U.S. overseas loans and grants 1946-1961

Between 1946 and 1961, the United States distributed over 85 billion U.S. dollars to approximately 140 countries across the globe in the form of free grants or repayable loans. In the years immediately following the war, the priority was economic recovery and the distribution of humanitarian aid; this was administered through individual programs such as the Anglo-American loan, U.S.-led programs such as Government Aid and Relief in Occupied Areas (GARIOA), and international programs such as the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA). In 1947, the U.S. began consolidating these efforts into larger programs, the most well-known of which was the Marshall Plan. The Marshall Plan itself saw over 13 billion dollars spread among 16 European nations in the form of economic assistance, although more than 29 billion dollars was administered across the globe during this time. As rapid recovery spread through Europe, the need for economic assistance declined, however, the perceived threat of the Soviet Union and communism's expansion in Asia saw the U.S place a larger emphasis on its national security. Countries in Western Europe received the bulk of loans and grants between 1946 and 1952, however Asian countries, particularly South Korea, Taiwan, and Vietnam, saw higher levels of investment from 1953 onward.