Philanthropy in the UK

Globally, the value of monetary donations from individuals is nearly £966 billion per year.¹
The charitable sector makes up approximately 1% of the global GDP.¹
Remittances (funds sent by individuals working abroad to support family and community members in their countries of origin) represent the largest single channel of financial generosity worldwide.²
People gave £15.4 billion to charity in the UK in 2024, up from £10.6 billion in 2019.³
55% of people in the UK gave to charity via donation or sponsorship in 2024.³
The average monthly donation in the UK in 2024 was £72.³
39% of UK respondents gave money, time, and items in 2024 (14% gave only items, 9% gave only money, & 3% gave only time).²

There were 4 million fewer donors in the UK in 2024 than there were in 2019, and 6 million fewer sponsors.³
People aged over 65 are more likely to engage in charitable activities (67% donate money to charity) although around half the adult population across other age ranges also donate 36>% of 16-24 years; 50% of 25–44 years; and 60% of 45–64 years).³
Older people (65+) are more than twice as likely to sponsor someone for charity than young people (22% of older people vs. 10% of donors aged 16-24).³
83% of people in the UK engaged with civil society or did something charitable in 2024.³
87% of women reported taking part in at least one charitable activity in 2024.³
Charitable giving in Wales decreased the least from 2017-2024 out of any region in the UK, from 68% of people in 2017 to 61% in 2024.³
Approximately 1% of people (676,000) in the UK overall would qualify as super givers.⁴
Around 1.5% of women are super givers compared to 0.9% of men.⁴

Around 5.6 million people volunteered for a charity in 2024, a decline from the around 7.1 million in 2023.³
The highest percentage of volunteers (21%) gave their time to causes supporting children or young people in 2024.³
Causes/organizations supporting refugees received the lowest percentage of volunteers (3%) in 2024.³
The monetary value of time given (volunteering), globally, is £415.3 billion.¹

Healthcare is the most popular with 14% of donors giving to this cause in the UK, followed by support for children or young people (13%) and religion (8%).³

Approximately 3.9 million people said they cancelled a regularly reoccurring charitable donation in 2024.³
3.3 million people reported increasing their direct debit or standing order to charity in 2024.³
47% of people who gave money in 2024 did so via direct debit/standing order.³
Cash giving made up 36% of total donations in 2024.³
2% of charitable gifts in 2024 were made through payroll giving.³
Cryptocurrency represented the least amount of charitable gifts in 2024 (1%).³
Older donors (65+) are most likely to donate through direct debit/standing order (56% of older donors), a charity lottery (29%) and buying goods (29%).³
Younger donors (16-24) are most likely to donate through buying goods (25%), fundraising app or website (22%), direct debit/standing order (22%), crowdfunder (19%) and rounding up at the till (19%).³

Donors’ most recent donation was prompted by friends, family, or a colleague (17%).³
15% of donors reported their last donation as being automatic, via direct debit.³
A celebrity talking about a cause was the least likely reason motivating donors to give (1%).³
Older donors are most likely to donate because they care about the cause (62%) and trust the organisations they donate to (46%).³
Younger donors (16-24) are most likely to donate because they care about the cause (49%) and want to help people less fortunate (40%).³
Younger donors (16-24) are more likely than donors over 65 to give because they want to set an example to others (15% vs. 7%) and because their religion encourages it (18% vs. 8%).³
Over 75% of people believe charities are trustworthy (61% somewhat trustworthy and 16% very trustworthy).³

The biggest reason cited for not giving in 2024 was affordability (44%).³
“I Just Didn’t Want to,” “It Didn’t Occur to Me,” “I Forgot,” and “I Don’t Particularly Care About Giving to Charity” made up for 27% of responses when asked why they didn’t give in 2024.³
19% of respondents reported that they don’t trust charities with their money.³
10% of respondents said they didn’t give in 2024 because there hadn’t been a charity that interested them enough.³
8% of respondents reported that they didn’t give because they hadn’t been asked to donate in 2024.³
8% of respondents said they don’t believe that charities should exist because government should be meeting these needs.³

People in London are more likely to respond to a charity appeal; specifically, international (23%) and national (9%).³
Londoners are more likely than average to think positively about the charitable sector (20% believe charities are very trustworthy).³
London is the first and only region in the UK where fewer than half (49%) of people donated to charity or sponsored for charity.³

General grantmaking foundations had the most grant-spending in 2022-23 (£1.9 million) and family foundations had the second highest grant-spending figure (£1.8 million).⁵
Giving by the Top 50 corporate foundations reached £388 million in 2022/2023.⁵
Giving by the largest foundations in the UK hit £348 million in 2022/2023.⁵

HNWIs in the UK gave the equivalent of 0.4% of their combined investable assets – worth £2 trillion overall – in 2023.⁶
The wider UK public donated an estimated £13.9 billion in 2023, equating to 1.6% of their income.⁶
The largest single donation in 2025 was £150 million.⁷
The top-giving individual in 2025 was Sir Chris Hohn, who gave £983 million, and his top causes were children’s health and climate change.⁸
The top 100 wealthiest people in the UK gave £3.7 billion to charity in 2025.⁹
If wealthy individuals gave just 1% of their investible assets, that would be £19.9 billion going into the charity sector on an annual basis.⁹

Charitable Giving Statistics in the United Kingdom