How is the United Nations funded?
Funding sources
The UN is largely funded by governments. Around two-thirds (68%) of total UN revenue in 2020 came from direct government contributions. 55% of total UN funding originated from the 29 UN Member States that are OECD-DAC members. In 2020, 18% of total UN revenue came from multilateral channels, much of which is indirect government investment via funds, international financial institutions and the European Union. UN funding from non-state actors remains relatively small (US$ 3.6 billion in 2020) but continues to grow, especially from the private sector.
Figure 6
Funding sources for the UN system, 2020
Source: Chief Executives Board for Coordination (CEB) and UN Pooled Funds Database