Where America’s Foreign Aid Really Goes

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I’ve noticed over the years how Republicans like to complain about American foreign aid programs.  Yet, if you look at the map you’ll notice one very interesting fact: The top two recipients of American largess aren’t exactly poor countries and the next three Afghanistan, Jordan and Pakistan receive aid not to help their poorer citizens but for the military.

How was this aid distributed?

Clearly, not all aid is distributed equally. The question is: Who received the largest slice of the pie from the U.S.? From the map above, the answer is clear: Israel.  

Of the $35 billion of total economic aid distributed, almost a quarter of funds went to five countries.  Below are the top 5 recipients of economic aid in 2014.

  • Israel: $3.1 billion

  • Egypt: $1.5 billion

  • Afghanistan: $1.1 billion

  • Jordan: $1.0 billion

  • Pakistan: $933 million