Key figures from the chart
- Voluntary contributions to the World Health Organization came to $6.4 billion in the 2022 to 2023 budget period.
- The USA was the largest voluntary contributor with $1.0 billion (15.6%), followed by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $826 million (12.7%) and Germany with $723 million (11.1%).
- Assessed contributions, the mandatory payments member states must make, came to $957 million, and other funding to $536 million.
- A callout notes that China voluntarily contributed $41 million, 0.6% of the total.
- All figures are from the graphic, which cites the World Health Organization.
World Health Organization funding sources in text
Title in the centre of a donut chart: Who Funds the World Health Organization. Subtitle: Voluntary contributions made during the 2022-23 period. Shares on the chart are shares of voluntary contributions. The chart prints a percentage only for the five largest contributors and “Other”. The last column gives the full shares from Visual Capitalist’s own data table [2].
| Contributor (as printed) | Voluntary contribution | Share printed on chart | Share in Visual Capitalist table (%) |
|---|---|---|---|
| USA | $1.0B | 15.6% | 15.6 |
| Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation | $826M | 12.7% | 12.7 |
| Germany | $723M | 11.1% | 11.1 |
| GAV Alliance (GAVI) | $480M | 7.4% | 7.4 |
| European Commission | $466M | 7.2% | 7.2 |
| Rotary International | $177M | 2.7 | |
| Canada | $174M | 2.7 | |
| UN CERF | $140M | 2.2 | |
| UK | $134M | 2.1 | |
| WHO Contingency Fund | $122M | 1.9 | |
| World Bank | $118M | 1.8 | |
| France | $116M | 1.8 | |
| UNICEF | $111M | 1.7 | |
| Misc. | $107M | 1.6 | |
| Norway | $107M | 1.6 | |
| UN MPTF | $84M | 1.3 | |
| Iran | $78M | 1.2 | |
| India | $77M | 1.2 | |
| Japan | $76M | 1.2 | |
| Saudi Arabia | $72M | 1.1 | |
| Netherlands | $69M | 1.1 | |
| Other | $1.1B | 19% | 19.0 |
Callout in the Other segment: China voluntarily contributed $41M (0.6% of total).
Bar at the foot of the chart: Voluntary contributions $6.4B. Assessed contributions $957M, labelled “Mandatory payments that member states are required to pay”. Other funding $536M.
Notes printed on the chart: All data for the 2022-23 period. UN CERF (UN Central Emergency Response Fund). UNICEF (UN Children’s Fund). UN MPTF (UN Multi-Partner Trust Fund). Source: World Health Organization. Visual Capitalist logo.
How the World Health Organization is funded
WHO says its funding comes from two main sources: assessed contributions, which are member states’ membership dues, and voluntary contributions from member states and other partners [3]. Assessed contributions are a percentage of a country’s gross domestic product, agreed by the UN General Assembly and approved every two years at the World Health Assembly [3]. WHO says they have accounted for less than a quarter of its financing for several years, and that voluntary contributions have accounted for more than three quarters [3].
Voluntary contributions come from member states, other UN organisations, intergovernmental organisations, philanthropic foundations, the private sector and other sources [3]. WHO groups them by how freely it can spend them: core voluntary contributions are fully flexible and made up 6.6% of voluntary contributions in 2022 to 2023, while thematic funds are partly flexible and specified contributions are earmarked [3]. Visual Capitalist makes the same point, that voluntary contributions are often earmarked for specific purposes [2].
Voluntary and assessed contributions in 2022 to 2023
Visual Capitalist calculates that voluntary contributions made up 81% of WHO’s funding in this period, assessed contributions 12% and other sources 7% [2]. The bar on the chart gives the same split: $6.4 billion, $957 million and $536 million add up to about $7.9 billion, of which voluntary contributions are 81% (our arithmetic). For assessed contributions, Visual Capitalist reports that the United States was required to pay $219 million in 2022 to 2023 and China $115 million [2].
The chart was published in January 2025, when, as Visual Capitalist reported, the US president had signed an executive order to withdraw the United States from WHO. The article notes the United States had also withdrawn in 2020 and rejoined in 2021 [2].
Notes on this infographic
- GAV Alliance. The chart prints “GAV Alliance”. Visual Capitalist’s data table names it GAVI Alliance, the vaccine alliance [2].
- Shares of voluntary funding only. The percentages on the donut are shares of the $6.4 billion in voluntary contributions, not of WHO’s total funding.
- Rounded values. The chart rounds amounts, for example the USA’s $1,010 million appears as $1.0B and Germany’s $722.6 million as $723M [2].
- Data period. All figures cover the 2022 to 2023 budget period. Later periods are not shown.
Questions about World Health Organization funding
How is the World Health Organization funded?
Through assessed contributions, the dues member states pay, and voluntary contributions from member states and other partners [3]. In 2022 to 2023 the chart shows $6.4 billion in voluntary contributions against $957 million assessed and $536 million in other funding.
Which countries fund the WHO the most?
Among countries, the USA ($1.0 billion), Germany ($723 million), Canada ($174 million) and the UK ($134 million) were the largest voluntary contributors in 2022 to 2023 on this chart. The Gates Foundation, a private foundation, was second overall.
Is the World Health Organization a government agency?
It is a United Nations agency for global public health, as Visual Capitalist describes it [2], funded by its member states and other contributors [3]. It is not an agency of any one national government.
Sources
- Visual Capitalist, WHO is About to Lose its Biggest Funder (Again), Voronoi, 23 January 2025. The creator’s post of this chart.
- Visual Capitalist, Visualized, Who Funds the World Health Organization?.
- World Health Organization, How WHO is funded.
Last reviewed 30 October 2026
