Most Charitable Countries 2026

The people of some countries around the world are notably generous, and being wealthy is not a requirement. The World Giving Index (WGI) is an annual report published by the Charities Aid Foundation. The world’s largest survey of charitable endeavors from around the world, the report examines charitable giving in three categories: donating money, volunteering time, and helping strangers. Of the three giving behaviors, helping a stranger is the most commonly performed worldwide, with more than 4.2 billion people having helped a stranger in just the year 2022.

Worldwide Charity Giving in 2024

The 2024 edition of the World Giving Index compiled data on giving during the year 2023. Compared to previous years, noticeable changes in personal giving behaviors were evident in many countries. The most noticeable change was arguably the United States, which ranked first in the world in giving for the years 2009-2018 but dropped to 5th in the world in the 2023 report and to 6th in 2024. The U.S. was not the only high-level giver to drop; many countries that had landed in the top 10 most charitable countries in previous years slid completely out of the top 20. The largest drop is attributed to Azerbaijan which fell 65 places since the previous year, ranking 119th globally in the 2024 report. One purported reason was that opportunities to donate diminished, largely as a result of pandemic-related lockdowns.

That said, there was also good news at the time of the crisis. Faith-based giving helped immensely in nations such as Indonesia and Thailand. Similarly, in Africa, the spirit of “ubuntu,” which encourages a feeling of human community, inspired great generosity. What’s more, the worldwide percentage of people who donated their time, money, or helped a stranger reached 73% – its highest point recorded since the WGI began in 2009. In addition, 75 countries improved their WGI scores since the previous year.

The situation improved since the height of the pandemic. According to Charities Aid Foundation Chief Executive Neil Heslop, “almost three-quarters of humanity did something to help others in the course of 2022,” (WGI, 2023). The same can be said for 2023.

Worldwide Charity Giving 2009-2023

The 2024 World Giving Index report celebrated the index’s 14th anniversary by compiling fourteen years of data (2009-2023), uncovering trends in people’s charitable actions through times of economic crisis, economic recovery, and geopolitical unrest. Collectively, the data has included more than 2 million people from a total of 142 countries. 145,702 people were surveyed by Gallup in 2023 alone. After reviewing the data from all across the globe, CAF concluded that no single trait indicates a country’s generosity. The top charitable countries represent different levels of wealth, different cultures and religions, and different geographies. For example, Nigeria, Kenya, and Indonesia are all classified by the United Nations as middle-income countries; however, they were also three of the top ten most charitable countries in the world.

Ten of the World’s Most Charitable Countries 2009-2023

#1 Indonesia and #2 Kenya

When data from fourteen years was compiled, Indonesia emerged as the most charitable country, with a score of 74. Of those surveyed in Indonesia over the 14-year period, 66% reported helping a stranger, 90% reported donating to a charity, and 65% reported having volunteered their time to an organization.

The runner up Kenya’s overall score of 63 earned it the rank of second-most charitable country in the world. Despite being a lower-middle-income country, Kenya had one of the highest percentages of people helping strangers at 82%. 56% of the surveyed Kenyans donated money, and 52% volunteered to do work for a charity organization.

#3 Singapore and #4 The Gambia

Singapore, having been out of the top 10 in the world at least since the WGI 2021 report, ascended to the rank of the third most charitable country in the world in 2024 with a WGI score of 61. In this high-income country, an impressive 75% of the surveyed Singaporeans reported helping a stranger, 68% donated to charity, and 40% volunteered. Singapore’s high ranking reflects the nation’s “Shared Responsibility” model, which is essentially a national ethos around giving and social responsibility that guides much of civic life.

Kenya’s west African counterpart The Gambia, one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world, actually tied with Singapore for the third spot (earning a nominal spot #4 for practical purposes), with an overall score of 61. The Gambia had one of the highest percentages of respondents who had helped a stranger at 78% (the first being Kenya with 82%). 61% percent donated to charities, and 45% volunteered to do charity work. It is of note that The Gambia was absent from the 2021 and 2022 WGI reports and had placed 12th on the report of 2023.

#5 Nigeria and #6 The United States

In 2024, Nigeria placed fifth with a total WGI score of 60. Eighty one percent of the respondents reported helping a stranger, 45% donated to charity, and 53% volunteered their time to a cause. In Nigeria, giving is woven into daily life. From church tithes to zakat in Islam, and even neighbors pooling resources in hard times, generosity is expected as a way of caring for one another.

The United States placed sixth on the 2024 WGI report with an overall score of 59. Of those Americans surveyed, 76% reported helping a stranger, 61% reported donating to a charity, and 39% reported having volunteered their time to an organization. Notably, the United States was the most charitable country in the world in the 2019 WGI report.

#7 Ukraine and #8 Canada

Ukraine placed seventh on the WGI 2024 list, with a score of 57. An impressive 77% of respondents in Ukraine helped a stranger, 67% gave money to charity, and 27% volunteered their time. Notably, Ukraine had been rising on the WGI list from 2021 to 2023, its score only having deteriorated by five points from last year.

Eighth-place Canada’s overall score was 54, with 60% donating to charities, 67% helping strangers, and 34% volunteering at an organization in 2023 (as per the 2024 report). Canada’s levels of giving have fluctuated significantly over the past decade. Between data years 2014 and 2018, Canada’s overall giving score declined from 60 to 54 and has hovered around that mark since.

#9 Australia and #10 United Arab Emirates

Australia’s overall level of giving was scored at 54. Of those surveyed, 59% of respondents reported donating to a charity, 69% reported helping strangers, and 34% volunteered.

The United Arab Emirates enjoyed an overall score of 54. Fifty nine percent of UAE’s respondents gave donations, 65% helped strangers, and 37% volunteered. Over the past four years, UAE’s levels of giving have been relatively stable, ranging between the overall scores of 45 and 54.