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Click on the image to access the Information System |
Camões, I.P. makes available the Integrated Information System for Portuguese Cooperation.
It is an online database that provides information on Official Development Assistance (ODA) both in aggregate terms / Global Data and by project. The data is available both in Portuguese and in English, in €uros and US dollars, for a certain time period.
In the light of the good practices (both national and international) regarding transparency, accountability and communication, of the DAC Main Findings and Recommendations to Portugal and, of the several commitments that Portugal has been undertaking in this field, this new system stands as an important "result” within the progresses made so far.
Main Characteristics of Portuguese Official Development Assistance (ODA) 2018-2022
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The new ODA accounting method The new method of accounting for ODA: The OECD/DAC adopted, as of 2019 (ODA 2018), statistical reporting based on the Grant Equivalent (GE) measure, while continuing to collect and report on the previous Cash Flow (CF) measure. The new measure changed the method of reporting on concessional loans. In the cash flow system, the face value of the loans was counted as ODA, once the applicable eligibility conditions were met. In the grant equivalent system, only the concessional component/value of the loans can count as ODA, thus measuring the real "effort" of the donor in granting them and the benefit to the partner country. In grant equivalent, the grant component of gross disbursements is recorded, the repayments are no longer weighted in the ODA calculation. The difference between Cash Flow ODA (net ODA) and Grant Equivalent ODA (gross ODA) is explained by the fact that the GE accounting method does not take loan repayments into account, unlike the CF method, which accounts for repayments as negative ODA. Thus, GE ODA takes gross disbursements into account, while CF ODA takes net disbursements into account, subtracting the amounts received = repayments. |
ODA Volume and trend
In 2015, Portuguese ODA still maintained the negative trend that began in 2012, because Portugal was under an Economic and Financial Assistance Program until June 2014. Recovery began in 2016, coinciding with a phase of economic growth. Portuguese ODA has been on an upward trend since 2018 (329M€), reaffirmed in 2021 (378M€) and consolidated in 2022 (418M€) - net figures.
The ODA/GNI ratio, which stood at 0.16% in 2015, rose slightly in the following years, fluctuating between 0.17% and 0.18% until 2022, when it increased to 0.21%, the highest since 2013, placing Portugal 26th out of the 30 DAC donor countries.
Note: Gross disbursements represent total disbursements made and net disbursements represent amounts disbursed after.
Portugal's ODA is strongly focused on Portuguese-speaking countries in Africa and Timor Leste. The multilateral component has gradually gained in importance (over 65%), mainly as result of the increased contribution to aid mechanisms and partnerships with the European Union (EU).
As for the type of finance, traditionally credit lines/concessional loans to Portuguese Cooperation partner countries had a significant share in ODA (very significant in 2011 and 2012). Since 2015, this component has seen a decrease and a lower weight in ODA, due to less use of these instruments by partner countries and, on the other hand, the start of the repayment phase for loans granted in the past.
Bilateral ODA
Geographical Priorities
Bilateral ODA is mainly focused on the PALOP and Timor Leste, although other countries are becoming increasingly representative. In 2021 and 2022, the least developed countries (LDC) received 69.8% and 58.1% of Portugal's gross bilateral ODA, respectively. These figures are higher than the DAC countries average (22.9%). Portugal allocated 33.7% to small island developing states (SIDS) in 2021 and 30.1% in 2022. In 2022, Ukraine emerged as the second largest beneficiary of ODA as result of humanitarian support in the context of the conflict in that country.
Note Ukraine: In the DAC/OECD reporting rules, the sector "Aid to refugees in the donor country" cannot be allocated geographically as it does not constitute a flow to the recipient country. The coding "Unspecified Developing Country" applies. This rule has a particular influence on ODA to Ukraine, whose figures in this sector are significant. Therefore, in order to make the total ODA to that country clear, the amounts for the sector "Aid to refugees in the donor country" have been added (2 794 284€).
Sectoral Priorities
Sustaining Portugal's commitment to the social goals of the 2030 Agenda, the largest share of sectoral ODA goes to the "Social Infrastructure and Services" grouping (Education, Health, Population and Reproductive Health, Water and Sanitation, Government and Civil Society, Other Social Infrastructure and Services), which has concentrated an average of 78% of bilateral ODA in recent years.
The "Non Sector Allocable" grouping, which includes general components such as program aid, debt-related actions, humanitarian aid or support for refugees, accounted for 14%, as a result of the use of credit lines/concessional loans by some partner countries, but also due to the increase in support granted to refugees and humanitarian assistance.
Multilateral ODA
The multilateral component of ODA has gradually gained in proportion (average 66%), from 217M€ in 2018 to 296M€ in 2022, as a result of Portugal's increased contribution to aid mechanisms and partnerships with the European Union, United Nations, World Bank and Regional Development Banks.
Main recipients of Portuguese ODA