20% of Aid Money Never Leaves Donor Countries, Study Finds

Researchers at a British anti-poverty charity estimate that more than one-fifth of the money wealthy countries say they provide in aid to the developing world never leaves the donor nations, writes The Guardian.

At least $22-billion of the more than $100-billion reported by donor countries to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development in 2011 was spent on activities within those countries or applied to canceling or rescheduling developing states’ debts, according to the study by Bristol, England-based Development Initiatives.

Some countries, including Italy and Austria, sent less than half of their reported aid overseas in the form of cash, goods, or development workers, according to the report, released Monday to coincide with talks at this week’s United Nations General Assembly meeting about setting new global development goals.