A Global Look at Who Funds the United Nations
Key Takeaways:
- The United States leads UN government contributions at $7.1 billion, more than double Germany’s $3.5 billion.
- China ranks third at $2.7 billion, ahead of the United Kingdom and Japan.
- Smaller European economies, including Sweden and Norway, rank among the world’s top 10 contributors.
The United Nations relies on government funding for everything from peacekeeping to humanitarian assistance. Contributions include mandatory assessments and voluntary funding, which allows governments to support specific agencies and programs.
This visualization, created by Iswardi Ishak, maps government contributions to the UN system using 2025 figures attributed to the UN System Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB).
Which Countries Contribute the Most?
The following table ranks government contributions to the UN system, combining assessed contributions, voluntary funding, and other revenue. All figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.
| Rank | Country/Territory | Total Contributions (in USD Millions) |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States of America | 7,094 |
| 2 | Germany | 3,462 |
| 3 | China | 2,726 |
| 4 | United Kingdom | 2,518 |
| 5 | Japan | 2,171 |
| 6 | Sweden | 1,720 |
| 7 | Canada | 1,511 |
| 8 | Norway | 1,414 |
| 9 | Netherlands | 1,297 |
| 10 | South Korea | 1,265 |
| 11 | France | 1,139 |
| 12 | Italy | 1,086 |
| 13 | Switzerland | 764 |
| 14 | Denmark | 753 |
| 15 | Australia | 676 |
| 16 | Brazil | 631 |
| 17 | Saudi Arabia | 628 |
| 18 | Spain | 624 |
| 19 | Colombia | 621 |
| 20 | Belgium | 508 |
| 21 | Argentina | 492 |
| 22 | Russia | 451 |
| 23 | Ireland | 387 |
| 24 | Finland | 338 |
| 25 | Austria | 233 |
| 26 | Guatemala | 224 |
| 27 | Luxembourg | 215 |
| 28 | India | 211 |
| 29 | Qatar | 209 |
| 30 | New Zealand | 181 |
| 31 | Iran | 180 |
| 32 | Honduras | 178 |
| 33 | United Arab Emirates | 177 |
| 34 | Peru | 170 |
| 35 | South Sudan | 163 |
| 36 | Somalia | 163 |
| 37 | Panama | 157 |
| 38 | Bangladesh | 154 |
| 39 | Ecuador | 148 |
| 40 | Mexico | 145 |
| 41 | Türkiye | 133 |
| 42 | Kuwait | 132 |
| 43 | Gabon | 130 |
| 44 | Greece | 112 |
| 45 | Poland | 108 |
| 46 | Indonesia | 96 |
| 47 | Haiti | 84 |
| 48 | Chile | 84 |
| 49 | Singapore | 84 |
| 50 | Dominican Republic | 81 |
| 51 | Central African Republic | 79 |
| 52 | Israel | 78 |
| 53 | Portugal | 68 |
| 54 | Nigeria | 66 |
| 55 | Uzbekistan | 66 |
| 56 | Uruguay | 61 |
| 57 | Democratic Republic of the Congo | 57 |
| 58 | Czechia | 56 |
| 59 | Cyprus | 53 |
| 60 | Iceland | 52 |
| 61 | Cuba | 52 |
| 62 | Egypt | 52 |
| 63 | Mozambique | 51 |
| 64 | Pakistan | 49 |
| 65 | Kazakhstan | 49 |
| 66 | Nicaragua | 47 |
| 67 | Paraguay | 45 |
| 68 | Dominica | 44 |
| 69 | Angola | 44 |
| 70 | Costa Rica | 44 |
| 71 | Thailand | 43 |
| 72 | Ethiopia | 42 |
| 73 | Hungary | 42 |
| 74 | South Africa | 41 |
