Need help with some stats...anyone?

[OnionPatch]

My right wing friend says that "We (the US) give more (aid) to other countries than all the rest of the world combined. Seems to me I remember reading that this was not true, that in fact the US gives LESS than many other single countries, let alone combined. I can't find those stats though. Does anyone know where I can get this info? I'm sure he got his stats from Rush. :eyes:

[never cry wolf]

1. Here ya go, from 2002 it looks like

http://www.ppionline.org/ppi_ci.cfm?knlgAreaID=108&subsecID=900003&contentID=252517

Today, 22 rich countries run development programs, sending a bit less than $60 billion in development aid overseas in 2002. In dollar terms, this was fairly high -- up from a low of $48 million in 1997, and approaching the record set in 1992 -- but still less as a percentage of rich-country GDP than the levels of the late Cold War period. The money broke down as follows: EU members provided $29.9 billion (Germany was first, followed by France, the European Commission, and the United Kingdom); the United States gave $13.3 billion; then came Japan at $9.3 billion, Canada at $2 billion, Norway $1.7 billion, Switzerland and Australia $1 billion each, and New Zealand with $100 million. Dozens of smaller countries and mid-income developing nations also provide aid of various kinds, though data is sparse. New EU members such as Slovakia and the Czech Republic, for example, have developed permanent foreign aid programs; many others run technical and humanitarian assistance programs, from Israel and the Persian Gulf monarchies, to mainland China and Taiwan, South Africa, Singapore, Turkey, Brunei, and others.

[never cry wolf]

4. Also this...

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/columnists/andres_oppenheimer/3729418.htm?1c

Small donors show up U.S. aid

U.N. report highlights efforts relative to national economies

It doesn't look pretty: The United States ranks last among the world's 28 top foreign aid donor countries, and its foreign assistance levels have dropped dramatically over the past 10 years, according to a United Nations report released this week.

The United Nations Human Development Report 2002, a wide-ranging report that includes both fascinating country statistics and a questionable development ranking of 137 nations, puts the United States well below Denmark, the Netherlands, Japan and even Spain and Portugal on the list of the biggest foreign aid donor countries relative to the size of their economies.

Granted, if you look at the actual dollar figures, the $9.9 billion annual U.S. foreign assistance ranks only second after Japan's $13.5 billion.

But when you look at countries' foreign aid relative to the size of their economies, the United States is devoting 0.1 per cent of its gross national product (GNP) to help the world's poorest countries, less than any other industrialized nation.

[SoDesuKa]

2. Absolute Numbers vs. Percentages

It may be true that the U.S. gives more foreign aid in absolute numbers. Smaller economies may be more generous as a percentage of total wealth.

[Rebellious Republican]

3. Here is a link that may provide some insight.....

When the page comes up, click on "Foreign Aid Numbers in Charts and Graphs" if you want a visual aide, happy reading!

http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Debt/USAid.asp#ForeignAidNumbersinChartsandGraphs

[sandnsea]

5. How much is military aid?

That's another part of the equation that doesn't get reported. Alot of that money goes right back into our own defense corporations who build weapons that those other countries turn around and shoot us with.

[scarletwoman]

6. "* USA's aid, in terms of percentage of their GNP is already lowest of any

industrialized nation in the world..."

http://www.globalissues.org/TradeRelated/Debt/USAid.asp

Scroll down to chart -- U.S. ranks #22 at 0.14% GDP -- Norway ranks #1 at 0.92% GPD.

sw

[OnionPatch]

7. Thanks so much!!

You guys are the best! :yourock: