The United Kingdom is the eighth most charitable nation in the world while the world's fastest growing major economies - China and India - rank among the least altruistic, the largest study ever carried out into social conscience reveals today.
The World Giving Index - published by the Charities Aid foundation - used Gallup surveys of 195,000 people in 153 nations, and asked people whether they had given money to charity or volunteered or helped a stranger in the last month. It also asked respondents to rank how happy they are with life.
The results gave an indication of a "global Big society" with a fifth of the world's population had volunteered, almost a third of the world's population had given money to charity, and 45% of the world's population had been "good samaritans" and helped a stranger.
The UK came eighth on the index and finished joint third, alongside Thailand, in terms of giving money, with 73% of the population having donated to charity. However its former colonial possessions - Australia, New Zealand and the United States - were far more charitable. In Europe only Ireland, Switzerland and Holland fared better.
Rich countries dominated the top positions yet around half of the top twenty most charitable were developing nations such as as Guinea, Guyana and Turkmenistan. Strikingly India ranked at 134 and China at 147 - with Chinese people among the least likely on the planet to volunteer. Only 4% said they would.
• This article was amended on 21 March 2011. The original said that in Europe only Switzerland and Holland fared better. This has been corrected.
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Data summary
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Country
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Sub-region
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% of the population giving money to charities
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% of the population who have volunteered time for an organisation in the last month
|
% of the population who have helped a stranger in the last month
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World giving index score (average of previous columns)
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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SOURCE: CAF |
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| Australia | Australasia | 70% | 38% | 64% | 57% |
| New Zealand | Australasia | 68% | 41% | 63% | 57% |
| Ireland | W&S Europe | 72% | 35% | 60% | 56% |
| Canada | North America | 64% | 35% | 68% | 56% |
| Switzerland | W&S Europe | 71% | 34% | 60% | 55% |
| United States | North America | 60% | 39% | 65% | 55% |
| Netherlands | W&S Europe | 77% | 39% | 46% | 54% |
| United Kingdom | W&S Europe | 73% | 29% | 58% | 53% |
| Sri Lanka | Southern Asia | 58% | 52% | 50% | 53% |
| Austria | W&S Europe | 69% | 30% | 58% | 52% |
| Lao People's Democratic Republic | South Eastern Asia | 64% | 32% | 53% | 50% |
| Sierra Leone | Sub-saharan Africa | 29% | 45% | 75% | 50% |
| Malta | W&S Europe | 83% | 21% | 40% | 48% |
| Iceland | W&S Europe | 67% | 26% | 47% | 47% |
| Turkmenistan | Central Asia | 17% | 61% | 62% | 47% |
| Guyana | South America | 36% | 33% | 67% | 45% |
| Qatar | western asia/middle east | 64% | 18% | 53% | 45% |
| Hong Kong | Eastern Asia | 70% | 13% | 50% | 44% |
| Germany | W&S Europe | 49% | 28% | 56% | 44% |
| Denmark | W&S Europe | 67% | 20% | 45% | 44% |
| Guinea | Sub-saharan Africa | 28% | 42% | 61% | 44% |
| Guatemala | Central America | 46% | 33% | 51% | 43% |
| Trinidad & Tobago | South America | 45% | 25% | 60% | 43% |
| Myanmar | South Eastern Asia | 36% | 40% | 52% | 43% |
| Thailand | South Eastern Asia | 73% | 18% | 36% | 42% |
