Donor Government Funding for Family Planning in 2021

This report provides an analysis of donor government funding to address family planning in low- and middle-income countries in 2021, the most recent year available, as well as trends over time. It is part of an effort by KFF (the Kaiser Family Foundation) to track such funding that began after the London Summit on Family Planning in 2012. Key findings include:

• In 2021, family planning funding from donor governments totaled US$1.39 billion, essentially flat compared to the 2020 level (US$1.41 billion).^1,2
• While the overall amount remained steady in 2021, there were significant variations among several donors. Funding from five donors (Australia, Denmark, Germany, Norway and Sweden) increased, some of which more than doubled their support. These increases offset a significant decline by the U.K., which cut funding by more than 40% in 2021. Funding from the Netherlands also declined slightly while Canada and the U.S. remained flat. These trends were the same after adjusting for inflation and exchange rate fluctuations.
• More broadly, bilateral funding from donor governments for family planning has fluctuated over the past decade, but has generally risen since the London Summit in 2012. Funding in 2021 was approximately US$200 million higher than in 2012 (US$1.19 billion), though this was below the peak level reached over the period (US$1.52 billion in 2019).
• The U.S. continued to be the largest donor to bilateral family planning efforts providing $576.7 million or 42% of total bilateral funding from governments in 2021. The Netherlands was the second largest donor (US$190.5 million, 14%), followed by Sweden (US$180.4 million, 13%), the U.K. (US$157.8 million, 11%), and Canada (US$98.9 million, 7%).
• In addition to bilateral funding for family planning, the donor governments profiled provided US$405.3 million in core contributions to UNFPA in 2021, similar to 2020 levels (US$411.7 million).^3,4 Most donors (Australia, Canada, Denmark, France, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden) provided level funding to UNFPA in 2021, while funding from Germany and the U.K. declined.⁵ The U.S., under the Biden administration, resumed funding for UNFPA in 2021 after the Trump Administration had invoked the Kemp-Kasten amendment, a provision of U.S. law, to withhold funding—both core and non-core contributions—from UNFPA for the prior four years.⁶
• While overall bilateral funding for family planning in 2021 does not seem to have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, ongoing economic pressures resulting from the pandemic as well as the war in Ukraine, create some uncertainty for the future.