A new study warns that aid cuts by the US may cause over 14 million deaths
A new global health study has raised a red flag over the sharp reduction of U.S. foreign aid, predicting it could cost more than 14 million lives by 2030, including millions of children.
The report, published Tuesday in The Lancet and led by the Barcelona Institute for Global Health, paints a grim picture of what could follow the 83% cut in aid from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) under the second Trump administration.
The United States had long provided more than 40% of global aid. But under Trump’s return to office, that commitment quickly disappeared. One of his close allies, Elon Musk, reportedly bragged about running USAID “through the woodchipper” within weeks of taking charge.
Other countries like the UK, France, and Germany have since reduced their foreign aid, worsening the global outlook just as world leaders gather in Spain to address the crisis. The U.S. did not attend.
According to the study, U.S. aid helped save over 91 million lives between 2001 and 2021. The withdrawal of support could now undo much of that progress. The most vulnerable? Children under five, with over 4.5 million predicted deaths.
Programs previously funded by USAID had reduced all-cause deaths by 15%, and up to 32% among children under five. For HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other neglected diseases, the death rates dropped by over half in countries that received high aid.
Experts: “This Can Still Be Stopped”
Davide Rasella, one of the researchers, compared the impact of these aid cuts to a pandemic or war. “It’s a massive shock for weaker health systems,” he warned.
James Macinko of UCLA added: “Just 17 cents a day from U.S. taxpayers funded USAID. That small amount saved millions of lives.”
The authors are urging donor countries to reconsider their budgets and act fast, or risk turning back the clock on two decades of health gains.
