The UK provided £12.8bn in climate finance to developing countries over the five financial years from 2021-22 to 2025-26, exceeding its £11.6bn target, according to official figures obtained through freedom-of-information requests by Carbon Brief. The funding supported at least 493 projects, funds and institutions, from renewable energy and flood protection to initiatives designed to attract private investment.
The figures show climate finance reached a record £4bn in 2025-26. But Carbon Brief’s analysis says the target was met in part by reclassifying £2.2bn of existing foreign aid as climate finance, rather than providing additional funding. The UK government does not routinely publish its progress broken down by financial year, making it difficult to track its commitments.
Among the projects listed were £45m to help Ukraine reduce its reliance on fossil fuels, £40m in cash transfers for Kenyans affected by drought and £30m for flood resilience in Nepal. Larger contributions included £198m for a World Bank-backed programme to develop carbon-offset markets in several countries, and £229m for an initiative intended to draw private capital into projects in lower-income nations.
Most of the funding was delivered through multilateral institutions and funds, rather than directly to individual countries. The Green Climate Fund received £1.5bn, the largest allocation to a single initiative, while British International Investment received almost £1.4bn. Other major recipients included multilateral development banks, whose core funding the UK has begun counting as climate finance.
Of the £2.1bn delivered bilaterally to specific countries, Afghanistan received the most, at £256m, followed by Ethiopia at £226m. Carbon Brief says Afghanistan’s figure reflects an accounting change under which 30% of UK aid for humanitarian projects there was labelled climate finance, rather than a surge in new climate initiatives. Somalia, Sudan and Yemen were also among the largest recipients under this approach.
In March 2026, the government committed to spending “around £6bn” of UK aid on climate finance over the following three years. That would average about £2bn a year, roughly half the amount provided in 2025-26. The government also pledged £6.7bn from outside the aid budget for climate and nature outcomes, including private investment, export credit and guarantees to development banks.
The figures were compiled from responses to freedom-of-information requests. Carbon Brief notes that departments may revise the data in future releases.
Sources: Carbon Brief.