Record levels of global generosity

Around the world, a record 4.3 billion people helped someone they didn’t know, volunteered time or donated money to a good cause in the preceding month according to the Charities Aid Foundation’s World Giving Index 2024.

The world’s most generous country is Indonesia for the seventh year in a row, where 90% of Indonesians donated money to charity and 65% volunteered their time. Kenya is the second most generous country, rising from third last year. Singapore has risen 19 places to third, increasing its overall index score from 49% to 61% year on year. The positive results for Singapore follow recent Government initiatives to bolster philanthropy and volunteering.

The CAF World Giving Index is one of the biggest surveys on giving ever produced, interviewing millions of people around the world since 2009. This year’s Index includes data from 142 countries with people asked three questions: have they helped a stranger, given money or volunteered for a good cause during the past month.

The CAF World Giving Index 2024 also finds:

The top 10 countries includes only two of the world's largest economies (Indonesia and the United States), while one of the poorest countries in the world – The Gambia – is ranked in the fourth place.

Morocco saw the world’s largest year-on-year increase in donating money, with interviews taking place in the wake of the devastating earthquakes that hit the centre of the country in September 2023. Just two per cent of people donated money to charity in 2022, but this rose to 18% last year, and volunteering rates doubled from 8% to 16%.

Greece is the biggest riser this year, having consistently increased its ranking since 2013. It has a particularly high score for helping a stranger – significantly above the European average and particularly high among young people.

Over the last decade Ukraine, Indonesia, Chad, Russia, and China are the most improved, each having recorded an increase of 25 points or more.

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

“The generosity of people around the world is evident in CAF’s latest World Giving Index, with the global index score at its joint highest level, only previously matched during the pandemic. The research demonstrates how people from all continents and cultures remain ready to help those in need, during a year of continued economic and humanitarian challenges.

“Governments can learn from one another to grow giving and community engagement. In turn, this will help to build resilient civil society organisations and contribute towards a vibrant, generous society in every country.”