Over the last few decades, we have witnessed the historic economic rise of several aid-recipient countries in Asia. Their transformation from beneficiaries of development aid to donors offers an interesting case study not only for their neighboring countries but for development as a whole.
In this article, we looked into the development aid spending of six donor countries: Japan and South Korea — both part of the Development Assistance Committee — Indonesia and Thailand — which are both in the preliminary stage toward membership to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or OECD — and Kazakhstan and Taiwan.
Overall, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Taiwan, and Thailand spent $20.8 billion in 2022, according to figures from OECD. This represents a 17% increase from their combined aid spending in 2021.