US and European aid cuts could result in 22.6 million deaths worldwide, study finds

By Andrea Shalal

WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Abrupt cuts to development aid by major donor countries could cause up to 22.6 million additional deaths in developing countries by 2030, including 5.4 million children under five, according to a new study by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) and other organizations.

The warning comes as the United States, Britain, Germany and France have each reduced development aid for the first time in nearly three decades and are planning further cuts in 2025. The ISGlobal study said continued cuts could reverse decades of progress in global health and poverty reduction.

The global health research centre's report, a copy of which was viewed b Reuters, examined data from 93 low- and middle-income countries to estimate the impact of further reductions in official development assistance (ODA) in 2025, on top of sharp cuts over the past five years.

It concluded that a severe reduction in that assistance would lead to 22.6 million additional deaths, including 5.4 million children under five, by 2030, significantly higher than the research institute had estimated in a previous study that focused on U.S. cuts.

The authors modeled both a severe and a mild scenario for future aid cuts, along with one that would have maintained 2023 funding levels.

A severe reduction would involve cuts of up to 25% in the poorest countries and 28% in sub-Saharan Africa. A mild scenario with less severe cuts could result in 9.4 million preventable deaths, including 2.5 million children under five, they said.

Human rights and development experts have warned that U.S. President Donald Trump's moves to dismantle USAID and sharply cut its development aid - moves that have been mirrored in other countries - will cause increases in preventable deaths.

The study released on Monday by a coalition of health and development organizations builds on previous research published in The Lancet medical journal in June, which estimated deep cuts to the U.S. Agency for International Development could result in more than 14 million additional deaths by 2030.

The new study, which has been submitted to The Lancet for peer review, noted that if the U.S., Britain, Germany and France make further reductions in 2025, it would be the first time that all four countries have cut ODA simultaneously for two consecutive years.

"This abrupt withdrawal leaves little scope for the implementation of adaptive strategies," the authors wrote. 

Britain, France, the Netherlands and Belgium announced aid cuts of 40%, 37%, 30% and 25%, respectively, the study noted. The loss of aid for developing countries threatens to reverse three decades of unprecedented gains in health, education and poverty reduction, the authors warned. 

(Reporting by Andrea Shalal; Editing by Sergio Non and Saad Sayeed)