| 75 | Romania | 41 |
| 76 | Morocco | 40 |
| 77 | Malaysia | 40 |
| 78 | Chad | 39 |
| 79 | Philippines | 34 |
| 80 | Bolivia | 34 |
| 81 | Turkmenistan | 33 |
| 82 | El Salvador | 31 |
| 83 | Lebanon | 31 |
| 84 | Iraq | 31 |
| 85 | Niger | 30 |
| 86 | Serbia | 27 |
| 87 | Kenya | 27 |
| 88 | Slovakia | 26 |
| 89 | Madagascar | 25 |
| 90 | Montenegro | 23 |
| 91 | Cameroon | 23 |
| 92 | Zambia | 22 |
| 93 | Malawi | 22 |
| 94 | Burkina Faso | 22 |
| 95 | Côte d'Ivoire | 21 |
| 96 | Oman | 21 |
| 97 | Burundi | 20 |
| 98 | Jordan | 20 |
| 99 | Azerbaijan | 19 |
| 100 | Croatia | 18 |
| 101 | Slovenia | 18 |
| 102 | Venezuela | 18 |
| 103 | Viet Nam | 17 |
| 104 | Trinidad and Tobago | 17 |
| 105 | Ukraine | 14 |
| 106 | Sudan | 13 |
| 107 | Benin | 13 |
| 108 | Libya | 13 |
| 109 | Myanmar | 13 |
| 110 | Monaco | 13 |
| 111 | Bulgaria | 12 |
| 112 | Guinea | 12 |
| 113 | Liberia | 11 |
| 114 | North Macedonia | 11 |
| 115 | Lithuania | 10 |
| 116 | Kyrgyzstan | 10 |
| 117 | Cambodia | 10 |
| 118 | Algeria | 10 |
| 119 | Bosnia and Herzegovina | 9.4 |
| 120 | China, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region | 9.2 |
| 121 | Sierra Leone | 9.2 |
| 122 | Mauritania | 8.3 |
| 123 | Estonia | 8.3 |
| 124 | Mongolia | 7.7 |
| 125 | Malta | 7.7 |
| 126 | Guinea-Bissau | 7.5 |
| 127 | Democratic People's Republic of Korea | 7.0 |
| 128 | Barbados | 7.0 |
| 129 | Bahrain | 6.9 |
| 130 | Latvia | 6.8 |
| 131 | United Republic of Tanzania | 6.7 |
| 132 | Marshall Islands | 6.6 |
| 133 | Equatorial Guinea | 6.5 |
| 134 | State of Palestine | 6.4 |
| 135 | Senegal | 6.3 |
| 136 | Belarus | 5.9 |
| 137 | Sri Lanka | 5.7 |
| 138 | Nepal | 5.6 |
| 139 | Timor-Leste | 5.5 |
| 140 | Botswana | 5.5 |
| 141 | Bahamas | 5.3 |
| 142 | Mali | 5.0 |
| 143 | Syria | 4.9 |
| 144 | Liechtenstein | 4.9 |
| 145 | Namibia | 4.5 |
| 146 | Sao Tome and Principe | 4.5 |
| 147 | Uganda | 4.5 |
| 148 | Ghana | 4.4 |
| 149 | Papua New Guinea | 4.2 |
| 150 | Tunisia | 4.0 |
| 151 | Guyana | 3.9 |
| 152 | Gambia | 3.9 |
| 153 | Taiwan | 3.8 |
| 154 | Kosovo | 3.7 |
| 155 | Moldova | 3.7 |
| 156 | Afghanistan | 3.7 |
| 157 | Jamaica | 3.5 |
| 158 | Fiji | 3.5 |
| 159 | Albania | 3.4 |
| 160 | Rwanda | 3.4 |
| 161 | Brunei Darussalam | 3.2 |
| 162 | Armenia | 3.1 |
| 163 | Mauritius | 3.0 |
| 164 | Georgia | 3.0 |
| 165 | Laos | 2.9 |
| 166 | Congo | 2.9 |
| 167 | Tajikistan | 2.5 |
| 168 | Solomon Islands | 2.4 |
| 169 | Lesotho | 2.4 |
| 170 | Eswatini | 2.4 |
| 171 | Vanuatu | 2.2 |
| 172 | Seychelles | 2.2 |
| 173 | Djibouti | 2.0 |
| 174 | Belize | 1.9 |
| 175 | Jersey | 1.8 |
| 176 | Samoa | 1.7 |
| 177 | Suriname | 1.4 |
| 178 | Maldives | 1.3 |
| 179 | Sint Maarten (Dutch part) | 1.3 |
| 180 | Andorra | 1.3 |
| 181 | Bhutan | 1.1 |
| 182 | China, Macao Special Administrative Region | 1.0 |
| 183 | Cabo Verde | 0.9 |
| 184 | Antigua and Barbuda | 0.8 |
| 185 | Togo | 0.8 |
| 186 | Zimbabwe | 0.8 |
