- Policy
- ODA allocation overview
- ODA to and through the multilateral system
- Bilateral ODA
- Geographic, sectoral and thematic focus of ODA
- Private sector instruments
- Mobilised private finance
- Total Official Support for Sustainable Development
- Institutional set-up
- Quality and oversight
- Other profiles
- Additional resources
Development Co‑operation Profiles: Spain
Table of contents
Spain approved a new Law on Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Global Solidarity in 2023, which aligns its priorities with the 2030 Agenda and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. It also gives legal status to its commitment to allocate 0.7% of gross national income (GNI) to official development assistance (ODA) by 2030. Priority regions for co-operation remain Latin America and the Caribbean, North Africa and the Middle East, and West Africa and the Sahel. Spain is active in decentralised development co-operation, with regional and local entities contributing to Spanish ODA, as well as public universities. Spain’s ODA increased in 2024 to USD 4.4 billion (preliminary data), representing 0.25% of gross national income.
This profile presents verified data on development assistance allocation. See the Development Co-operation Profiles.
The general vision and architecture for Spain’s development co-operation are set out in the 2023 Law on Cooperation for Sustainable Development and Global Solidarity and in the 2024-2027 Master Plan. Spain’s development co-operation aims to promote a triple social, economic and ecological transition. Action on hunger and climate change, health, education, access to water and sanitation, and the advancement of the rights of women and girls are among its priority sectors. It adopts a human rights, gender equality and feminist approach; cultural diversity; environmental sustainability; and the promotion of peace as cross‑cutting principles. It focuses on countries and territories in Latin America and the Caribbean, North Africa, the Middle East, and sub-Saharan Africa (in particular in West Africa and the Sahel and Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries), as well as the Philippines.
Spain strongly promotes multilateralism to address global challenges, as exemplified through its leadership in hosting the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development in Sevilla in June 2025. Spain is a member state of the European Union (EU), and therefore actively contributes to the European Union’s priorities and joint strategies and programming. Multilateral development organisations and banks are key partners for Spain, including in co-financing arrangements. At the international level, Spain is steadfast in its commitment to peace, for example in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and Ukraine.
The 2025 mid-term review commends Spain for defending multilateralism and implementing important reforms of its development co-operation and enacting Law 1/2023, which commits Spain to provide ODA equal to 0.7% of GNI by 2030. The Master Plan 2024-2027 sets out different trajectories to reach the 0,7% target that will require increased ODA budgets. The new Spanish Sustainable Development Fund (FEDES) is expected to expand the range of financial co-operation instruments. The mid-term review noted that Spain could go further in identifying and addressing the transboundary effects of its domestic policies. Spain has made at least some progress on all ten recommendations in its 2022 Peer Review. Discover insights from Spain’s 2025 mid-term review, 2022 Peer Review and management response. Learn from Spain’s practices in Development Co-operation Tools Insights Practices (TIPs).
Spain provided USD 4.4 billion (preliminary data) of ODA in 2024 (USD 4.2 billion in constant terms), representing 0.25% of GNI.1 This was an increase of 9% in real terms in volume and in the share of GNI from 2023. ODA in 2023 decreased both in volume and as a per cent of GNI due to lower in-donor refugee costs and positive GNI. Overall, Spain’s ODA has increased in the last years and it has a legal commitment to 0.7% of GNI on ODA by 2030 in its 2023 Law. Within Spain’s ODA portfolio in 2023, 98.5% was provided in the form of grants and 1.5% in the form of non-grants.2
In 2024, Spain ranked 20th among Development Assistance Committee (DAC) member countries when ODA is taken as a share of GNI (preliminary figures). Spain is the DAC member with the highest share of gross bilateral ODA channelled through civil society organisations (53.4% in 2023). It is also among the top DAC members targeting gender equality as a principal objective as a share of bilateral allocable ODA commitments (22.7% in 2022-23). In line with its geographical priorities, Spain was the member that allocated the highest share of its gross bilateral ODA to Latin America and the Caribbean (29.7%) in 2023.
Spain 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.
Spain provided a higher share of its ODA multilaterally in 2023. Gross bilateral ODA was 39.8% of total ODA disbursements. Twenty-one per cent of gross bilateral ODA was channelled through multilateral organisations (earmarked contributions).
