Aid Cuts Threaten 22.6 Million Lives by 2030

Why this is here: Uganda increased health spending to 9 percent of its national budget by 2030, helping reduce maternal mortality by 47 percent at one regional hospital.

In Uganda, midwife Irene Koote and a doctor saved Khadijah Kantono’s life through emergency surgery after complications during childbirth. Recent cuts to foreign aid are straining health systems globally, exposing a reliance on short-term projects. In 2025, global health financing fell by 21 percent, dropping from $49.6 billion to $39.1 billion.

Seed Global Health and Harvard School of Public Health researchers mapped current global health reforms and found consensus on country-led strategies, but also accelerating fragmentation and donor influence over funding. They note that reform initiatives often prioritize financing over building institutional capacity and workforce strength.

Uganda offers a potential model, with government investment increasing health spending to 9 percent of the national budget by 2030. This approach reduced maternal mortality by 47 percent at Mbale Regional Referral Hospital despite aid cuts.

However, many African countries spend more on debt service than on health care, creating a complex financial challenge. The work to align funding and implementation continues.