Revealed: The UK's most and least generous places

12 May 2025

Generosity does not correlate with wealth, according to CAF's new research

Some of the UK’s most affluent areas donate the lowest proportion of their disposable income to charity, new research by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) finds.

The UK public gave £15.4 billion to charity last year, yet fewer than half of people donated in the previous 12 months, according to CAF.  

The UK Local Giving Report explores the regional trends in different parliamentary constituencies and places throughout the country. The data shows disparity in charitable contributions - suggesting that generosity does not always correlate with wealth.

On average, people give 1.1% of their income to charity. Despite contributing an estimated £49 million to good causes, Kensington and Bayswater residents donate approximately 0.5% of their disposable income. 

In contrast, Sheffield Hallam is the most generous constituency, with residents donating an estimated £28.4 million - 1.9% of their disposable income. 

Suburbs of major cities outside of London make up most of the UK’s most generous areas, with all the least generous areas located in the capital. 

The UK Local Giving report also uncovers an imbalance between generosity, where charities are located, and where their services are most needed. 

While having some of the UK’s least generous areas, London recorded the highest levels of people using charities for day-to-day needs – with over 40% of Tower Hamlets, Peckham, and Hackney residents saying either they, or someone in their household, rely on charities.

With 88 charities for a population of around 114,000, Tipton and Wednesbury was found to have the lowest number of charities per capita – but generosity in the area was only marginally lower than the UK average, with 1% of disposable income donated to charitable causes.

 The research findings highlight the need for a strategic approach to giving with place and local community at its core. 

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

“Giving plays a vital role in building more resilient charities, to continue their work at the heart of our communities, improving outcomes and strengthening social cohesion. 

“But with uneven levels of generosity, we need to consider how we encourage those who can afford it, to give more and how we can empower places to attract more philanthropic investment to translate into a more resilient social fabric. This is not just a challenge for local places. The answer also starts at a national level, through a new strategic framework for giving that has place – and local communities – firmly at its heart.”

Notes to Editors

1. Follow the link to access the UK Local Giving Report.
2. To create the constituency-level maps and data, a statistical technique known as Multilevel Regression and Poststratification (or MRP) was used by Electoral Calculus. It is a method for adjusting public opinion poll results to account for any imbalance between the survey sample and the population in each constituency and is often used to predict election results by seat.
3. The mapping of charity locations is based on open source data from the three UK charity regulators.