In 2023, Spain provided USD 2.7 billion of gross ODA to the multilateral system, a fall of 7.7% in real terms from 2022. Of this, USD 2.4 billion was core multilateral ODA (60.2% of total ODA), while USD 329.5 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 0.6% of Spain’s non‑core contributions and 99.4% was programmatic funding (to pooled funds and specific-purpose programmes and funds).
The United Nations (UN) system received 12.7% of Spain’s contributions to multilateral organisations, of which USD 168.2 million (49.3%) represented earmarked contributions. Out of a total volume of USD 341.5 million to the UN system, the top three UN recipients of Spain’s support (core and earmarked contributions) were the Joint SDG Fund (USD 35.4 million), the UN secretariat (USD 32.8 million), and UNHCR (USD 25.5 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, Spain’s bilateral spending declined compared to the previous year. It provided USD 1.6 billion of gross bilateral ODA (which includes earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations). This represented a decrease of 36.5% in real terms from 2022.
In 2023, country programmable aid amounted to USD 623.7 million, or 40% of Spain’s gross bilateral ODA, compared to the DAC country average of 43.1%. In-donor refugee costs were USD 319 million in 2023 representing 20.5% of Spain’s gross bilateral ODA. This was a decrease of 67.8% in real terms over 2022.
Spain has a strategy guiding its approach to triangular co-operation. Its regional priority is Africa, with a focus on other social infrastructure and services. Learn more about triangular co-operation.
In 2023, Spain channelled its bilateral ODA mainly through NGOs, multilateral organisations and public sector. Technical co-operation made up 2.4% of gross ODA in 2023.
In 2023, civil society organisations (CSOs) received USD 832.9 million of gross bilateral ODA, of which 5.2% was directed to developing country-based CSOs. Overall, 0.6% of gross bilateral ODA was allocated to CSOs as core contributions and 52.8% 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 57.6% to 53.5%. Learn more about the DAC Recommendation on Enabling Civil Society in Development Co-operation and Humanitarian Aid.
In 2023, Spain’s bilateral ODA primarily focused on Latin America and the Caribbean. USD 463.3 million was allocated to Latin America and the Caribbean and USD 251.3 million to countries in Africa, accounting respectively for 29.7% and 16.1% of gross bilateral ODA. USD 108.2 million was allocated to the Middle East. Latin American and the Caribbean were also the main regional recipient of Spain’s earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations, in line with Spain’s historical focus on the region and support for countries that are transitioning to upper middle-income status.
In 2023, 26.2% of gross bilateral ODA went to Spain’s top 10 recipients. The top recipients are in Latin America, the Middle East and Africa, which is in line with the geographic focus stated in Spanish Cooperation’s Master Plan. The share of gross bilateral ODA not allocated by country was 51%, of which 40.1% consisted of expenditures for processing and hosting refugees in provider countries.
In 2023, Spain allocated 0.03% of its GNI to the least developed countries (LDCs). Spain allocated the highest share of gross bilateral ODA (18.9%) to lower middle-income countries in 2023, noting that 51% was unallocated by income group. LDCs received 11.1% of Spain’s gross bilateral ODA (USD 172.4 million). Additionally, Spain allocated 7.8% of gross bilateral ODA to land-locked developing countries in 2023, equal to USD 121.8 million. Spain allocated 2.4% of gross bilateral ODA to small island developing states in 2023, equal to USD 37.8 million.
Looking at the distribution of Spain’s ODA in relation to “ODA per person in extreme poverty”,3 the amount was USD 0.7 in LDCs, USD 2.2 in lower middle-income countries and USD 7.5 in upper middle-income countries (UMICs).
In 2024, Spain provided USD 74.8 million of net bilateral ODA to Ukraine to respond to the impacts of Russia’s full-scale invasion, a 293% increase from 2023 in real terms. USD 0 million of the amount was humanitarian assistance in 2024.
Support to contexts with high and extreme fragility was USD 318.9 million in 2023, representing 20.5% of Spain’s gross bilateral ODA. Forty-three per cent of this ODA was provided in the form of humanitarian assistance, an increase from 18.5% in 2022, while 17.2% was allocated to peace, an increase from 16.3% in 2022. One per cent of gross bilateral ODA went to conflict prevention, a subset of contributions to peace, representing a decrease from 2.4% in 2022. Learn more about the OECD States of Fragility platform.
