Impress your friends and family with five facts about how people around the world donate.

The World Giving Index 2017 report focuses on three kinds of charitable behaviour - donating money to charity, volunteering and helping a stranger - across 139 countries, to illustrate the nature of giving around the world in 2016. But did you know:

1. MYANMAR TOPS THE CAF WORLD GIVING INDEX FOR THE 4th YEAR RUNNING

The high proportion of people donating money in Myanmar once again ensures its place at the top of the rankings.

Anywhere from 80% to 90% of people in Myanmar are practising Buddhists, with as many as 99% of those following the Theravada branch of the religion. In Theravada Buddhism, followers donate to support those living a monastic lifestyle – a practice known as Sangha Dana. Giving in this way carries significant religious meaning and small, frequent acts of giving are the norm.

2. GIVING IS DOWN ACROSS THE GLOBE

The CAF World Giving Index 2017 shows that there’s been a global decrease in giving since the 2016 report. This is particularly the case for helping a stranger and donating money - both down 1.8 percentage points against the previous year - whereas volunteering fell by 0.8 percentage points.

3. YOUNGER GENERATIONS ARE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO HELP A STRANGER

Young people (those aged between 15 and 29) are more likely to help a stranger than donate money or spend their time volunteering.

In addition, people aged 50+ rank highest for donating money while those aged between 30 and 49 years rank highest for both volunteering and helping a stranger.

4. MEN ARE MORE FINANCIALLY GENEROUS, BUT IN THE COUNTRIES WHERE WOMEN DONATE MORE, THEY DONATE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE

This year, after a year of gender parity at the global level, men were slightly more likely than women to have donated money during 2016.

Some countries do see more women donating than men, for example Denmark, Sweden, New Zealand, Norway and Australia. In each case, women give significantly more than men.

5. AFRICA IS THE ONLY CONTINENT TO SEE AN INCREASE IN ALL THREE FORMS OF GIVING

Last year’s CAF World Giving Index report found that giving habits in Africa had recorded a positive shift after several years of little change. This year, Africa has gone against the global downward trend, and is the only continent to see an increase in all three giving behaviours, when compared to its five-year average score.

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Generosity across the globe

CAF World Giving Index 2017

Discover how the world gives and see where your country ranks.

Download the report