We Brits are not only the most polite and boozy people in Europe but we’re also the most generous.
According to research published by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), three out of four people in the UK had donated money to charity.
Burma was named the most generous country in the world followed by the US, New Zealand and Canada (full list below).
The survey polled people, aged 15 and older, in 145 countries in 2014 and examined three measures of giving including the percentage who had donated to charity, those who had volunteered and those who had helped a stranger in the past month.
John Low, chief executive of the Charities Aid Foundation, said in a statement: “The UK has a long and proud tradition of being one of the world’s most generous countries, and it is great to see that this spirit of generosity continues to grow.
“Across the world, people are becoming increasingly generous. As economies across the globe rapidly transform, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to lead the way in helping other countries embed a similar culture of giving.”
Here are the top 10 most generous countries in the world:
1. Burma
2. United States
3. New Zealand
4. Canada
5. Australia
6. United Kingdom
7. Netherlands
8. Sri Lanka
9. Ireland
10. Malaysia
How can people become more generous? Here are the recommendations from the report:
Governments around the world should:
- Make sure not-for-profit organisations are regulated in a fair, consistent and open way
- Make it easy for people to give and offer incentives for giving where possible
- Promote civil society as an independent voice in public life and respect the right of not-for-profit organisations to campaign
- Ensure not-for-profit organisations are transparent and inform the public about their work
- Encourage charitable giving as nations develop their economies, taking advantage of the world’s growing middle classes.
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