EUI / Education

ODA Spending

How much ODA does the EUI allocate to education?

The EUI spent US$1.1 billion of their ODA on education in 2021, making the EUI the fourth largest donor to education. This represents 4% of EUI's total ODA.

With an exception in 2020, funding for education from the EUI has been decreasing since 2017, driven by a 50% reduction of funding for projects targeting basic education.

How does the EUI allocate educational ODA?

Bilateral Spending

In 2021, 100% of the EUI ’s ODA for education was channeled bilaterally. 15% of the funding was channeled through multilaterals as earmarked funding through multilaterals.

The EUI’s bilateral funding for education in 2021 focused mainly on:

• Education policy and administrative management (34%);
• Vocational training (17%);
• Higher education (13%); and
• Education facilities and training (13%).

Multilateral Spending and Commitments

The EUI's more recent commitments to multilaterals in education are summarized in the table below.

Funding and Policy Outlook

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

Education remains a top priority for the EUI. The EUI considers education essential to achieving the SDGs, reducing social inequalities, and advancing gender equality. It falls within the European Consensus on Development's framework: ‘People – human development and dignity’ framework. In September 2022, the EU reaffirmed its 2008 commitment to increase the proportion of NDICI’s budget for education from 7% to 10% by 2024. This is half of what the EU aims to spend on human development overall (at least 20%).

Increasing focus on education in emergencies and fragile contexts is likely to continue. According to the EC, the share of humanitarian funding from the EUI dedicated to education increased from less than 1% in 2015 to 10% in 2019. In November 2021, the Commission said the EU would continue to target 10% of its annual humanitarian budget for child protection and education in emergencies, in particular access to education for girls in humanitarian contexts.

Key bodies