United Kingdom most generous country in Europe, CAF research claims

The study looks at three measures of giving – the percentage of people who have given to charity, volunteered their time and helped a stranger in the last month.

John Low, chief executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, said in a statement: “The United Kingdom has a long and proud tradition of being one of the world’s most generous countries, and it is great to see that this spirit of generosity continues to grow”.

THE third most generous country in Europe and is listed among the top ten most generous countries in the world. Another high-ranking country with a large population of the followers of that religion is Sri Lanka, which ranked ninth in the Index. This equates to 1.56 million people having performed an act of generosity for someone they did not know.

When it comes to charitable giving, the US comes in second place. Such charitable giving is integral to religious observance among Theravada Buddhists and while, in many cases, the amounts given will be very small, they still have significant religious meaning and so individuals give regularly, sometimes daily, it added.

“However the achievement will be contrasted with the continuing plight of the Rohingya people within the country”, the report stated, referring to the violent persecution of the Rohingyas, a Muslim minority group who are not allowed to vote and have been driven from their homes to neighbouring countries or into camps. Also, Iraq emerged top in helping a stranger despite the security situation in the country. The two shared first place a year ago. More than 90 percent of residents gave money a year ago, and half volunteered. For example, the proportion of people donating money in Ukraine more than quadrupled last year compared with the previous year, probably due to fundraising efforts for those affected by the conflict.

The report shows that a few of the world’s most generous countries are amongst the most deprived. The remaining 15 poll outside the top 50, with a further six of those polling outside the top 100. In developed countries, women are more likely to give than men, but men are more likely to give overall.

You can download the full CAF World Giving Index 2015 report from Charities Aid Foundation.