Where US Dollars Go Abroad
Published: February 2025
Of $5.33 trillion in federal spending, $5.24T (98.4%) stays in the US. Here is where the remaining 1.6% goes.
Defense, Not Aid
Most international spending is actually defense — our military bases in Japan and Germany cost more than direct aid to most countries. When politicians debate “foreign aid,” they rarely mention the $5.1B flowing to Japan for military bases. The real story of international spending is about projecting American power, not charity.
Spending by Category
Military Presence
$25.4B
Bases in Japan, Germany, Korea, Kuwait & more
Aid & Development
$13.8B
Ukraine, Kenya, Iraq, Haiti, Ethiopia & more
Trade & Allies
$14.7B
Canada, Switzerland, Mexico, Israel & more
Top 20 Countries by Federal Spending
All Countries
| # | Country | Code | Category | Amount↓ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japan | JPN | Military Presence | $5.1B |
| 2 | Ukraine | UKR | Aid & Development | $4.3B |
| 3 | Germany | DEU | Military Presence | $4.0B |
| 4 | Canada | CAN | Trade & Allies | $3.6B |
| 5 | Switzerland | CHE | Trade & Allies | $3.2B |
| 6 | United Kingdom | GBR | Military Presence | $2.7B |
| 7 | Korea, South | KOR | Military Presence | $2.1B |
| 8 | Kuwait | KWT | Military Presence | $1.7B |
| 9 | Qatar | QAT | Military Presence | $1.3B |
| 10 | Australia | AUS | Military Presence | $1.0B |
| 11 | Poland | POL | Trade & Allies | $1.0B |
| 12 | Greece | GRC | Military Presence | $999.9M |
| 13 | Kenya | KEN | Aid & Development | $985.5M |
| 14 | Iraq | IRQ | Aid & Development | $980.9M |
| 15 | Philippines | PHL | Military Presence | $898.7M |
| 16 | Israel | ISR | Trade & Allies | $848.6M |
| 17 | Saudi Arabia | SAU | Trade & Allies | $845.1M |
| 18 | Mexico | MEX | Trade & Allies | $799.8M |
| 19 | Italy | ITA | Military Presence | $789.8M |
| 20 | Jordan | JOR | Aid & Development | $743.9M |
| 21 | Norway | NOR | Military Presence | $693.4M |
| 22 | Spain | ESP | Military Presence | $691.0M |
| 23 | Djibouti | DJI | Military Presence | $561.5M |
| 24 | France | FRA | Trade & Allies | $544.0M |
| 25 | Sweden | SWE | Trade & Allies | $479.9M |
| 26 | Belgium | BEL | Military Presence | $474.5M |
| 27 | Thailand | THA | Trade & Allies | $439.0M |
| 28 | United Arab Emirates | ARE | Trade & Allies | $394.8M |
| 29 | Haiti | HTI | Aid & Development | $377.9M |
| 30 | Lebanon | LBN | Aid & Development | $373.0M |
| 31 | Colombia | COL | Aid & Development | $366.1M |
| 32 | South Africa | ZAF | Aid & Development | $355.6M |
| 33 | Denmark | DNK | Trade & Allies | $347.8M |
| 34 | Antarctica | ATA | Trade & Allies | $336.7M |
| 35 | Bahrain | BHR | Military Presence | $328.6M |
| 36 | Egypt | EGY | Aid & Development | $323.3M |
| 37 | Ethiopia | ETH | Aid & Development | $307.1M |
| 38 | Portugal | PRT | Military Presence | $283.8M |
| 39 | Cuba | CUB | Military Presence | $282.4M |
| 40 | Tanzania | TZA | Aid & Development | $265.3M |
| 41 | Uganda | UGA | Aid & Development | $258.7M |
