Global report reveals Australia is a generous country
26 September 2022 at 5:29 pm
Australia is among the top ten most generous countries in the world on three key measures, ahead of other high income nations including New Zealand.
Australia is one of the most generous countries in the world, with 55 per cent of adults supporting others through giving money, aid or time according to a new report.
Australia came in at fourth place on the Charities Aid Foundation’s World Giving Index 2022, up from fifth spot last year.
Australia now sits behind the United States in third position. Kenya came in second, and the world’s most generous country for the fifth year in a row was Indonesia, according to the index.
The full top ten is:
- Indonesia
- Kenya
- United States of America
- Australia
- New Zealand
- Myanmar
- Sierra Leone
- Canada
- Zambia
- Ukraine
This year’s World Giving Index includes data from 119 countries, representing more than 90 per cent of the global adult population with people asked three questions: have they helped a stranger, given money or volunteered for a good cause over the past month?
The data in the index doesn’t capture the quantity of giving in relation to income or GDP.
The headline findings are also at odds with a recent Centre for Social Impact report, which found that Australia lags behind its global peers on giving by high net worth individuals.
What is the World Giving Index?
The World Giving Index uses data from Gallup’s World View World Poll, an ongoing research project carried out in more than 100 countries. In most of these countries, one thousand questionnaires are completed by a representative sample of people living in that country.
In some larger countries, larger samples are collected while in some countries a smaller, but still representative, sample is used.
The findings in this year’s index are based on data published as of 31 March 2022.
How does Australia compare?
According to a report of this year’s data, three billion people around the world helped someone they didn’t know last year, an increase of around half a billion when compared to pre-pandemic.
Around 200 million more people also donated money to charity, with donations rising by 10 per cent in high-income countries.
Last year saw a bounce-back amongst high income countries including Australia, after the charitable scores of high income countries on the index dropped in 2018 and at the start of the COVID pandemic. Donations to charities in high income countries increased by 10 per cent on 2020 levels.
Low and middle income countries however recorded increased scores during 2020 and more rises in 2021, especially for volunteering or helping a stranger.
Worldwide, three out of five, or 62 per cent, of adults helped someone they didn’t know in 2021, up from 55 per cent in 2020 and the highest recorded level.
Australia’s rise in the index is attributed to the end of lockdowns around the country which has given citizens more opportunities to participate in civil society. The report states that Australia saw increases in the number of people helping strangers and donating money in 2021.
Australia’s ‘mateship’ culture may also contribute to our generosity, the report noted.
Separately, Australia came sixth in the world for donating money, with 64 per cent of people saying they had donated to charity over the year. Australia was just behind the United Kingdom on this measure, and ahead of the United States (ninth position) and New Zealand (10th).
Sixty-nine per cent of Australians helped a stranger in 2021, and 33 per cent volunteered their time.
Neil Heslop OBE, chief executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, said the increased generosity around the world was encouraging.
He said the pandemic had “disrupted progress” on achieving the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, with private donors and businesses likely to be asked to step up and fill funding gaps and charities looking for the best ways to direct their funding for the greatest impact.
“However, in the wake of two difficult years and with further challenges likely to come, we continue to see great instances of global generosity,” he said.
