The United States has emerged as the world’s most generous country in a new study that looks at global giving trends over 10 years.
The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) World Giving Index 10th anniversary edition examined aggregate data for countries during the decade between 2009-2018, drawing on surveys of more than 1.5 million people in 127 countries in order to identify longer term trends.
Building up on an unrivaled reputation for philanthropic giving, consistently high numbers of Americans reported that they have helped a stranger, donated money or volunteered their time in the weeks prior to being surveyed each year over the decade. But despite the scale of generosity, the report also identifies a recent downward trend in donations in some of the world’s wealthiest countries, including the USA, Canada, and the United Kingdom, where the number of individuals giving is now lower.
In the USA, the World Giving Index found that giving peaked in 2014. The trend of fewer people giving to charity echoes other domestic studies reported in the Chronicle of Philanthropy following the G iving USA Foundation’s most recent report which found that household regular giving among the middle classes is in decline as charities rely increasingly on fewer, wealthier donors.
The World Giving Index identified the 10 most generous countries over the decade of research, along with the 10 least generous. It also lists the biggest risers over the course of the study and those countries that have dropped the most during that time.
Other key findings:
• Worldwide, more than 2.5 billion people helped a stranger over the past decade, with the United States ranking third in the world.
• Myanmar came second in the Index (Practising Buddhists account for 90% of the population, 99% of which are followers of Therevada branch of the religion which mandates giving)
• The 10 countries achieving the lowest scores over the past decade include Russia and two other former Soviet bloc countries, places with significant political or economic strife such as Yemen and Greece. China was ranked as the least generous country.
John Low, chief executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, an international charity which helps people and companies to give worldwide, said, “We are once again reminded of the kindness and generosity of people across the world as they dig deep despite uncertain times and significant geo-political unrest to give their time and money to help others. In taking a step back and looking at giving trends over 10 years, we have created what we hope will serve as a roadmap to continue the grow giving in all its forms across the globe. There are areas of concern, but also key moments of hope in parts of the world that have overcome true hardship.”
“We know that there is no single solution to success,” Low added. “It is about hard work, shared values and knowing in ourselves the inherent benefit to all of us when we work to improve the lives of our friends and neighbors, and strangers who need our help.”
Ted Hart, president and chief executive officer of CAF America, said the proud tradition of charitable giving in the USA is borne out in the World Giving Index. “Since 1992, CAF America has worked to break down the barriers to cross-border giving while providing important professional support to domestic philanthropy. As we support Fortune 500 companies, foundations, and individuals to bring their philanthropic vision to life. CAF America’s worldwide reach translates into more than $1 billion in donor funds and over 1.8 million eligible organizations in 110 countries. We are very proud to enable American donors to support the causes they most care about at home and around the world and will continue to do our part to grow our country’s giving.”
Information for this article was provided by Charities Aid Foundation.
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