In 2023, the largest focus of Spain’s bilateral ODA was other macro sectors. Investments in this area accounted for 36.6% of bilateral ODA commitments (USD 593.1 million), with a strong focus on support to refugees in donor countries (USD 318.6 million), administrative costs of donors (USD 140.7 million), and unallocated or unspecified (USD 123.6 million). ODA for social infrastructure and services totalled USD 566.2 million, with a focus on government and civil society (USD 221.8 million). Humanitarian assistance amounted to USD 211.2 million (13% of bilateral ODA). Earmarked contributions to multilateral organisations also focused on other macro sectors and social sectors in 2023.
In the period 2022-23, Spain committed 50.2% of screened bilateral allocable ODA to gender equality and women’s empowerment, compared to 41.2% in 2020-21,4 and a 2022-23 DAC average of 45.8%. This is equal to USD 644.4 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 22.7% in 2022-23, compared with the DAC average of 4%.
Spain includes gender equality objectives in 55.9% of ODA for humanitarian aid, above the 2022‑23 DAC average of 19.1%.
Spain screens virtually all its bilateral allocable ODA activities against the DAC gender equality policy marker (99.5% in 2022-23).
Spain committed USD 45.7 million of ODA to end violence against women and girls and USD 47.1 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, Spain committed 31.5% of its total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 406.7 million) in support of the environment and the Rio Conventions, up from 17.6% in 2020-21. The DAC average was 39% in 2022-23. In addition:
Fifteen per cent of screened bilateral allocable ODA focused on environmental issues as a principal objective, compared with the DAC average of 9.6%.
Seventeen per cent of total bilateral allocable ODA (USD 213.9 million) focused on climate change overall, up from 9.5% in 2020-21 (the DAC average was 34.8%). Spain had a greater focus on mitigation (14.9%) than on adaptation (6.4%) in 2022-23.
Ten per cent of screened bilateral allocable ODA (USD 129.9 million) focused on biodiversity overall, up from 6.3% 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 Spain committed USD 4.8 million in support of the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean in 2023, USD 12.6 million less than in 2022. The 2023 value is equivalent to 0.4% of Spain’s bilateral allocable ODA.
In 2023, Spain:
Allocated 8.3% of its bilateral ODA (USD 129.8 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, 0.1% of bilateral ODA (USD 2.2 million) went to social protection support.
Committed USD 201.8 million (18.2% 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; agriculture, forestry and fishing; and government and civil society.
Committed USD 91.1 million (8.2% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to development co-operation projects and programmes that promote the inclusion and empowerment of persons with disabilities.
Committed USD 1 million (0.1% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to the mobilisation of domestic resources in developing countries.
Does not have a general policy on exemptions for the payment of local tax and custom duties on its ODA-funded goods and services in partner countries and territories. It makes information available on the OECD Digital Transparency Hub on the Tax Treatment of ODA.
Committed USD 137.4 million (12.4% of its bilateral allocable ODA) to promote aid for trade and improve developing countries’ trade performance and integration into the world economy in 2023.
To build markets in developing countries and incentivise greater mobilisation of private resources for development, many providers, including Spain, have established development finance institutions (DFIs) and similar vehicles that extend private sector instruments (PSI). The Fund for the Promotion of Sustainable Development (Fonprode), managed by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), was assessed as an ODA-eligible PSI vehicle, while Compañía Española de Financiación del Desarrollo (COFIDES) is not assessed as eligible to ODA. PSI represented 0.5% of Spain’s ODA in 2023 while the DAC average stood at 1.3%.
In 2023, Spain’s Fonprode and COFIDES extended USD 87.2 million in the form of PSI to developing countries.5 Of this, loans accounted for 90.8% whereas equities accounted for 2%. Other PSI included mezzanine finance instruments.
In 2023, Spain’s PSI were allocated in majority (97%) to middle-income countries and UMICs in particular (73.6%). USD 2.6 million was unallocated by income. Spain’s PSI primarily supported projects in the banking and financial services (54.7%) and energy (14.9%).
