WHO is About to Lose its Biggest Funder (Again) 🇺🇸

What we’re showing

This graphic breaks down voluntary contributions made to the World Health Organization budget during the 2022-23 period.

Note that these contributions differ from assessed contributions, which are mandatory payments that WHO members states are required to pay. 

For this period, voluntary contributions made up 81% of total funding, while assessed contributions accounted for 12%. The remaining 7% came from other sources.

America is out 

President Trump is pulling the U.S. out of the World Health Organization for a second time.

In a recently signed executive order, Trump cited the organization’s “inability to demonstrate independence from the inappropriate political influence of WHO member states”, as well as its demand for “unfairly onerous payments from the U.S.” 

The U.S. first withdrew from the WHO in 2020 in response to the organization’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic. President Biden retracted this decision when taking office in 2021, bringing the U.S. back into the fold.

How much did China contribute in 2022-23?

Based on WHO budget data, China’s voluntary contributions in 2022-23 totaled $41M, representing 0.6% of total voluntary funding. As we can see in this graphic, this amount pales in comparison to the $1B provided by the U.S.

Note that voluntary contributions are often earmarked for specific purposes, limiting WHO’s flexibility in how they can be used. 

Turning to assessed (mandatory) contributions, China was required to pay $115M, while the U.S. was required to shell out $219M. Trump's main argument against these payments is that China's population is several times larger than America's.