Apr 15, 2020 - World

The U.S. gives far more money to the WHO than China does

Data: World Health Organization; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios
Data: World Health Organization; Chart: Andrew Witherspoon/Axios

President Trump announced yesterday that the U.S. would suspend funding for the World Health Organization, pending a review. Rising scrutiny of the WHO, and especially the perception that China wields strong influence over it, has led GOP leaders to call for funding cuts.

Why it matters: The U.S. is by far the largest single contributor to the WHO. In 2018–2019, according to information on the WHO website, the U.S. provided 14.67% of the WHO's total funding, whereas China provided just 0.21%.

What's next: Threats to cut funding could bring the WHO more in line with U.S. wishes — or it could have the opposite effect, causing it to rely more heavily on Beijing.

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