, becoming an integral part of it. The Directorate-General for Development and Humanitarian Aid (Hellenic Aid) is the national authority and the co-ordinating mechanism for planning and shaping Greece’s development co‑operation strategy. It promotes, manages and implements the national development co-operation policy.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has 25 staff working on development co-operation, 16% of which are serving abroad.
CSOs and private sector representatives engage with the government within the National Advisory Committee on Development Cooperation to shape the Hellenic development co-operation priorities and strategy.
Internal systems and processes help ensure the effective delivery of Greece’s development co-operation. Select features are shown in the table below.
Access the full list of providers at this link: Development Co-operation Profiles.
2021 OECD-DAC mid-term review of Greece: https://one.oecd.org/document/DCD/DAC/AR(2024)3/9/en/pdf
2019 OECD-DAC Peer Review of Greece: https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264311893-en
Directorate General of International Development Cooperation-Hellenic Aid: https://hellenicaid.mfa.gr/en/hellenic-aid/.
Greece has been a member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) since 1999.
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.
Note by the Republic of Türkiye
The information in this document with reference to “Cyprus” relates to the southern part of the Island. There is no single authority representing both Turkish and Greek Cypriot people on the Island. Türkiye recognises the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC). Until a lasting and equitable solution is found within the context of the United Nations, Türkiye shall preserve its position concerning the “Cyprus issue”.
Note by all the European Union Member States of the OECD and the European Union
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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. Non-grants include sovereign loans, multilateral loans, equity investment and loans to the private sector.
← 3. 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. 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. For more information on this indicator, please see here.
← 4. The use of the recommended minimum criteria for the marker by some members in recent years can result in lower levels of ODA reported as being focused on gender equality.