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The amount of money the US gives in foreign aid each year will blow your mind

And it's not all used for humanitarian purposes

The amount of money the US gives in foreign aid each year will blow your mind
10 November 2015

The  UK has just committed to spending 0.7 per cent of its GDA on foreign aid a year, which is about £12bn. 

But while that amount may cause Daily Mail readers to flip their lid, it's actually not that much, especially when you compare it to how much the USA provides. 

In the past fiscal year the US has spent £23.2bn in foreign aid to more than 140 countries. 

And while a romanticised vision of aid may make you think it's going to help food crises or the refugee situation in Syria, How Much has revealed that 17% (£3.9bn) of that is spent on financing foreign military.

A map created by the company shows countries scaled to the economic aid they receive from the US.

The top five recipients of US aid were Israel, Egypt, Afghanistan, Jordan and Pakistan.

Of the £3.1bn of aid Israel receive, 100 per cent of it is used on military spending. 

Similarly, Egypt spends £1.3bn of its £1.5bn on the military. 

However Jordan, Afghanistan and Pakistan spent a higher percentage on development.

Who needs food when you have guns eh?

(Image: Rex)


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