Elon Musk claims African deaths decreased after US aid cuts

Musk made this claim in response to criticism of Department of Government Efficiency initiatives, which he supported, that significantly reduced funding for the US Agency for International Development. Refugees International reported that US humanitarian funding fell from $14 billion in 2024 to $3.7 billion in 2025, with the closure of USAID described as a prominent manifestation of a broader decline in international humanitarian assistance. The Center for Global Development also reported a 58 percent decline in USAID spending in 2025 compared with 2024.

Health experts and aid organizations have warned that these reductions could have severe humanitarian consequences, with a study projecting over 14 million global deaths by 2030, including more than 4.5 million children. However, Musk shared 2025 mortality data from several African countries, including South Africa, showing no detectable rise in deaths after the funding reductions. He argued that prior USAID activities contributed to violent revolutions aimed at installing leftist regimes, and halting such funding removed a source of conflict, while also defending the aid reductions as necessary to eliminate waste, corruption, and misuse of taxpayer dollars.