The SDC and SECO are the main actors involved in Swiss international cooperation. Their expenditure constitutes the bulk of Switzerland's official development assistance (ODA). This declined in 2017, with its share of gross national income (GNI) falling to 0.46% from 0.53% the previous year. Nevertheless, Switzerland still ranks eighth in the international donor ranking.
2017 statistics: at a glance
Switzerland’s Official Development Assistance (ODA)
Swiss ODA is calculated in accordance with the internationally agreed OECD reporting directives. This joint framework developed by the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) creates transparency and makes it possible to compare the contributions of member states. Switzerland’s ODA includes spending by Switzerland’s main agencies in international development – the SDC and SECO – and by a large number of other public sector donors. ODA thus includes the contributions of various federal government offices, and those of Swiss cantons and communes. In 2017, CHF 3.049 billion was spent on ODA, CHF 480 million less than in 2016. Switzerland’s ratio of ODA to GNI was 0.46% in 2017, the lowest since 2013 (2016: 0.53%). This fall in ODA was influenced by GNI growth in Switzerland, a large decrease in asylum-related spending counted as ODA in Switzerland and savings measures passed by Parliament.
Switzerland’s Official Development Assistance (ODA)
| 2017 P | 2016 r | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bilateral ODA | Multilateral ODA | Total ODA | Bilateral ODA | Multilateral ODA | Total ODA | |
| CONFEDERATION | 2'188.8 | 795.4 | 2'984.2 | 2'658.8 | 797.9 | 3'456.7 |
| Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) | 1'383.4 | 687.9 | 2'071.3 | 1'508.2 | 691.8 | 2'200.1 |
| Humanitarian aid | 434.9 | 53.0 | 487.9 | 424.6 | 56.2 | 480.8 |
| Development cooperation | 811.2 | 633.8 | 1'445.0 | 929.1 | 634.6 | 1'563.7 |
| Cooperation with Eastern Europe | 137.3 | 1.1 | 138.4 | 154.6 | 1.1 | 155.6 |
| State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) | 326.0 | 0.4 | 326.4 | 336.5 | 0.9 | 337.4 |
| Development cooperation | 244.6 | 0.4 | 245.0 | 227.3 | 0.4 | 227.7 |
| Swiss Investment Fund for Emerging Markets (SIFEM) | - | - | - | 30.4 | - | 30.4 |
| Cooperation with Eastern Europe | 85.0 | - | 85.0 | 82.2 | 0.5 | 82.7 |
| Loan repayments | -3.6 | - | -3.6 | -3.4 | - | -3.4 |
| Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) | 172.8 | 43.2 | 216.1 | 108.7 | 42.8 | 151.4 |
| Network of Swiss representations abroad a | 79.7 | - | 79.7 | - | - | - |
| Conflict transformation and human rights | 78.5 | 21.9 | 100.4 | 73.3 | 20.9 | 94.2 |
| Other contributions | 14.6 | 21.3 | 35.9 | 35.3 | 21.8 | 57.2 |
| Federal Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research (EAER) | 8.6 | 6.8 | 15.4 | 9.1 | 6.4 | 15.6 |
| Scholarships to foreign students in Switzerland | 7.0 | - | 7.0 | 6.7 | - | 6.7 |
| Other contributions | 1.5 | 6.8 | 8.4 | 2.4 | 6.4 | 8.8 |
| State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) | 286.7 | - | 286.7 | 682.1 | - | 682.1 |
| Assistance for asylum seekers in Switzerland | 271.3 | - | 271.3 | 663.6 | - | 663.6 |
| Cooperation on migration and return assistance | 15.5 | - | 15.5 | 18.5 | - | 18.5 |
| Federal Department of Defence, Civil Protection and Sports (DDPS) | 1.1 | - | 1.1 | 0.5 | - | 0.5 |
| Activities for promotion of peace and security | 1.1 | - | 1.1 | 0.5 | - | 0.5 |
| Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) | 8.2 | 40.1 | 48.3 | 8.4 | 39.6 | 47.9 |
| of which: contributions to international organizations | 7.0 | 40.1 | 47.2 | 7.2 | 39.6 | 46.8 |
| Other federal offices | 2.1 | 16.9 | 19.0 | 5.3 | 16.4 | 21.7 |
| CANTONS and COMMUNES b | 65.0 | - | 65.0 | 72.4 | - | 72.4 |
| TOTAL ODA | 2'253.8 | 795.4 | 3'049.2 | 2'731.2 | 797.9 | 3'529.1 |
| 2017 | 2016 | |
|---|---|---|
| ODA as % of gross national income (GNI) | 0.46% | 0.53% |
| ODA excl. asylum costs in Switzerland as % of gross national income (GNI) | 0.41% | 0.43% |
a share of expenditures of Swiss representations abroad dedicated to international cooperation; presented separately since 2017
b Estimate for 2017
p revised figures
r provisional figures
Data status as at 25th May 2018
Source: SDC Statistics Unit
