Washington DC - Brutal cuts to US foreign aid could cause more than 14 million additional deaths – some 4.5 million of them among children under the age of 5 – over the next five years, according to a new study.

The research published in the Lancet medical journal and led by scientists in Barcelona and Salvador da Bahia, Brazil, warns against ongoing reductions in aid initiated by President Donald Trump.

The team analyzed mortality data from more than 130 countries and regions between 2001 and 2021, using the findings to forecast outcomes through 2030.

Their projections suggest that the steep decline in US aid could have catastrophic consequences, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.

Tattoos Mom raises alarm after son has horrific henna tattoo reaction in Bali

The US has been the world's largest provider of humanitarian aid.

The researchers attribute significant global health gains to USAID, estimating that its programs helped prevent nearly 92 million deaths by 2021, including over 30 million children under 5.

Notably, they found USAID efforts contributed to a 65% reduction in HIV/AIDS-related mortality and a 51% drop in deaths from malaria.

"Our estimates show that, unless the abrupt funding cuts announced and implemented in the first half of 2025 are reversed, a staggering number of avoidable deaths could occur by 2030," the authors wrote in the paper released on Monday.

In many countries, "the resulting shock would be similar in scale to a global pandemic or a major armed conflict," they said.

At the direction of Trump, far-right billionaire Elon Musk put USAID "through the woodchipper," slashing more than 80% of the agency's funding, which amount to roughly a quarter of all global development assistance, and putting its existence in serious doubt.