Development Co‑operation Profiles: Ireland
Table of contents
Reaching the furthest behind is the overarching objective of Ireland’s development co-operation. Ireland focuses its development co-operation on least developed countries (LDCs) and fragile contexts, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa, concentrating on social sectors and humanitarian assistance. Most official development assistance (ODA) is channelled to multilateral organisations and civil society organisations (CSOs). Ireland’s total ODA decreased in 2024 to USD 2.4 billion (preliminary data), representing 0.57% of gross national income (GNI)
This profile presents verified data on development assistance allocation. See the Development Co-operation Profiles.
Ireland’s 2019 policy for international development, “A Better World”, focuses on “reaching the furthest behind”, a multidimensional concept encompassing multiple forms of poverty, inequalities and their intersections. The policy sets four priorities: 1) gender equality; 2) reducing humanitarian needs; 3) addressing climate change; and 4) enhancing governance. To achieve these goals, Ireland commits to take action in protection (including fragility), food and human development. Ireland’s bilateral co-operation focuses on Ethiopia, Kenya, Liberia, Malawi, Mozambique, the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Sierra Leone, South Africa, the United Republic of Tanzania, Uganda, Viet Nam, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and small island and developing states (SIDS).
A 2022 Operational Framework for Multilateral Engagement guides Ireland’s partnerships with the United Nations (UN) system, the European Union (EU) and multilateral development banks. Ireland provides high shares of core, flexible and multi-year funding and advocates for LDCs and fragile contexts. Ireland is a promoter of development education, has a Global Citizenship Education Policy and hosted a European Global Education Summit in 2022. Ireland’s first International Climate Finance Roadmap set out how it intends to meet its climate finance targets. A tax treaty policy contains a specific approach for developing countries.
The 2023 OECD-DAC mid-term review commended Ireland for having made progress on all the recommendations from the previous peer review, albeit to varying degrees. It found that Ireland had continued its leadership as an advocate for sustainable development, was a staunch multilateralist, a good partner for civil society and a promoter of development education. The mid-term review highlighted opportunities to achieve and maintain a substantially higher ODA/GNI ratio. It underlined the need for continued investments in human resources, guidance on its priorities and policy coherence. Discover insights from Ireland’s 2020 Peer Review and 2023 mid-term review, and learn from Ireland’s practices in Development Co-operation Tools Insights Practices (TIPs).
Ireland provided USD 2.5 billion (preliminary data) of ODA in 2024 (USD 2.4 billion in constant terms), representing 0.57% of GNI.1 This was a decrease of 14% in real terms in volume and a decrease in the share of GNI from 2023. Ireland is making progress towards its domestic and EU commitments to achieve a 0.7% ODA/GNI ratio by 2030. Ireland provided all of its ODA as grants in 2023.2
In 2024, Ireland ranked seventh among Development Assistance Committee (DAC) member countries in terms of ODA to GNI ratio. Ireland stands out for its high shares of core contributions to CSOs compared to other DAC members. A very significant share of its programmes target gender equality (75.9% in 2022-23). Also, Ireland provided a significant share of its bilateral allocable ODA (41.1%) to address the immediate or underlying determinants of malnutrition. In 2023, Ireland reported a high share of gross bilateral ODA for in-donor refugee costs (68.7%), mainly for Ukrainian refugees.
Ireland 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.
Ireland provided much of its ODA bilaterally in 2023. Gross bilateral ODA was 76.2% of total ODA disbursements. Twelve per cent of gross bilateral ODA was channelled through multilateral organisations (earmarked contributions).
In 2023, Ireland provided USD 937.4 million of gross ODA to the multilateral system, an increase of 4.4% in real terms from 2022. Of this, USD 671 million was core multilateral ODA (23.8% of total ODA), while USD 266.4 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 16.4% of Ireland’s non-core contributions, and 83.6% was programmatic funding (to pooled funds and specific-purpose programmes and funds).
The UN system received 34.4% of Ireland’s contributions to multilateral organisations, of which USD 203.4 million (63.1%) represented earmarked contributions. Out of a total volume of USD 322.5 million to the UN system, the top three UN recipients of Ireland’s support (core and earmarked contributions) were UNICEF (USD 45.9 million), the World Food Programme (USD 42.5 million) and UNOCHA (USD 38.8 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, Ireland’s bilateral spending increased compared to the previous year. It provided USD 2.1 billion of gross bilateral ODA (which includes earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations). This represented an increase of 10% in real terms from 2022.
