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2026 Southeast Asia Aid Map in four charts2026 Southeast Asia Aid Map in four charts
In 2024, official development finance to Southeast Asia fell significantly to $26.1 billion, driven predominantly by bilateral development partners cutting aid and a drop in non-concessional loans as spending on several large infrastructure projects declined.
In 2024, loans accounted for 79.4% of all official development finance to Southeast Asia, but grants remain the financing approach of choice in the region’s poorest and most vulnerable countries.
In 2024, multilateral development banks emerged as the region’s main development partner for the first time since 2015.
Infrastructure still dominates development financing in Southeast Asia, although stalled Chinese commitments have kept it below pre-pandemic highs. Human development spending will continue to fall as financing for health returns to pre-pandemic levels.
About the authors
Rahul Nath
Dr Rahul Nath is a Research Fellow at the Lowy Institute’s Indo-Pacific Development Centre and is responsible for the Institute’s Southeast Asia Aid Map. His research areas include aid and development policy, development finance, sovereign debt, macroeconomic dynamics, multilateral development banks, and climate finance.
Taili Ni
Taili Ni is a Research Associate in the Indo-Pacific Development Centre at the Lowy Institute, working on the Southeast Asia Aid Map. Her work focuses on tracking and analysing foreign aid and development finance flows to Southeast Asia.
Grace Stanhope
Grace Stanhope is a former Research Fellow in the Indo-Pacific Development Centre at the Lowy Institute, working on the Southeast Asia Aid Map. Her work focused on tracking and analysing foreign aid and development finance flows to Southeast Asia.
Alexandre Dayant
Alexandre Dayant is a senior economist and former Deputy Director of the Indo-Pacific Development Centre, a dedicated policy research centre within the Lowy Institute.
Roland Rajah
Roland Rajah is Lead Economist and Director of the Indo-Pacific Development Centre at the Lowy Institute, focusing on economic development challenges across Southeast Asia, the Pacific Islands, and South Asia. His research spans macroeconomics, aid and development finance, geoeconomics, and regional integration.
