Published on 11 March 2025

SDC expenditures

In addition to humanitarian aid and development cooperation, the SDC’s expenditures include the contribution to the enlargement of the European Union (EU), which it implements together with the State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO).

Graphic: Evolution of SDC expenditures

Evolution of SDC expenditures

Budgetary allocations to the SDC have grown steadily since 2015 to meet the target of 0.5% of gross national income (GNI) for official development assistance (ODA) mandated by Parliament.

Between 2016 and 2019, budget cuts decided by the Federal Council and approved by Parliament had an impact on credits for international cooperation.

The increase in expendituresince between 2020 and 2023 is particularly related to supplementary credits approved by Parliament to support international efforts to mitigate the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic as well as in response to the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, the war in Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East.

Graphic: SDC bilateral expenditures by region expenditure

SDC bilateral expenditures by region

• Does the SDC’s expenditures correspond to Switzerland’s official development assistance (ODA)?

  Does the SDC’s expenditures correspond to Switzerland’s official development assistance (ODA)? No. SDC expenditures is not the same as Switzerland’s ODA. While a large part comprises funds that qualify as ODA, some spending, such as contributions to the EU enlargement, cannot be reported as ODA under the guidelines of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

  Other federal offices, such as the SECO, the State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) and the Peace and Human Rights Division (PHRD) of the Federal Department of Foreign Affairs (FDFA) also contribute to ODA. So it is not correct to equate ODA with the SDC’s expenditures.

Documents

• SDC expenditures 2024

  XLSX65.97 kB6 May 2025