Aid budget

The UK's development budget is an important part of securing Britain's place in the world. Aid has the power to end disease, hunger and extreme poverty, to build strong economies and to help the world's most vulnerable people. But it also helps us to influence and shape the world around us. Spending 0.7 per cent of our national income on aid contributes to the UK's reputation a development superpower and helps deliver a more secure and prosperous UK, while having a life-saving impact on the ground. 
Whether it's stepping up to support desperate Syrian refugees, tackling the lethal legacy of landmines or giving life-saving aid to stop people dying of hunger in East Africa, UK aid is keeping Britain safe while the helping the world's poorest stand on their own two feet. 
I share your pride in the extraordinary work achieved by our aid budget, which is life-saving and life-changing for millions of the poorest people around the world. Between 2015 and 2018, DFID supported 11.4 million children to gain a decent education and helped 40.3 million people get access to clean water and/or better sanitation. DFID is also leading the global effort to save millions of girls from child marriage and Female Genital Mutilation. 
The UK's aid budget has a vital role to play in achieving the Global Goals, and by ensuring our aid budget is spent in the best way possible, we can maximise the good that can be done with the money we have. However, with a funding gap of $2.5 trillion per year, we cannot achieve the Goals without the help of others. That is why Ministers also want to encourage the private sector to invest in delivering the Global Goals, enhancing the impact of the UK's aid budget, to lift more people out of poverty and leave no one behind.