| Luxembourg | W&S Europe | 58% | 28% | 41% | 42% |
| Kuwait | western asia/middle east | 41% | 19% | 67% | 42% |
| Norway | W&S Europe | 43% | 38% | 45% | 42% |
| Angola | Sub-saharan Africa | 24% | 39% | 61% | 41% |
| Italy | W&S Europe | 62% | 16% | 45% | 41% |
| Kenya | Sub-saharan Africa | 30% | 28% | 64% | 41% |
| Malawi | Sub-saharan Africa | 29% | 35% | 58% | 41% |
| Morocco | Nothern Africa | 72% | 4% | 44% | 40% |
| Tanzania | Sub-saharan Africa | 42% | 26% | 51% | 40% |
| Central African Republic | Sub-saharan Africa | 24% | 47% | 48% | 40% |
| Nigeria | Sub-saharan Africa | 29% | 28% | 61% | 39% |
| Costa Rica | Central America | 38% | 23% | 55% | 39% |
| Israel | western asia/middle east | 51% | 18% | 47% | 39% |
| Sudan | Nothern Africa | 26% | 20% | 69% | 38% |
| Somalia | Sub-saharan Africa | 35% | 23% | 56% | 38% |
| Liberia | Sub-saharan Africa | 8% | 30% | 76% | 38% |
| Chile | South America | 48% | 16% | 49% | 38% |
| Haiti | South America | 40% | 38% | 35% | 38% |
| Afghanistan | western asia/middle east | 35% | 23% | 55% | 38% |
| Finland | W&S Europe | 42% | 28% | 42% | 37% |
| Sweden | W&S Europe | 52% | 12% | 47% | 37% |
| Zambia | Sub-saharan Africa | 25% | 27% | 59% | 37% |
| Lebanon | western asia/middle east | 40% | 13% | 57% | 37% |
| Ghana | Sub-saharan Africa | 22% | 31% | 57% | 37% |
| Cyprus | Central and Eastern Europe | 42% | 22% | 45% | 36% |
| Belgium | W&S Europe | 40% | 24% | 45% | 36% |
| Bahrain | western asia/middle east | 43% | 18% | 48% | 36% |
| Philippines | South Eastern Asia | 25% | 36% | 48% | 36% |
| United Arab Emirates | western asia/middle east | 40% | 14% | 54% | 36% |
| Jamaica | South America | 28% | 18% | 61% | 36% |
| Colombia | South America | 24% | 20% | 63% | 36% |
| Indonesia | South Eastern Asia | 45% | 27% | 35% | 36% |
| Tajikistan | Eastern Asia | 17% | 42% | 48% | 36% |
| Belize | Central America | 28% | 27% | 50% | 35% |
| Syria | western asia/middle east | 33% | 9% | 62% | 35% |
| Uzbekistan | Central Asia | 24% | 39% | 41% | 35% |
| Honduras | Central America | 35% | 27% | 41% | 34% |
| Puerto Rico | South America | 30% | 18% | 55% | 34% |
| Slovenia | Central and Eastern Europe | 35% | 27% | 40% | 34% |
| Dominican Republic | South America | 25% | 25% | 52% | 34% |
| Panama | Central America | 35% | 21% | 43% | 33% |
| Mauritania | Sub-saharan Africa | 27% | 15% | 55% | 32% |
| Azerbaijan | Central and Eastern Europe | 22% | 27% | 48% | 32% |
| Mongolia | Eastern Asia | 33% | 31% | 32% | 32% |
| Botswana | Sub-saharan Africa | 15% | 19% | 62% | 32% |
| Mexico | Central America | 25% | 20% | 50% | 32% |
| Uganda | Sub-saharan Africa | 13% | 22% | 59% | 31% |
| Taiwan, province of China | Eastern Asia | 37% | 15% | 41% | 31% |
| Bolivia | South America | 22% | 20% | 50% | 31% |
| Tunisia | Nothern Africa | 19% | 12% | 61% | 31% |
| Malaysia | South Eastern Asia | 32% | 29% | 30% | 30% |
| South Africa | Sub-saharan Africa | 15% | 19% | 57% | 30% |
| Nicaragua | Central America | 30% | 20% | 39% | 30% |
| Brazil | South America | 25% | 15% | 49% | 30% |
| Argentina | South America | 21% | 16% | 52% | 30% |
| South Korea | Eastern Asia | 27% | 22% | 38% | 29% |
| Chad | Sub-saharan Africa | 22% | 27% | 38% | 29% |
| Poland | Central and Eastern Europe | 42% | 9% | 35% | 29% |
| Czech Republic | Central and Eastern Europe | 31% | 18% | 37% | 29% |
| Cameroon | Sub-saharan Africa | 18% | 12% | 56% | 29% |
| Iran | western asia/middle east | 35% | 12% | 38% | 28% |
| Djibouti | Sub-saharan Africa | 20% | 16% | 49% | 28% |
| Saudi Arabia | western asia/middle east | 27% | 12% | 45% | 28% |
| Comoros | Sub-saharan Africa | 12% | 21% | 51% | 28% |
| Namibia | Sub-saharan Africa | 17% | 17% | 49% | 28% |