Spain uses leveraging mechanisms to mobilise private finance for sustainable development. In 2023, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, EU and Co-operation and the Ministry for Ecological Transition, COFIDES, and the regional governments (Comunidades Autónomas) of Aragón, Cantabria, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Navarra, Castilla y León and Madrid, as well as other entities and public universities, mobilised USD 104.7 million from the private sector through credit lines, co-financing schemes, and direct investment in companies and special purpose vehicles. This constituted a 19% increase compared to 2022.
Private finance mobilised by Spain in 2022-23 mainly targeted middle-income countries, representing 60.9% of its total mobilised. Only 7.3% of total mobilised private finance during this period benefited the LDCs and other low-income countries (LICs), noting that 31.9% was unallocated by income.
Mobilised private finance by Spain in 2022-23 related mainly to activities in banking and financial services (29.3%), as its top sector. Furthermore, over this period, 26.4% of Spain'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 Spain as TOSSD totalled USD 4.1 billion, down from USD 5 billion in 2022. Spain’s TOSSD activities mostly targeted SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 10 (reduced inequalities) and SDG 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions). Activity-level data on TOSSD by recipient are available at: https://tossd.online.
Within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, the Secretariat of State for International Cooperation (SECI) sets the strategic orientation of Spain’s development policy. SECI, supported by the General Directorate for Sustainable Development Policies, steers development policy for the ministry and AECID. AECID is responsible for implementing most of Spain’s co-operation, including bilateral programmes, and funding for CSOs, managing Fonprode, humanitarian action, and co-ordinating other actors at the operational level from headquarters and in the field.
Other institutions linked to Spanish co-operation – the Foundation for the Internationalisation of Public Administrations (FIAP), formerly known as the International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policies (FIIAPP), and Fundación Carolina – are key actors in implementing Spain’s agenda for knowledge transfer and technical and academic co-operation.
The Ministry of Economy, Commerce and Business is responsible for debt relief operations, oversees Spain’s contribution to regional and multilateral development banks and international financial institutions, and participates in the Fonprode’s management board. The Ministry of Inclusion, Social Security and Migration manages in-donor refugee costs. Other ministries are also engaged through technical co‑operation or contributions to multilateral organisations.
Spanish co-operation is characterised by a high level of decentralisation. Spain’s autonomous communities (regions) and local entities have sizeable development co-operation activities,6 which operate with their own budgets under the strategic co-ordination of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation.
Around 1 240 staff work on development co-operation in the Spanish central administration. Of these, 632 people work in headquarters, distributed among the State Secretariat for International Cooperation (34), AECID (335), Fundación Carolina (26) and FIAP (227). Spanish Cooperation offices in partner countries employ 509 people (455 from AECID and 54 from FIIAPP).
An important mechanism for consulting stakeholders is the Development Cooperation Council. The Interministerial Commission on Sustainable Development Cooperation co-ordinates the action of the different ministerial departments and a Sectoral Conference on Sustainable Development Cooperation and Global Solidarity, which summons all the regional governments. CSOs active in development co-operation, humanitarian assistance and global citizenship education co-ordinate under the umbrella body La Coordinadora.
Internal systems and processes help ensure the effective delivery of Spain’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.
2025 OECD-DAC mid-term review of Spain: https://one.oecd.org/document/DCD/DAC/AR%282024%293/6/en/pdf
2022 OECD-DAC Peer Review of Spain: https://doi.org/10.1787/eed71550-en
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation: https://www.exteriores.gob.es/en/Paginas/index.aspx
Spanish platform for development co-operation: https://www.cooperacionespanola.es
Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID): www.aecid.es/EN
FIAP: https://www.fiap.gob.es/
Fundación Carolina: https://www.fundacioncarolina.es
Council for Development Cooperation: https://www.consejocooperacion.es
CSO umbrella organisation La Coordinadora: https://coordinadoraongd.org (in Spanish)
Spain has been a member of the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) since 1991.
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
The Republic of Cyprus is recognised by all members of the United Nations with the exception of Türkiye. The information in this document relates to the area under the effective control of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus.
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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.
← 5. 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.
← 6. Around 10% of Spanish ODA, according to information provided by the government of Spain (https://www.exteriores.gob.es/es/ServiciosAlCiudadano/Documents/Cooperacion/Analista/2022/Seguimiento/Ficha_Agentes_AOD_2022_final.zip).