Report by Open Data Watch: “In early 2025, an abrupt withdrawal of development assistance—driven by pauses in foreign aid and wider donor retrenchment—triggered a systemic shock to global health data systems. These systems, already reliant on a concentrated set of bilateral and multilateral funders for surveys, civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS), health management information systems (HMIS), and disease surveillance, now face immediate interruptions and heightened medium-term risks to data continuity, quality, openness, and use.
This report synthesizes early disclosures from major agencies, data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development / Development Assistance Committee (OECD/DAC), and a rapid assessment survey covering more than half of national statistical offices (NSOs). Evidence on philanthropic and domestic financing is incomplete, and survey nonresponse may introduce bias, but convergent signals show broad exposure. Three unknowns will shape the next 12–18 months: the duration of donor withdrawals, the degree of philanthropic bridging, and the extent of government backfilling to protect core functions…(More)”.
