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The United States has officially completed its withdrawal from the World Health Organization, ending its 78-year membership, U.S. officials said.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services said the withdrawal process, launched by U.S. President Donald Trump, was formally finalized one year after the decision was announced.
The statement said all U.S. funding to the WHO has been halted and all American personnel working within the organization have been recalled.
According to the WHO, the United States owes more than $130 million to the organization. U.S. officials said the withdrawal process is complete but acknowledged it was not “entirely smooth.”
Before the withdrawal, the United States was one of the WHO’s largest financial contributors, providing about $111 million annually in assessed contributions and roughly $570 million in voluntary funding, according to official data.
Experts warned that the U.S. exit could create gaps in access to critical global health data, including early warning systems for disease outbreaks.
Public health law expert Lawrence Gostin of Georgetown University said the decision would weaken the global response to pandemics and negatively affect the ability of U.S. scientists and pharmaceutical companies to develop vaccines and treatments.
“In my view, this is one of the most destructive presidential decisions of my lifetime,” Gostin said.
The WHO coordinates responses to global health threats such as mpox, Ebola and polio, provides technical assistance to low-income countries, supports vaccine and treatment distribution, and issues guidelines for hundreds of diseases.
Nearly all countries worldwide are members of the organization.
Experts warned that the U.S. withdrawal could significantly weaken efforts to eradicate polio, support maternal and child health programs, and detect emerging viruses.
Dr. Ronald Nahass, president of the Infectious Diseases Society of America, described the move as “short-sighted and scientifically irresponsible.”
Trump signed the executive order to withdraw from the WHO on the first day of his second term.
The order cited the organization’s handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, its failure to implement needed reforms, and its inability to remain independent from political influence by member states.
It also accused the WHO of demanding unfairly high payments from the United States.
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