--- title: Here's What the World Has Spent Battling Ebola description: $154.6 million has been received in actual payment, while hundreds of millions remain as uncommitted pledges canonical: https://time.com/3393656/ebola-donations-funding/ author: Jack Linshi article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2014-09-17T21:14:36.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T08:00:39.695Z article:section: Health og:title: Here's How Much Money the World Has Spent Battling Ebola og:description: The number's a lot lower than you think—but hundreds of millions more have been pledged og:url: https://time.com/3393656/ebola-donations-funding/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2086939ff0c80600/6986a39e169ab073e827b333/ebola-liberia-john-moore-14.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 2560 og:image:height: 1440 og:image:alt: Liberia Battles Spreading Ebola Epidemic og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Here's How Much Money the World Has Spent Battling Ebola twitter:description: The number's a lot lower than you think—but hundreds of millions more have been pledged twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt2086939ff0c80600/6986a39e169ab073e827b333/ebola-liberia-john-moore-14.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Here's How Much Money the World Has Spent Battling Ebola > Sponsored content. 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Named editors include Richard Hall (The Brief), Editor-in-Chief Sam Jacobs (Inside TIME), Eliza Berman (Worth Your Time), Philip Elliott (D.C. Brief), Justin Worland (Future Proof) and Harry Booth (In the Loop). Health Matters is written by TIME's health desk. #### How do I sign up for a TIME newsletter? Go to time.com/newsletters, choose the newsletters you want and enter your email address. There is no cost and no subscription requirement. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-network-2026q3/newsletters?i=8ea6b2d4-bb51-4b9e-8e0a-055fda802de4&cr=time-nl-network-2026q3-v1) ## Video: President Obama's Message on the Ebola Virus [Watch (HLS stream): President Obama's Message on the Ebola Virus](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/aZyTTVIP.m3u8) (2:25)  _Published 2014-09-16. President Obama's Message on the Ebola Virus_  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Sep 17, 2014 9:14 PM UTC  A Liberian burial team wearing protective clothing retrieves the body of a 60-year-old Ebola victim from his home on Aug. 17, 2014 near Monrovia. A Liberian burial team wearing protective clothing retrieves the body of a 60-year-old Ebola victim from his home on Aug. 17, 2014 near Monrovia. John Moore—Getty Images  by [Jack Linshi](https://time.com/author/jack-linshi/)  ## Jack Linshi Sep 17, 2014 9:14 PM UTC The World Health Organization said Tuesday that nearly [$1 billion will be required](http://time.com/3387063/ebola-who/) to fight Ebola, but less than one-fifth of that amount has actually been funded. As of Wednesday, roughly $155 million has so far been delivered, with funds coming from countries, global agencies, private companies, individuals and other entities, according to [data collected by the Financial Tracking Service](http://fts.unocha.org/pageloader.aspx?page=emerg-emergencyDetails&emergID=16506) (FTS), which records all reported international humanitarian aid. According to FTS’s most recent data, another $183.5 million has been pledged — meaning the donations have been promised but not yet delivered — and on Tuesday, the Obama Administration committed an additional $500 million. If every dollar pledged so far is delivered, $838 million will have been donated to fight the ongoing Ebola crisis. The U.S., African Development Bank, and private individuals or organizations top the donor list, according to FTS data, while the World Bank has the highest uncommitted pledge of over $100 million. (By definition, FTS reports “funding” as the sum of payments delivered and contributions bounded by legal obligation. “Uncommitted pledges” are nonbinding announcements of an intended contribution. FTS data includes only 2014 funding and pledges. Additionally, figures include only what the FTS is able to document.) Here’s a full breakdown of what the world has spent battling Ebola, as of Wednesday, Sept. 17. That the actual funding to fight the Ebola outbreak lags behind its goal follows the trends of other crises and natural disaster donations logged by FTS. Historically, only two-thirds of total requirements per year were actually funded: in 2013, for example, only 65% of the total requirements of crises were met, and in 2012, that number was 62%. Here’s a look at specific crises and natural disasters, and how funding has failed to meet requirements. ## Transcript [00:00] Hello. I wanna take a few moments to speak directly to [00:04] you, the people of west Africa, especially in Liberia, [00:08] Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Nigeria. On [00:12] behalf of the American people, I want you to know that [00:14] our prayers are with those of you who have lost loved [00:17] ones during this terrible outbreak of Ebola. Along with [00:20] our partners around the world, the United States is [00:22] working with your government to help stop this [00:25] disease. And the first step in this fight is knowing the [00:28] facts. First, Ebola is not [00:33] spread through the air like the flu. You cannot get it [00:36] from casual contact like sitting next to someone on a [00:39] bus. You cannot get it from another person until they [00:43] show the symptoms of the disease, like fever. Second, [00:48] the most common way you can get Ebola is by touching [00:52] the body fluids of someone who's sick or has died [00:55] from it, like their sweat, saliva, or blood. Or [01:00] through a contaminated item, like a needle. That's [01:04] why the disease is continuing to spread where patients [01:07] are being cared for at home, or during burials, when [01:10] families and friends lay their loved ones to rest. That's [01:15] why health care workers wear protection like gloves [01:17] and masks. It's why if you feel sick with a high fever, [01:22] you should get help right away. Because with prompt [01:25] treatment in a medical center, nearly half of patients [01:29] can recover. And it's why when burying someone [01:33] who has died from this terrible disease, it's important [01:37] to not directly touch their body. You can respect your [01:40] traditions and honor your loved ones without risking [01:44] the lives of the living. Stopping this disease won't [01:48] be easy, but we know how to do it. You are not alone. [01:53] Together we can treat those who are sick with respect [01:56] and dignity. We can save lives. And our countries [02:00] can work together to improve public health, so this [02:03] kind of outbreak doesn't happen again. In this urgent [02:07] work and in building a stronger and more prosperous [02:10] Africa, you'll continue to have a partner in me. 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