{"id":311041,"date":"2025-08-02T04:39:58","date_gmt":"2025-08-02T04:39:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/311041\/"},"modified":"2025-08-02T04:39:58","modified_gmt":"2025-08-02T04:39:58","slug":"how-the-united-nations-is-funded-and-which-countries-pay-the-most","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/311041\/","title":{"rendered":"How the United Nations is funded, and which countries pay the most"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"AA special exhibit at the UN headquarters in New York City commemorates the organization\u2019s 80th anniversary in 2025. (Liao Pan\/China News Service\/VCG via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

As it marks its 80th year, the United Nations is facing a major budget shortfall<\/a>. The situation could worsen as the United States \u2013 the UN\u2019s largest funder and debtor \u2013 reassesses its ties to the organization.<\/p>\n

The U.S. recently left several UN agencies, including the World Health Organization<\/a> and Human Rights Council<\/a>,\u00a0and plans to withdraw from UNESCO<\/a> by the end of next year. In mid-July, Congress passed the Trump administration\u2019s rescissions package<\/a>, pulling back about $1 billion of previously approved UN funding. And further cuts may be forthcoming: The administration\u2019s budget for fiscal year 2026<\/a> proposed ending UN peacekeeping payments and pausing most other UN contributions.<\/p>\n

The UN has responded<\/a> to its budget crunch by curbing program spending, freezing hiring and launching a longer-term efficiency initiative<\/a>. It\u2019s also dipped into its reserve accounts<\/a> five times since July 2019, borrowing a record $607 million in 2024. But the UN\u2019s financial viability largely depends on how \u2013 and whether<\/a> \u2013 the U.S. decides to support the organization moving forward.<\/p>\n

Read on for answers to some common questions about the UN and its funding:<\/strong><\/p>\n

How we did this<\/p>\n

As the United States reassesses its ties to the United Nations, Pew Research Center conducted this analysis to explain how UN funding works and examine the organization\u2019s current financial state. It primarily draws on data from the UN Committee on Contributions<\/a>. Figures in this analysis list net (rather than gross) assessed contributions, which factor in credits for countries<\/a> that don\u2019t tax UN staff\u2019s earnings. This analysis also draws on data about U.S. peacekeeping budget caps from the U.S. Congressional Research Service<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Attitudinal data on the UN comes from a Center survey of 3,605 U.S. adults conducted March 24-30, 2025. Everyone who took part in this survey is a member of the Center\u2019s American Trends Panel (ATP), a group of people recruited through national, random sampling of residential addresses who have agreed to take surveys regularly. This kind of recruitment gives nearly all U.S. adults a chance of selection. Interviews were conducted either online or by telephone with a live interviewer. The survey is weighted to be representative of the U.S. adult population by gender, race, ethnicity, partisan affiliation, education and other factors.\u00a0Read more about the ATP\u2019s methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are the\u00a0questions used for this analysis<\/a>, along with responses,\u00a0and the\u00a0survey methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n

How is the UN funded?<\/p>\n

The organization is primarily funded by its 193 member states through mandatory assessed contributions.<\/strong> The UN requires separate contributions for its two main budgets:<\/p>\n

The regular budget applies to each calendar year, while the peacekeeping budget covers each fiscal year, which runs from July 1 to June 30.<\/p>\n

Other assessed contributions fund the organization\u2019s international tribunals<\/a> and special projects, such as the renovation of the UN headquarters in New York City<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In addition, the UN operates many funds and programs<\/a>, such as the World Food Program and the\u00a0United Nations Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF), that are exclusively financed through voluntary contributions<\/strong> from member states.<\/p>\n

Related: <\/strong>What the data says about U.S. foreign aid<\/a><\/p>\n

How much do the U.S. and other countries have to pay?<\/p>\n

The amount each member must pay annually varies based on its relative \u201ccapacity to pay.\u201d The UN uses a formula<\/a> \u2013 which accounts for the country\u2019s gross national income, population size and external debt, among other factors \u2013 to establish the \u201cscale of assessments\u201d for the regular budget. The scale ranges from 0.001% of the budget to 22%, but contributions for the least developed countries are capped at 0.01%.<\/p>\n

The scale for the peacekeeping budget follows the same system, but those rates are adjusted<\/a>, with the five permanent member states of the Security Council<\/a> \u2013 China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom and the U.S. \u2013 bearing the brunt of the cost. \u00a0<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

As the world\u2019s largest economy, the U.S. has always been assessed at the maximum rate. This year, it was responsible for 22% of the UN\u2019s regular budget assessments, <\/strong>or $820.4 million of the $3.5 billion net total.<\/p>\n

China was responsible for paying the next-largest share (20.004%, or $679.8 million). Japan was a distant third at 6.930% ($235.5 million).<\/p>\n

On the other hand, 175 of the 193 member states were each responsible for less than 1% of the UN\u2019s regular budget in 2025. This includes 28 states assessed at the minimum 0.001% rate.<\/p>\n

The U.S. was also assessed at the highest rate for the UN peacekeeping budget<\/strong> in 2025 (26.158%, or $6.5 million of the $25 million total). China (23.785%, or $5.9 million) and Japan (6.930%, or $1.7 million) again had the next-highest assessments.<\/p>\n