In 2023, country programmable aid amounted to USD 167.3 million, or 7.8% of Ireland’s gross bilateral ODA, compared to the DAC country average of 43.1%. In-donor refugee costs were USD 1.5 billion in 2023, representing 68.7% of Ireland’s gross bilateral ODA. This was an increase of 14.3% in real terms over 2022.
In 2023, Ireland channelled its bilateral ODA mainly through the public sector and non-governmental organisations. Technical co-operation made up 0.8% of gross ODA in 2023.
In 2023, CSOs received USD 280.4 million of gross bilateral ODA, of which 8.7% was directed to developing country-based CSOs. Overall, 7.1% of gross bilateral ODA was allocated to CSOs as core contributions, and 6% was channelled through CSOs to implement projects initiated by the donor (earmarked funding). From 2022 to 2023, the combined core and earmarked contributions for CSOs decreased as a share of bilateral ODA, from 13.9% to 13.1%. Learn more about the DAC Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid.
In 2023, Ireland’s bilateral ODA primarily focused on countries in Africa. USD 292.2 million was allocated to countries in Africa and USD 62.7 million to the Middle East, accounting respectively for 13.6% and 2.9% of gross bilateral ODA. USD 39.7 million was allocated to ODA-eligible countries in Europe (of which 77% was for Ukraine). Africa was also the main regional recipient of Ireland’s earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations. This is in line with Ireland’s policy priorities.
In 2023, 11.1% of gross bilateral ODA went to Ireland’s top 10 recipients. With the exception of Ukraine and the Syrian Arab Republic, its top 10 recipients are in line with its policy focus. The share of gross bilateral ODA not allocated by country was 80.6%, of which 85.2% consisted of expenditures for processing and hosting refugees in provider countries.
In 2023, Ireland allocated 0.10% of its GNI to LDCs. Ireland allocated the highest share of gross bilateral ODA (12.6%) to LDCs in 2023, noting that 80.6% was unallocated by income group. Additionally, Ireland allocated 7.1% of gross bilateral ODA to land-locked developing countries in 2023, equal to USD 153.1 million. Ireland allocated 0.4% of gross bilateral ODA to SIDS in 2023, equal to USD 8.6 million.
Looking at the distribution of Ireland’s ODA in relation to “ODA per person in extreme poverty”,3 the amount was USD 0.6 in LDCs, USD 0.7 in lower middle-income countries and USD 1.4 in upper middle-income countries.
In 2024, Ireland provided USD 36.7 million of net bilateral ODA to Ukraine4 to respond to the impacts of Russia’s full-scale invasion, a 14.5% increase from 2023 in real terms. USD 28.7 million of the amount was humanitarian assistance in 2024, a 35.8% increase from 2023.
Support to contexts with high and extreme fragility was USD 347.6 million in 2023, representing 16.2% of Ireland’s gross bilateral ODA. Thirty-seven per cent of this ODA was provided in the form of humanitarian assistance, a decrease from 37.6% in 2022, while 16.5% was allocated to peace, an increase from 15% in 2022. Three per cent of gross bilateral ODA went to conflict prevention, a subset of contributions to peace, representing an increase from 2.5% in 2022. Learn more about the OECD States of Fragility platform.
In 2023, more than half of Ireland’s bilateral ODA was allocated to in-donor refugee costs. Investments in this area accounted for USD 1.5 billion, followed by administrative costs of donors (USD 51.5 million). ODA for social infrastructure and services totalled USD 254.5 million, with a focus on government and civil society (USD 93.7 million). Humanitarian assistance amounted to USD 220.4 million (10.3% of bilateral ODA). Earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations also focused on social sectors and other macro sectors in 2023.
In the period 2022-23, Ireland committed 75.9% of screened bilateral allocable ODA to gender equality and women’s empowerment, compared to 81% in 2020-215 and a 2022-23 DAC average of 45.8%. This is equal to USD 392.7 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 12.9% in 2022-23, compared with the DAC average of 4%.
Ireland includes gender equality objectives in 72.8% of ODA for humanitarian aid, above the 2022‑23 DAC average of 19.1%.
Ireland screens the majority of bilateral allocable ODA activities against the DAC gender equality policy marker (84.9% in 2022-23).
Ireland committed USD 15.9 million of ODA to end violence against women and girls and USD 13.1 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, Ireland committed 33.4% of its total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 203.9 million) in support of the environment and the Rio Conventions, up from 26.6% in 2020-21. The DAC average was 39% in 2022-23. In addition:
Twelve per cent of screened bilateral allocable ODA focused on environmental issues as a principal objective, compared with the DAC average of 9.6%.