| 187 | Yemen | 0.8 |
| 188 | Comoros | 0.8 |
| 189 | San Marino | 0.7 |
| 190 | Tuvalu | 0.6 |
| 191 | Saint Lucia | 0.6 |
| 192 | Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 0.6 |
| 193 | Saint Kitts and Nevis | 0.5 |
| 194 | Grenada | 0.5 |
| 195 | Eritrea | 0.5 |
| 196 | Aruba | 0.4 |
| 197 | Palau | 0.4 |
| 198 | New Caledonia | 0.4 |
| 199 | Cook Islands | 0.3 |
| 200 | Bermuda | 0.3 |
| 201 | Curaçao | 0.3 |
| 202 | Holy See | 0.3 |
| 203 | Tonga | 0.3 |
| 204 | Guernsey | 0.3 |
| 205 | Cayman Islands | 0.3 |
| 206 | Kiribati | 0.2 |
| 207 | Nauru | 0.2 |
| 208 | Micronesia (Federated States of) | 0.2 |
| 209 | Montserrat | 0.2 |
| 210 | Turks and Caicos Islands | 0.2 |
| 211 | Tokelau | 0.2 |
| 212 | Puerto Rico | 0.1 |
| 213 | British Virgin Islands | 0.1 |
| 214 | Anguilla | 0.1 |
| 215 | Niue | 0.1 |
| 216 | Faroe Islands | 0.03 |
| 217 | French Polynesia | 0.02 |
| -- | Total | 40,751 |
European countries account for seven of the top 10 contributors, highlighting the region’s substantial role in financing the UN system. Germany leads Europe, while Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands contribute more than several much larger economies.
India contributes $211 million, compared with China’s $2.7 billion, illustrating the significant differences in UN funding among the world’s most populous countries.
How Are UN Contributions Calculated?
UN funding combines mandatory assessments with voluntary contributions. Assessments reflect countries’ capacity to pay, factoring in gross national income, debt, and income per capita.
The UN’s regular budget caps individual assessments at 22%, a ceiling reached by the United States. Peacekeeping uses a separate formula, with higher rates for permanent Security Council members. U.S. law also generally limits American peacekeeping contributions to 25%.
These assessment caps do not apply to voluntary funding, which supports agencies such as UNICEF and the World Food Programme.
What Does America Gain From Funding the UN?
For Washington, UN funding supports diplomatic influence, humanitarian objectives, and international stability. Multilateral peacekeeping also helps distribute security costs among countries, complementing the role of mutual defense alliances.
However, financial contributions do not directly translate into voting power. Every General Assembly member receives one vote, regardless of how much it contributes.
The Security Council’s five permanent members hold veto powers, providing a separate source of institutional influence. Meanwhile, governments can earmark voluntary contributions for specific programs, helping shape which humanitarian and development priorities receive funding.
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For another perspective on the UN’s global standing, explore Which Countries Trust (and Distrust) the UN? to see how public confidence varies around the world.