6 Myths About Overseas Aid

On average, the British public believes that the UK government spends 20% of its budget on foreign aid. Read on to get the actual facts about what we spend and how it helps people both overseas and at home, or follow #ProudofUKaid on Twitter. You can also find out more about UK aid from the Department for International Development.

1. Myth: the UK spends a large amount of its income on overseas aid

Sandy Austin / Via Flickr: sondyaustin

Fact: The UK spends 0.7% of its GNI (gross national income) on aid.

As a nation, we spend more on takeaways every year.

2. Myth: Aid just doesn’t work - the money we give is a drop in the ocean, so there’s no point in doing it

Pippa Ranger on Flickr (Creative Commons) / Via Flickr: dfid

Fact: Aid works. Whilst many people across the world still live in poverty UK aid has reduced this by pulling 3 million people out of poverty.

In the last 3 years we have helped nearly 6 million children get an education.

We are reducing the number of deaths from preventable diseases. Last year we helped to immunise more than 10 million children and provided more than 9 million bed nets. A year's use of these will help prevent more than 53,000 children dying from malaria.

UK aid has helped to eradicate smallpox and and has helped reduce polio cases from 350,000 in 1988 to just 416 in 2013.

3. Myth: UK aid funds space programmes and picks up the tab of looking after the world’s poorest when countries could afford to do it themselves

DFID/Russell Watkins (Creative Commons) / Via Flickr: dfid

Fact: All of Britain's aid is directed to where it is needed most.

The UK has already closed or changed our aid programmes in fast emerging developing economies - like China, India or South Africa. It is thanks to UK aid that many developing counties have been able to pull themselves out of poverty and end their reliance on aid.

Some countries still need aid; many of the fast emerging economies still have many people living in desperate poverty. More than 1 billion people live on less than $1.25 per day and lack access to basic services such as an education, healthcare, electricity or clean water.

4. Myth: The government spends money on international aid instead of things like flooding prevention or cancer drugs

NVinacco / Via Flickr: nvinacco

Fact: We don't need to choose between spending money at home or abroad - we can do both.

We spend less than 1% of the UK’s income on aid - and while this makes a massive difference across the world, it's a small proportion of our income.

5. Myth: The government doesn’t properly check how UK aid is spent

Development Tracker (DFID) devtracker.dfid.gov.uk / Via devtracker.dfid.gov.uk

Fact: UK aid has a strong results focus and targets are set to make sure that it will make a difference.

For example, by the end of this Parliament the UK will provide 60 million people with access to water, sanitation or hygiene services, save the lives of 50,000 mothers in childbirth and help vaccinate 55 million children.

The UK government also works with countries' private sectors to help economies develop and stand on their own feet. We are committed to making business easier and expanding markets and trade.

Find out more about where aid money is being spent with the Development Tracker tool from the Department for International Development.

6. Myth: There’s no benefit for the UK in providing aid

UN Photo/Eskinder Debebe (Creative Commons) / Via Flickr: un_photo

Fact: Funding aid overseas also helps the UK by addressing the cause of global threats such as climate change, terrorism, disease and drugs – these are all problems that move across borders.

Aid is not just the right thing to do for those in need, it’s also in the UK’s national interest.

The Deputy Prime Minister gave a speech on international development on 28 May 2014 - read his speech here.