Charitable Giving by Nation

It is not easy to establish which countries give more to charity as there are so many ways of giving. Some give money will others contribute time and assistance to good causes. Some countries give a lot to charity through governments and other schemes while in others it is individual people who give more.

Amongst people who give to charitable causes, they all give in different ways. Some give as a percentage of their salary (common in the US for religious causes). Some give regular, small amounts while others donate less often but larger amounts. The types of charities people give to also vary. Some prefer religious organisations (who then use if for a variety of causes). Others prefer local charities and small charities close to their heart. Some are emotionally affected by large natural disasters and give to related charities.

Percentage of Gross National Income (GNI)

The Gross National Income is the total amount every individual in a country earns. According to this measure, Northern European countries donate a higher percentage than any other part of the world. Sweden, Norway and Luxembourg give the most, all over 1% of their gross national income. They are followed by Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Finland, Ireland, the United Kingdom and Switzerland.

Total Amount Donated

In theory highly populated countries are more likely to donate a large total. The highest populated countries, China and India, do not figure towards the top of the rankings, although the average wealth of people in those countries is not as high as much of the Western world. In terms of the total amount that is donated to charitable causes, the United States leads the way, followed by France, Germany, the United Kingdom and Japan.

The US are only 19th as a percentage of GNI but top it total amount, due to their larger population compared with those towards the top of the GNI table. France gives 0.46% of their GNI and is in 11th in the table, with Germany 15th and Japan 21st. Countries with smaller populations, such as Sweden, Norway, Luxembourg, Denmark, the Netherlands and Belgium give less in total (as they are smaller countries) but more as a percentage of GNI.

Humanitarian Aid as a Percentage of GNI

The Middle Eastern countries are prominent in this table. Saudi Arabia is top (0.15% of GNI). Kuwait (0.15%) and the United Arab Emirates (0.04%) are also in the top ten. Luxembourg, Sweden and Denmark are second, third and fourth respectively in this table. The United States, Germany, Japan and Portugal make up the top ten.

Average Charitable Donations per Person

Luxembourg is the only country whose people give over $100 on average per year ($114). Norway is second ($96) and Sweden third ($66). Irish and Danish people also donate over $50 a year on average. The other nations in the top ten are the Netherlands, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Finland and Switzerland.

Time Given to Charitable Causes

In terms of time spent assisting good causes, North American’s give the most. Canadians give the most time followed by those from the United States. 25% of Canadians and 20% of American’s give their time.

World Giving Index

The World Giving Index is an index based on giving money to charity, volunteering time and helping strangers. Each country’s population is taken into consideration. The Australasian countries of Australia and New Zealand are the top two, followed by Ireland, Canada, Switzerland and the United States.

Andrew Marshall (c)