| 42 | Diego Garcia | DGA | Military Presence | $258.0M |
| 43 | Austria | AUT | Trade & Allies | $255.2M |
| 44 | British Indian Ocean Territory | IOT | Military Presence | $249.8M |
| 45 | Nigeria | NGA | Aid & Development | $225.5M |
| 46 | El Salvador | SLV | Aid & Development | $223.4M |
| 47 | Argentina | ARG | Trade & Allies | $221.6M |
| 48 | Singapore | SGP | Military Presence | $213.1M |
| 49 | Zambia | ZMB | Aid & Development | $212.4M |
| 50 | Vietnam | VNM | Aid & Development | $209.1M |
| 51 | Benin | BEN | Aid & Development | $202.0M |
| 52 | Somalia | SOM | Aid & Development | $196.0M |
| 53 | Sudan | SDN | Aid & Development | $192.3M |
| 54 | Honduras | HND | Military Presence | $185.9M |
| 55 | Gaza Strip | XGZ | Aid & Development | $175.6M |
| 56 | Costa Rica | CRI | Aid & Development | $167.7M |
| 57 | Taiwan | TWN | Trade & Allies | $161.5M |
| 58 | Dominican Republic | DOM | Aid & Development | $151.3M |
| 59 | South Sudan | SSD | Aid & Development | $149.8M |
| 60 | Rwanda | RWA | Aid & Development | $149.3M |
| 61 | Netherlands | NLD | Military Presence | $147.2M |
| 62 | Ireland | IRL | Trade & Allies | $144.8M |
| 63 | Peru | PER | Aid & Development | $143.2M |
| 64 | Ghana | GHA | Aid & Development | $141.1M |
| 65 | Pakistan | PAK | Aid & Development | $141.0M |
| 66 | Guatemala | GTM | Aid & Development | $139.9M |
| 67 | Congo (kinshasa) | COD | Aid & Development | $124.6M |
| 68 | Ecuador | ECU | Aid & Development | $124.5M |
| 69 | Malawi | MWI | Aid & Development | $119.8M |
| 70 | Panama | PAN | Aid & Development | $116.3M |
| 71 | India | IND | Trade & Allies | $109.8M |
| 72 | Greenland | GRL | Military Presence | $108.9M |
| 73 | Hungary | HUN | Trade & Allies | $99.6M |
| 74 | Moldova | MDA | Aid & Development | $97.6M |
| 75 | Bangladesh | BGD | Aid & Development | $97.5M |
| 76 | Bahamas, The | BHS | Trade & Allies | $97.0M |
| 77 | Syria | SYR | Trade & Allies | $96.0M |
| 78 | West Bank | XWB | Aid & Development | $90.0M |
| 79 | Romania | ROU | Trade & Allies | $87.7M |
| 80 | Hong Kong | HKG | Trade & Allies | $84.6M |
| 81 | New Zealand | NZL | Trade & Allies | $80.6M |
| 82 | Morocco | MAR | Aid & Development | $80.0M |
| 83 | Georgia | GEO | Aid & Development | $78.0M |
| 84 | Brazil | BRA | Trade & Allies | $76.9M |
| 85 | Cote D'ivoire | CIV | Aid & Development | $75.5M |
| 86 | Sierra Leone | SLE | Aid & Development | $73.2M |
| 87 | Laos | LAO | Aid & Development | $70.0M |
| 88 | Senegal | SEN | Aid & Development | $69.3M |
| 89 | Turkey | TUR | Military Presence | $68.7M |
| 90 | Iceland | ISL | Military Presence | $67.1M |
| 91 | Chile | CHL | Trade & Allies | $66.0M |
| 92 | Solomon Islands | SLB | Aid & Development | $63.6M |
| 93 | Czech Republic | CZE | Trade & Allies | $60.6M |
| 94 | Malaysia | MYS | Trade & Allies | $55.8M |
| 95 | Russia | RUS | Trade & Allies | $55.2M |
| 96 | Lesotho | LSO | Aid & Development | $54.3M |
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