Fact check: U.S. contributes 18% of the funding of WHO while the next largest country is Germany at 3% according to the Reuters article I read this morning.

1. Summary of the results

The claim about the U.S. contributing 18% of WHO funding is accurately supported by multiple sources ^{[1] [2] [3]}. However, the claim about Germany's 3% contribution cannot be verified as none of the provided sources mention Germany's specific contribution percentage.

2. Missing context/alternative viewpoints

Several important pieces of context are missing from the original statement:

• WHO's funding structure is more complex than simple country contributions:
• Assessed contributions (membership dues) make up less than 20% of total budget
• Voluntary contributions account for over 75% of financing
• There are different categories including core, thematic, and specified voluntary contributions ^[4]
• The WHO's current budget scale:
• The organization's two-year budget for 2024-2025 is $6.8 billion ^[2]
• The U.S.'s broader role in global health:
• The U.S. is the world's leading global health donor
• In 2022, total U.S. global health donations reached $15.8 billion
• The U.S. funds specific WHO programs, including HIV and tuberculosis initiatives ^[3]

3. Potential misinformation/bias in the original statement

The original statement, while partially accurate, presents an oversimplified view of WHO funding that could be misleading:

• It focuses only on percentage contributions without acknowledging the complex funding structure of WHO ^[4]
• It presents funding as a simple country-by-country comparison, when in reality there are multiple types of contributions and funding mechanisms ^[4]
• By only highlighting country contributions, it overlooks other significant funding sources and the broader context of global health donations ^[3]

This simplified presentation could benefit those seeking to either criticize or praise U.S. involvement in global health, depending on how the numbers are framed, while missing the more nuanced reality of international health funding mechanisms.