British public gave £15.4bn to charity in 2024 but far fewer people are giving

31 March 2025

Against the backdrop of continued financial uncertainty, the public donated an estimated £15.4 billion last year to support charities in the UK and around the world, according to the Charities Aid Foundation’s (CAF) annual UK Giving Report .
However, the number of people donating, volunteering or sponsoring someone for charity has fallen to the lowest levels recorded since CAF began this research in 2016. CAF’s long-running UK Giving Report explores the trends of the giving landscape for the whole of 2024, using survey data from more than 13,000 people. 

Charities are now relying on donations from only half (50%) of people who said they donated money in the previous 12 months. This has declined from 58% in 2019 - equivalent to around 4 million fewer donors. Additionally, only a fifth (21%) of people said they sponsored someone for charity in the last year, declining from 32% in 2019. This equates to around 6 million fewer people sponsoring someone for charity in the last five years.

While fewer people are giving, there is a continuing trend that those who do give, are donating larger amounts – an average of £72 per month. This year, donors were prompted to recall more of their donations including collection buckets or rounding up at the checkout which is likely to have resulted in an uplift in the average donation amount.

The downward trend is evident across all age groups but is especially pronounced among young people. More than a third (36%) of 16-24-year-olds say they donated or sponsored in the past 12 months, compared to 52% in 2019.

Furthermore, the research also reveals a significant reduction in the number of people volunteering for charity. One in 10 (10%) people said they volunteered for a charity in 2024. This is equivalent to around 5.6 million adults, falling from the estimated 7.1 million recorded the previous year.

CAF’s UK Giving Report also explores how much is given to each cause, with health charities such as hospices and medical research receiving the most, an estimated £2.22bn from the public. The most popular way to donate to charity is through direct debit or standing order, which is used by an average of 47% of people donating or sponsoring in any given month – around 8.2 million people. However, cash remains the second most popular method for donations. More than a third (36%) of donors used cash to donate or sponsor in any given month– equating to around 6.4 million people. 

Neil Heslop OBE, Chief Executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, said:

“The act of giving builds connection between people and places, brings us together and helps us to understand each other more - which has never been more essential. The very significant amount donated by the public to charities and good causes last year reflects every day generosity, in every place, in the UK.

“But this research starkly demonstrates that we need to do much more to build our culture of giving. We are relying on an ever-smaller group of people to give while the challenging economic environment continues to place significant strain on charities. 

“To renew our culture of giving across the UK, the Government should deliver a national strategy for philanthropy and charitable giving, to support charities to deliver their life-changing work. Revitalising our culture of giving will help to build a more connected, more generous and more resilient society for all of us in the future.” 

Notes to Editors

1. All figures, unless otherwise stated, are from YouGov Plc. Findings for the calendar year 2024 are based on the responses of 13,459 individuals, unless otherwise indicated. The sample is constructed in such a way that it is nationally representative of the UK adults aged 16+ in terms of respondents’ sex, age, region/nation and social grade.
2. In 2024, CAF made some changes to the questions used to estimate the overall donation amount. Respondents were prompted about the different ways that they might support charities. This has likely led to respondents more accurately recalling their donation behaviour and likely to be the cause for much of the uplift seen in this year’s overall amount. While the change in methodology means the total is not directly comparable with previous years, it suggests a continuing trend of a decreasing cohort of donors giving more.