Development cooperation Methods

Statistics on German development assistance have been compiled by the Federal Statistical Office on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) as business statistics since 2005. The statistics cover both public and private flows.

The results of the statistics on development assistance are transmitted annually to the BMZ. The BMZ uses these results for annual reporting to the Development Assistance Committee (DAC) of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Selected results are published on the websites of the BMZ and the Federal Statistical Office.

The basic methodological orientation of the statistics is based on the statistical guidelines of the DAC. As a member of this committee, Germany, represented by the BMZ, has committed to report its official development assistance, and other public and private contributions for developing countries, annually to the DAC. Private contributions comprise own funds and donations from private non-governmental organisations as well as private contributions at market terms (such as private direct investments and loans).

The main characteristics identified are, inter alia, the recipient of the assistance (exempli gratia the developing country or the international organisation), the sector from which the funds come (public or private), the type of finance (exempli gratia grant, loan, debt relief) and the purpose code (exempli gratia education, health, humanitarian aid).

The reporting group includes the Federal Ministries, the Länder, the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit GmbH (GIZ), the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW) - Entwicklungsbank, the Deutsche Investitions- und Entwicklungsgesellschaft mbH (DEG), the Deutsche Bundesbank, Euler Hermes Aktiengesellschaft and currently around 2,600 private non-governmental organisations (such as associations, foundations and church organisations).

In addition, data from the Federal Office for Migration and Refugees (BAMF), the Federal Statistical Office and the OECD are used for the preparation and analysis.  

Since the 1960s, Germany has reported its public and private development finance to the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC). International reporting requirements have essentially remained largely unchanged since then even though development finance has, in fact, changed considerably in the last few decades. User requirements with regard to the data have also changed.

More information on the modernisation of official development assistance (ODA) in the context of the 2030 Agenda.