Australia has cemented its position as the Pacific's largest aid donor by far as other countries pull back on lending and prepare to cut development assistance.

The latest version of the Lowy Institute's Pacific Aid Map captures the flow of development spending in the Pacific from 2008 until the end of 2023.

The data shows that even before the Trump administration's moves to dramatically slash foreign aid this year, total development spending across the Pacific fell by 16 per cent in 2023 to $US3.6 billion.

It is the second survey in a row to show aid falling in the Pacific, with most of the 2023 drop explained by receding emergency lending from the heights of the COVID pandemic.

But a host of countries — including the United States, New Zealand and several European countries — have al

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