Donations to charities from the British public amounted to an estimated £15.4bn last year, but fewer people are giving, according to the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).
According to CAF’s latest UK Giving Report, 55% of people said they donated to charity in the previous 12 months, either directly or through sponsorship, down from 58% in 2023 and 65% in 2019, the last year before the Covid-19 pandemic.
CAF estimates that 5.2 million fewer British people donated to charities or sponsored someone for charity last year than in 2019 and 1.6 million fewer than in 2023.
Overall, the number of people donating, volunteering or sponsoring someone has fallen to the lowest levels recorded since CAF began its research in 2016.
Sharp decline in younger donors
CAF said the downward trend in giving is especially pronounced among young people.
Some 36% of 16-24-year-olds said they donated or sponsored in 2024, compared to 42% in 2023 and 52% in 2019.
According to the report, overall giving was boosted by donors giving larger amounts – £72 per month in 2024.
However, CAF said a change in methodology is likely to have resulted in an uplift in the average donation amount (£65 in 2023) and the overall total (£13.9bn in 2023).
Using survey data from 13,459 people, donors were prompted to recall more of their donations including collection buckets or rounding up at the checkout this year.
Health charities such as hospices and medical research received the largest portion of the £15.4bn total – an estimated £2.22bn.
The most popular way to donate was through direct debit or standing order, used by an average of 47% of people donating or sponsoring in any given month.
Cash remained the second most popular method for donations, with 36% of donors using this method to donate or sponsor in any given month.
CAF also found a reduction in the number of people volunteering for charity to around 5.6 million adults (10%) in 2024 from an estimated 7.1 million the previous year.
‘Revitalising our culture of giving’
Neil Heslop, chief executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, 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.”
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