The DHS Program

News about the DHS Program

Who is now supporting the DHS program?

We thank USAID for 40 years of generous, consistent, and inspirational support for the “global good” that is The DHS Program. With the ending of USAID support in February 2025, ICF has secured interim funding for continuing selected, but not all, DHS Program services. Several donors and host countries are funding the completion of selected surveys. Additionally, the Gates Foundation, under a three-year grant for the Emergency Support to Stabilize the DHS Program, is supporting the maintenance of the dhsprogram.com website and free access to tools and data including uploading of and access to new datasets. This grant also funds new surveys in selected countries.

Will all dhsprogram.com subsites be fully functional again?

Under the current funding we will be actively supporting the DHS Program website and data archive, the STATcompiler, DHS Program API, and the Spatial Data Repository. We hope also to keep the DHS User Forum accessible, but without active moderation and support from DHS Program staff. Similarly, we hope to maintain the DHS Learning Hub in its current state as an archive of learning tools, but without active support. The malariasurveys.org and the wfs.dhsprogram.com sites will continue but with limited support. We continue to look for additional funding to actively support these other DHS subsites.

Who now manages the DHS Program?

ICF has managed the DHS program for decades and has always done so with the highest standards of integrity, transparency and scientific rigor. We see ourselves as stewards of this global public good and have consistently ensured that the data and tools remain freely and publicly accessible. We have, and will continue to, operate the program with clear guardrails. All data is de-identified, privacy protections strictly enforced, and the work is governed by robust ethical standards and oversight. Our structure allows us to bring deep technical expertise, operational stability, and long-term commitment to this mission—while always putting the public interest first.

Will the data remain free?

ICF is committed to maintaining the DHS Program as a global good. The DHS program has always been a public resource, made available free of charge to communities, researchers, and policymakers around the world, and that will not change. We remain fully committed to upholding the longstanding principles of country ownership, transparency and open access. The data will continue to be freely available on the website, just as it always has been, so that it can continue informing decisions and improving lives globally.

Who can I contact about a new survey or other ways to support the DHS Program?

We welcome discussions with donors and country partners interested in working with us to assist more countries and expand the scope of needed surveys as part of the transition to a future, sustainable model for the DHS Program. Please contact info@dhsprogram.com