The annual level of external assistance to the Cook Islands is about $5.5 million per year. New Zealand is the dominant bilateral donor to the Cook Islands, providing almost half of the total external assistance. The areas covered under the New Zealand’s official development assistance program include public sector reform, human resource development, private sector development, outer islands development, and projects in the health, agriculture and environment sectors.

Australia, the next largest bilateral donor, provides about US$0.8 million annually in aid, mainly for infrastructure projects. Given Cook Islands' special relationship with New Zealand, Australia's role as a donor is a supporting one. Australia’s bilateral program of assistance focuses on education and training. Improving access to quality water and reliable electricity on the outer islands is also a focus of the Australian program.

The AsDB is the major multilateral donor to the Cook Islands. The Cook Islands is not a member of the World Bank or the International Monetary Fund. Several UN agencies are represented in the Cook Islands, but only provide small amounts of aid. The AsDB and NZAID closely coordinate their respective aid programs in several areas, notably in the education sector and in the support for the reform program.