Twenty-five per cent of total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 150.7 million) focused on climate change overall, up from 19.3% in 2020-21 (the DAC average was 34.8%). Ireland had a greater focus on adaptation (28.2%) than on mitigation (10.9%) in 2022-23.
Nine per cent of screened bilateral allocable ODA (USD 47.6 million) focused on biodiversity overall, down from 9.4% 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.
Note: Individual Rio Markers should not be added up as this can result in double counting.
The OECD’s tracking of ODA for the sustainable ocean economy shows that Ireland committed USD 6.6 million in support of the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean in 2023, USD 0.5 million less than in 2022. The 2023 value is equivalent to 1.1% of Ireland’s bilateral allocable ODA.
In 2023, Ireland:
Allocated 4.2% of its bilateral ODA (USD 90.2 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) and development food aid. In addition, 1.2% of bilateral ODA (USD 26.2 million) went to social protection support.
Committed USD 251.6 million (41.1% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to address the immediate or underlying determinants of malnutrition in developing countries across a variety of sectors, such as emergency response, health and other multisector.
Committed USD 229.2 million (37.4% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to development co-operation projects and programmes that promote the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities.
Regarding the payment of local tax and customs duties for ODA-funded goods and services, Ireland is working towards making information available on the OECD Digital Transparency Hub on the Tax Treatment of ODA.
Committed USD 40.1 million (6.5% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to promote aid for trade and improve developing countries’ trade performance and integration into the world economy in 2023.
Ireland uses leveraging mechanisms to mobilise private finance for sustainable development. In 2023, Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) mobilised USD 5.3 million from the private sector through simple co-financing – a significant increase in mobilisation compared to 2022.
Private finance mobilised by Ireland in 2022-23 mainly targeted middle-income countries, representing 22.9% of the total. Only 56.2% of total mobilised private finance during this period benefited the LDCs and other low-income countries, noting that 20.9% was unallocated by income.
Mobilised private finance by Ireland in 2022-23 related mainly to activities in agriculture, forestry and fishing (64.7%) as its top sector. Furthermore, over this period, 56% of Ireland’s total mobilised private finance was for climate action.
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 SDGs in developing countries, as well as for addressing global challenges. In 2023, activities reported by Ireland as TOSSD totalled USD 2.8 billion, up from USD 2.6 billion in 2022. Ireland’s TOSSD activities mostly targeted SDG 5 (gender equality), SDG 1 (no poverty) and SDG 2 (zero hunger). Activity-level data on TOSSD by recipient are available at: https://tossd.online.
The Development Co-operation Division within the DFA steers and co‑ordinates Irish development co-operation policies. Excluding in-donor refugee costs, the DFA manages the largest share of Irish ODA. In addition, the department is responsible for EU co-operation, while the Department of Finance provides contributions to the EU budget. Other departments mainly fund multilateral organisations and collaborate with the DFA on specific initiatives. They co-ordinate through the Inter‑Departmental Committee on Development Cooperation. The Joint Committee on Foreign Affairs and Defence oversees development co-operation in parliament.
Around 260 staff members at DFA headquarters and missions work on development co-operation.
CSOs active in development co-operation, humanitarian assistance and global citizenship education co‑ordinate under the umbrella body Dóchas. The Irish Development Education Association is a national network for global citizenship education.
Internal systems and processes help ensure the effective delivery of Ireland’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.
2023 OECD-DAC mid-term review of Ireland: https://one.oecd.org/document/DCD/DAC/AR(2024)3/10/en/pdf
2020 OECD-DAC Peer Review of Ireland: https://doi.org/10.1787/c20f6995-en
Irish Aid, Department of Foreign Affairs: https://www.irishaid.ie
CSO umbrella organisation Dóchas: https://www.dochas.ie
Irish Development Education Association: https://www.ideaonline.ie
“Ireland’s innovative funding empowers civil society partners” on the Development Co-operation TIPS: Tools Insights Practices learning platform: https://www.oecd.org/en/publications/development-co-operation-tips-tools-insights-practices_be69e0cf-en/ireland-s-innovative-funding-empowers-civil-society-partners_d39e1c25-en.html
Member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) since 1985.
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. 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. This refers to preliminary data and has been revised since. The final detailed data will be released in December 2025.
← 5. 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.