| Spain | W&S Europe | 25% | 13% | 44% | 27% |
| Macedonia, FYR | Central and Eastern Europe | 38% | 9% | 34% | 27% |
| France | W&S Europe | 31% | 22% | 28% | 27% |
| Peru | South America | 20% | 19% | 42% | 27% |
| Senegal | Sub-saharan Africa | 16% | 13% | 52% | 27% |
| Mali | Sub-saharan Africa | 16% | 21% | 44% | 27% |
| Zimbabwe | Sub-saharan Africa | 9% | 19% | 53% | 27% |
| Singapore | South Eastern Asia | 35% | 10% | 35% | 27% |
| Congo | Sub-saharan Africa | 11% | 18% | 51% | 27% |
| Nepal | Southern Asia | 22% | 21% | 36% | 26% |
| Moldova | Central and Eastern Europe | 17% | 20% | 42% | 26% |
| Niger | Sub-saharan Africa | 11% | 11% | 57% | 26% |
| Uruguay | South America | 20% | 15% | 43% | 26% |
| Egypt | Nothern Africa | 19% | 6% | 52% | 26% |
| Yemen | western asia/middle east | 17% | 7% | 53% | 26% |
| Paraguay | South America | 31% | 17% | 28% | 25% |
| Algeria | Nothern Africa | 17% | 9% | 50% | 25% |
| Ethiopia | Sub-saharan Africa | 24% | 13% | 38% | 25% |
| Benin | Sub-saharan Africa | 19% | 19% | 37% | 25% |
| Belarus | Central and Eastern Europe | 11% | 32% | 32% | 25% |
| Iraq | western asia/middle east | 7% | 6% | 61% | 25% |
| Slovakia | Central and Eastern Europe | 29% | 13% | 31% | 24% |
| Albania | Central and Eastern Europe | 27% | 15% | 31% | 24% |
| Venezuela | South America | 19% | 15% | 37% | 24% |
| Ecuador | South America | 18% | 16% | 35% | 23% |
| El Salvador | Central America | 15% | 12% | 42% | 23% |
| Armenia | Central and Eastern Europe | 6% | 12% | 51% | 23% |
| Latvia | Central and Eastern Europe | 16% | 18% | 34% | 23% |
| Croatia | Central and Eastern Europe | 26% | 6% | 34% | 22% |
| Japan | Eastern Asia | 17% | 23% | 25% | 22% |
| Estonia | Central and Eastern Europe | 12% | 15% | 37% | 21% |
| Kazakhstan | Central Asia | 8% | 22% | 34% | 21% |
| Kyrgyzstan | Central Asia | 8% | 25% | 31% | 21% |
| Kosovo | Central and Eastern Europe | 35% | 9% | 20% | 21% |
| Hungary | Central and Eastern Europe | 22% | 9% | 32% | 21% |
| Palestinian Territory | western asia/middle east | 14% | 10% | 39% | 21% |
| Congo, Democratic Republic of the | Sub-saharan Africa | 12% | 18% | 32% | 21% |
| Bosnia & Herzegovina | Central and Eastern Europe | 29% | 4% | 29% | 21% |
| Mozambique | Sub-saharan Africa | 12% | 14% | 35% | 20% |
| Burkina Faso | Sub-saharan Africa | 6% | 14% | 41% | 20% |
| Togo | Sub-saharan Africa | 8% | 19% | 33% | 20% |
| Jordan | western asia/middle east | 22% | 4% | 33% | 20% |
| Portugal | W&S Europe | 15% | 11% | 33% | 20% |
| Cote d'Ivoire | Sub-saharan Africa | 6% | 7% | 45% | 19% |
| Georgia | Central and Eastern Europe | 5% | 15% | 37% | 19% |
| Turkey | Central and Eastern Europe | 14% | 7% | 35% | 19% |
| India | Southern Asia | 14% | 12% | 30% | 19% |
| Montenegro | Central and Eastern Europe | 18% | 6% | 31% | 18% |
| Vietnam | South Eastern Asia | 17% | 6% | 32% | 18% |
| Russian Federation | Central and Eastern Europe | 6% | 20% | 29% | 18% |
| Bulgaria | Central and Eastern Europe | 18% | 3% | 30% | 17% |
| Cambodia | South Eastern Asia | 34% | 2% | 13% | 16% |
| Pakistan | Southern Asia | 20% | 8% | 20% | 16% |
| Romania | Central and Eastern Europe | 14% | 5% | 28% | 16% |
| Rwanda | Sub-saharan Africa | 15% | 11% | 21% | 16% |
| Bangladesh | Southern Asia | 12% | 5% | 29% | 15% |
| China | Eastern Asia | 11% | 4% | 28% | 14% |
| Lithuania | Central and Eastern Europe | 4% | 6% | 33% | 14% |
| Greece | W&S Europe | 8% | 5% | 28% | 14% |
| Serbia | Central and Eastern Europe | 14% | 5% | 21% | 13% |
| Ukraine | Central and Eastern Europe | 5% | 14% | 19% | 13% |
| Burundi | Sub-saharan Africa | 9% | 7% | 21% | 12% |
| Madagascar | Sub-saharan Africa | 6% | 11% | 18% | 12% |
