How we’ve changed the way we give to charity around the world
From record donations to volunteering time and helping strangers, the latest CAF World Giving Index reveals that 2021 reversed a decline in charitable giving among high-income countries.
It would be understandable for countries and individuals to look after themselves during times of turmoil, such as during a global pandemic and the resulting economic downturn. The latest CAF World Giving Index report reveals, however, that there was a significant increase in charitable activity worldwide in 2021.
The rate of giving increased worldwide to 40%, its largest ever annual increase in percentage terms to reach the highest level since the World Giving Index by the Charities Aid Foundation began. Now in its tenth year, the index is designed to survey the nature of giving by asking 1.95m people in 119 countries if they have helped a stranger, donated money to a charity or volunteered their time to an organisation.
The 2021 results are a reversal of the steep decline in giving among countries defined as “high-income” by the United Nations seen in 2018, a trend which accelerated during the first year of the pandemic.
In 2018, seven out of the top 10 in the index were high-income countries. In 2020, during the height of the pandemic, seven out of the top 10 were low- and middle-income economies. By contrast, in 2021, four of the top 10 are high-income countries and six are low- and middle-income countries.
The USA reported the highest increase in giving across the board, moving from 19th place in the index in 2020 to 3rd position in 2021. The USA now has an index score of 59%, an increase of 16%. It is also the only country that features in the top 10 ranking for all three aspects of giving.
For the fifth year consecutively, Indonesia – which has a strong tradition of religious giving– has taken the top spot in the index with a rating of 68%. This position is largely unchanged year-on-year (69% in 2020), with Indonesia reporting the highest rate of donating (84%) and volunteering (63%) in the world.
Kenya is in second place with an index score of 61%, up from 58% in 2020. All three of Kenya’s scores increased last year, with a striking 77% of Kenyans having helped someone they didn’t know in 2021, compared to the global average of 62%.
Australia and New Zealand also returned to the top 5 in the index with increases in giving of around 10%, while Canada recorded a very large jump from 35th position in the index in 2020 to 8th place in 2021.
Strikingly, especially in light of the Russian invasion which didn’t take place until February 2022, Ukraine is the only European country occupying a place in the top 10, having moved up the rankings from 20th place in 2020 to number 10 in 2021. Zambia is another new entry to the top 10 in 2021, taking 9th position.
Another record-breaker for this year’s index is the number of people who reported helping a stranger. At 62% worldwide, that’s more than 3bn people who helped someone they didn’t know in 2021, the highest rate recorded since 2009.
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