How have dues changed over time?<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Looking at just the regular budget, assessment rates have increased for the majority of states that have been UN members since 2000 (116 of 189). Vietnam, China and Guyana saw the largest increases. Meanwhile, rates stayed the same for 33 members and decreased for 40.<\/p>\n

(Montenegro, South Sudan, Switzerland and Timor-Leste are excluded from these calculations. They became members after 2000<\/a>, but their rates have remained relatively consistent \u2013 and low \u2013 since joining.)<\/p>\n

The United States\u2019 regular budget assessment rate was much higher in the earliest years of the UN\u2019s existence: 39.890% in the late 1940s. It stood at 25% from 1974 until 2001, after the UN lowered the cap<\/a> to 22%. America\u2019s rate has remained 22% ever since.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the rate for China \u2013 the world\u2019s second-largest economy<\/a> \u2013 has grown significantly. It was initially around 6%, but it started to fall in the 1950s and was under 1% for most of the \u201980s and \u201990s. It grew slowly in the early 2000s before climbing more rapidly to its current 20.004%.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Do members always pay their dues?<\/p>\n

Contributions are due within 30 days of assessment notice from the UN Secretary General, usually around early or mid-February for the regular budget. But the UN has long struggled<\/a> to get members \u2013 especially the U.S. \u2013 to pay their contributions on time, or at all.<\/p>\n

No more than 53 of the 193 member states have paid their regular budget contributions on time each year since 2019 (the earliest year with detailed data available). And within the last two decades, the UN has never received full contributions from all members. \u00a0<\/p>\n

Member states might withhold both regular budget and peacekeeping contributions for many reasons, including differences between national and UN fiscal calendars, financial constraints, or political objections to UN program goals or resolutions.<\/p>\n

\"Charts<\/a><\/p>\n

Historically, the greatest number of members pay their regular budget dues<\/strong> within the first few months of the year. The UN often sees a small spike in payments in September, but contributions otherwise trickle in slowly throughout the year.<\/p>\n

The U.S. typically defers some of its contribution until its following fiscal year, which begins in October. This practice began in the 1980s, partially in response to America\u2019s growing deficit.<\/p>\n

As of April 30, 92 UN members have not paid their full regular budget assessments for 2025, according to the latest detailed data from the UN<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Including unpaid dues from previous years, the U.S. ($1.5 billion), China ($597 million), Russia ($72 million), Saudi Arabia ($42 million), Mexico ($38 million) and Venezuela ($38 million) have the largest outstanding regular budget balances as of April 30.<\/p>\n

This is the sixth time since 2015 that the United States\u2019 unpaid regular budget assessments totaled over $1 billion in April of each year. (As noted earlier, the U.S. typically defers many payments until its new fiscal year in October.)<\/p>\n

Many UN members (130) have also not made their full 2025 peacekeeping contributions<\/strong> as of April 30. Including unpaid dues from previous years, the U.S. owes $1.5 billion. That\u2019s partly because Congress has often capped peacekeeping spending<\/a> at 25% since the mid-1990s, but the UN continues to assess the U.S. share of that budget at a higher rate.<\/p>\n

China ($587 million), Russia ($123 million) and Venezuela ($93 million) owe the next-largest amounts in peacekeeping dues.<\/p>\n

What happens to members that don\u2019t pay their dues?<\/p>\n

Any dues that aren\u2019t paid by Jan. 1 of the following fiscal year are considered \u201carrears.\u201d If a member\u2019s arrears equal or exceed the amount of contributions owed for the previous two years, the member can lose its vote in the General Assembly<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Afghanistan, Bolivia, Sao Tome and Principe, and Venezuela currently meet these criteria. But the General Assembly allowed Sao Tome and Principe to continue voting<\/a> until the 79th session ends this coming September, concluding that the small island nation was unable to pay for reasons outside of its control.<\/p>\n

How do Americans view the UN?<\/p>\n

\"A<\/a><\/p>\n

Many Americans (63%) say they think the U.S. benefits from UN membership a great deal or fair amount, according to a Pew Research Center survey from March. The share who say this has risen slightly since last spring<\/a> (up 3 percentage points). However, views differ widely by party.<\/p>\n

Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents are about twice as likely as Republicans and GOP leaners to say that the country benefits from UN membership (82% vs. 43%). More Republicans instead take the opposite view: 56% don\u2019t think the U.S. benefits much or at all, including 65% of conservative Republicans.<\/p>\n

More broadly, a 57% majority of U.S. adults express a favorable view of the UN \u2013 up 5 points since spring 2024. While Democrats have become more likely to see the UN positively over this time span, Republicans\u2019 views remain statistically unchanged.<\/p>\n

Note: Here are the\u00a0questions used for this analysis<\/a>, along with responses,\u00a0and the\u00a0survey methodology<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A special exhibit at the UN headquarters in New York City commemorates the organization\u2019s 80th anniversary in 2025.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":311042,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5311],"tags":[49,978,659],"class_list":{"0":"post-311041","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"tag-united-states","9":"tag-us","10":"tag-usa"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/114957335250166718","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=311041"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/311041\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/311042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=311041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=311041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=311041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}