Bill Gates has warned that cuts to overseas aid budgets are a “tragedy” leading to a large number of deaths around the world. Speaking to Politico, the Microsoft co-founder and chair of the Gates Foundation criticised the sudden and massive reductions in funding, particularly from the US, UK and Germany, saying “nobody wants to take responsibility for the tragedy that’s going on here.”
Gates expressed a commitment to working with US President Donald Trump, who has slashed funding to the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), on areas of common ground. He noted that Trump “clearly cares about these issues” and wants to find a “generous level” of spending to avoid responsibility for increased deaths.
The Gates Foundation, the world’s largest private foundation, supports global health initiatives including vaccines and infectious disease control. Despite Gates’ plans to speed up his charitable giving, he has warned that philanthropies cannot fill the gap left by foreign government cuts.
A recent Gates Foundation report projects that around 200,000 more children under five will die this year compared with 2024 – the first increase this century. The report estimates 4.8 million child deaths in 2025, up from 4.6 million in 2024, reversing a steady decline since 2000 when the toll stood at 10 million.
Gates Foundation CEO Mark Suzman told The Independent that the largest single cause of death is the cuts in international aid, stating: “When you pull back at short notice, that has consequences, and sadly those consequences are measured in human lives.”
