WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The world’s benevolent streak may be losing its momentum. After peaking between 2021 and 2023, global charitable activities -- such as donating, volunteering and helping strangers -- declined significantly in 2024, according to new Gallup data.
In 2024, 56% of adults worldwide reported helping a stranger in the past month, a six-percentage-point drop from 2023. Reports of financial donations and volunteerism also decreased, with 33% of people saying they gave money (down four points) and 26% contributing their time (also down four points).
While the declines in all three metrics bring charitable giving closer to pre-pandemic norms, generosity hasn’t disappeared. Giving levels remain higher than they have been at most points since 2006.
The more recent declines could reflect philanthropic fatigue -- a natural pullback after a crisis like the pandemic -- or shifting priorities as economic pressures mount. However, the trend raises concerns about the future of philanthropy and community involvement, especially as a number of donor countries cut back on developmental aid.
In 2024, fewer people felt financially secure in comparison with 2023, with more individuals struggling to get by on their household incomes. But regardless of how they felt about household situations, fewer people -- particularly those finding it “very difficult” to get by -- reported making monetary donations in 2024.
Helping a Stranger in Need
Assisting strangers has been the most commonly reported form of charity since Gallup began tracking it in 2006. In 2024, a majority of people worldwide (56%) said they helped a stranger in the past month. However, this activity varied widely across the 144 countries surveyed, from a high of 87% in Liberia and Venezuela to a low of 21% in Japan.
High levels of stranger-helping behavior in Liberia and Venezuela may be driven by strong community ties and mutual support, often necessitated by economic hardship. Conversely, Japan's lower percentage could be influenced by cultural factors such as a greater emphasis on privacy and self-reliance.
Twenty-five countries that span the globe -- from China to Zimbabwe -- experienced double-digit declines in this activity in 2024, contributing to the overall decrease. Ethiopia saw the largest significant drop, with the percentage of people helping a stranger falling from 66% in 2023 to 44% in 2024, as the country continues to grapple with conflict, drought, high living costs and natural disasters.
Charitable Donations and Financial Giving Trends
Financial donations to charitable organizations (33%) are less common than helping a stranger but more common than volunteering (26%). Although reports of monetary donations are down from recent highs, they remain higher than at most points since 2006.
Reports of donating money vary globally, from a high of 89% in Indonesia -- where strong community ties and religious obligations often encourage generosity -- to a low of 3% in Morocco, where disposable income is more limited.
Similarly to helping strangers, reports of monetary donations declined in 2024, dropping 10 points or more in 19 countries. Ethiopia led these declines, with monetary donations falling 18 points from 40% to 22%, influenced by worsening economic conditions and political instability. In Malta, donations also dropped 18 points, from 74% to 56%, potentially reflecting greater economic pressures and sluggish wage growth.
Volunteering Time to an Organization
Of the three charitable activities asked about, volunteering time is the least common globally, with 26% reporting they did so in the past month in 2024. Although the current rate is lower than in 2021 to 2023, more people volunteered last year than in most years since 2006.
Reports of volunteering vary widely, from a high of 65% in Indonesia -- which often leads the world on this measure -- to a low of 4% in Egypt, where numbers have been in the single digits most years.
Volunteering also declined in 2024, dropping 10 points or more in seven countries in Latin America (Bolivia, El Salvador, Guatemala, Panama), sub-Saharan Africa (Nigeria, Gambia) and the Middle East (Kuwait). However, volunteering increased by 10 points or more in almost as many countries (Myanmar, Senegal, Tunisia, Togo and Uganda), albeit from previously low levels.
Bottom Line
The global landscape of giving shifted in 2024. All forms of charitable giving experienced significant declines across the world. Despite these recent declines, overall levels of charitable giving remain higher today than they were a decade ago, indicating a long-term trend of increased global generosity.
As the world navigates these changes, understanding and addressing the underlying causes of the shifts -- including fatigue with charitable giving -- will be crucial in promoting a more consistent and widespread culture of giving.
Read more about how charitable giving can affect people’s satisfaction with their lives with the launch of the 2025 World Happiness Report on March 20.
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