ODA Spending


How much ODA does Canada allocate to education?


Canada was the 7th-largest DAC donor to education in 2022.


Canada’s spending on education represented 4% of total ODA in 2022, indicating that this sector is a lower priority than for most DAC donors, which spend an average of 9% of ODA on education.



How is Canadian educational ODA changing?


While Canada’s funding for education had seen a 30% increase between 2017 and 2020, it slipped back by 18% in 2021. This decrease in spending contradicts the Liberal Party's promise to spend no less than 10% of the country’s development budget on education, as the ODA/GNI ratio fell from 7% in 2020 to 5% in 2021. In 2022, education funding saw a small increase, largely due to multilateral funding and earmarked funding through multilaterals.



How does Canada allocate educational ODA?


Bilateral Spending


Canada’s focuses on education as a powerful tool for the empowerment of women and girls and has consistently prioritized primary education since 2019.



Multilateral Spending and Commitments


Canada is a founding member of the IDA and is one of its top donors.


In 2021, Canada disbursed 4% (US$12 million) of its multilateral funding for education to UNRWA. In 2020, Canada committed up to CAD75 million ( US$56 million) to UNRWA in support of basic education, health, and social services for Palestinian refugees.


In 2022, Canada announced CAD88 million ( US$68 million) over four years (2023 to 2026) to ECW, with a focus on adolescent girls living in hard-to-reach, fragile, or conflict-affected regions.



Funding & Policy Outlook


What is the current government's outlook on educational ODA?


Canada will continue to prioritize the education of girls and women, especially given the setbacks of COVID-19: In the Mandate Letter written to the Minister for International Development in late 2021, the Prime Minister specifically mentions education as a pathway to the empowerment of women and girls. This is presented against the backdrop of COVID-19, which has undermined both education and gender equality around the world.


Key bodies


Related Publications

December 2023 Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Roundup 

September 2023 Foundational Literacy and Numeracy Roundup 

Japan's revised Development Cooperation Charter: Adapting to contemporary challenges

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