The proportion of people in the UK giving to charity has fallen to the lowest level in almost a decade, with just half saying they donated last year.
There has been a sharp drop in young people giving while London has become the first and only region where fewer than half of people said they donated or sponsored for charity, according to the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).
The organisation, which has been tracking trends since 2016, said the proportion of all people donating fell to 50% in 2024 and the proportion sponsoring dropped to 21%.
Just over a third (36%) of 16-24-year-olds said they donated or sponsored in the past 12 months – down from 55% in 2017.
People aged 65 and older remained the most likely to donate or sponsor, with more than two thirds (67%) reporting having done so, although this is down from almost three quarters of this age group in 2017.
CAF, whose findings for last year are based on a YouGov survey of 13,459 people aged 16 and older, said fewer opportunities to attend or organise fundraising events in the pandemic might have led young people to be “less interested in engaging with charities” and referenced this age group’s discretionary income being “especially squeezed”.
The foundation said their findings for last year are based on a YouGov survey of 13,459 people aged 16 and older.
An estimated £15.4 billion was donated last year, but the foundation said a smaller proportion of people are giving – the average value of donations appears to have grown, to around £72 per month.
CAF said its questions for this year’s report prompted people about the different ways they might have donated including through collection buckets and rounding up when paying at the checkout – likely leading to an uplift in the average donation amount.
In 2023 the average monthly donation amount was £65 but as the question differed, CAF said this is not directly comparable with last year’s.
While there was a drop in people donating in all UK regions, the North West, North East and London saw the biggest drops, all down by around a quarter since 2017.
The report said London saw just 49% donate or sponsor, below half for the first time and down from 64% in 2017.
Wales saw the smallest decline in that same timeframe, to 61% from 68% in 2017.
In Scotland there was a slight fall from 60% donating or sponsoring in 2023 to 59% last year, while in Northern Ireland the proportion dropped sharply from 68% to 58% last year.
Health charities accounted for the biggest proportion of funding overall (14%), followed by causes associated with helping children and young people (13%).
Causes to do with human rights, equality and diversity got the lowest proportion at 1%.
Around one in 10 people said they volunteered last year, which CAF said is equivalent to 5.6 million adults. This is down by 1.5 million since 2023.
Neil Heslop, CAF chief executive, said: “The very significant amount donated by the public to charities and good causes last year reflects everyday generosity, in every place, in the UK.
“But this research starkly demonstrates that we need to do much more to build our culture of giving. We are relying on an ever-smaller group of people to give while the challenging economic environment continues to place significant strain on charities.
“To renew our culture of giving across the UK, the Government should deliver a national strategy for philanthropy and charitable giving, to support charities to deliver their life-changing work. Revitalising our culture of giving will help to build a more connected, more generous and more resilient society for all of us in the future.”
A Government spokesperson said: “The UK has a proud tradition of charitable giving and philanthropy, with the public donating an estimated £15.4bn to charity last year.
“This government recognises the vital role philanthropy plays in delivering public good and is committed to supporting people, places and communities by encouraging philanthropic growth to mobilise more private capital.”
