The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the United States government responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $50 billion, it is one of the largest official aid agencies in the world, accounting for more than half of all U.S. foreign assistance. USAID works to end extreme global poverty and enable resilient, democratic societies to realize their potential by promoting broad-scale human progress, expanding stable, free societies, creating markets and trade partners for the United States, and fostering goodwill abroad. It operates in over 100 countries, primarily in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and Eastern Europe, and is organized around country development programs managed by resident USAID offices in developing countries, supported by its global headquarters in Washington, DC.