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Volunteer statistical fun facts from around the world

Dan Fairclough : Aug 30, 2023 8:00:00 AM

Volunteering Volunteer Leadership

8:23

Although most of the research published does not lend itself to country-to-country comparisons, here's a compilation of stats from a variety of places around the world. If anything stands out to you, please share your thoughts in the comments boot of the page.

Global Volunteering Statistics

Monthly number of global volunteers aged 15 years and older: 862,378,600 or almost 15%¹
Monthly volunteer rates by type out of the total global population: 14.3% Informal Volunteering | 6.5% Formal Volunteering¹
Formal volunteering by gender: 46.40% Women | 53.60% Men¹
Informal volunteering by gender: 53.42% Women | 46.58% Men¹
United States: The U.S. leads globally in volunteer participation, with 41.9% of the population actively volunteering, especially in environmental and conservation efforts.¹²
New Zealand: New Zealand closely follows with a 41.53% volunteer participation rate, contributing 159 million hours of formal volunteering annually.¹²
Norway and Canada: Norway and Canada have significant volunteer participation rates, with 38.93% and 38.06% respectively, reflecting strong civic engagement.¹²
Asia and Pacific: This region reports the highest monthly volunteer participation globally, with 56.3 billion hours recorded by the end of 2022.¹²
Africa: Africa ranks second in monthly volunteer hours, contributing 10.9 billion hours annually.¹²

USA Volunteering Statistics

Formal Volunteering Statistics (2019 to 2021)

Formal volunteering rates dropped in every demographic. Women had an 8% drop with Men having a 5% drop rate. Informal help remained the same.⁶
People aged 16-17 had the highest formal volunteer rate at 28%.⁶
Generation X (ages 41 to 56 in 2021) had the highest formal volunteer rate of all generations.⁶
Parents with children under 18 years of age formally volunteer at a higher rate than those without: 30% With Children | 21% Without Children⁶
The top 3 states for formal volunteering rates in 2021 were Utah (40.7%), Wyoming (39.2%) and Minnesota (35.5%).⁶

Informal Volunteering Statistics (2019 to 2021)

Nearly 51% or 124.7 million people over the age of 16 informally helped their neighbors between September 2020 and 2021.⁶
Baby boomers had the highest rate of informal volunteering: 59%⁶
Veterans informally helped their neighbors 8 percentage points higher than nonveterans. 59% vs 51%.⁶
The top 3 states for informal volunteering rates in 2021 were Montana (68.8%), Nebraska (66.4%) and Maine (65%).⁶

Regional Highlights in the U.S.

Western States: States like Utah and Colorado report high volunteering rates, driven by environmental initiatives and a strong sense of community.¹¹
Southern States: States like Florida and Georgia have lower volunteering rates, influenced by demographic factors and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.¹¹
Northeastern States: States such as Vermont and Maine show strong volunteerism, particularly in informal community support and local initiatives.¹¹

Canada Volunteering Statistics

In 2018 the total number of volunteers (thousands) aged 15 years and older was: 24,496²
In 2018 the total hours volunteered (millions) aged 15 years and older was: 5,035²
In 2018 the full-time year-round job equivalents aged 15 years and older was: 2,622,296²
2018 Monthly volunteer rates by type out of the total Canadian population: 38% Informal Volunteering | 6% Formal Volunteering.²
22% of Canadians expect to rely on charities for basic needs.³
55.2% of charities have fewer active volunteers than before the pandemic.³
Average annual formal volunteer hours, by organization type, aged 15 and over, Canada, 2018⁹

New Zealand Volunteering Statistics

Approximately 21.5% of New Zealanders participate in volunteer work.⁴
Total formal hours volunteered (millions): 159.⁴
Monthly volunteer rates by type out of total population: 36% Informal Volunteering | 30.2% Formal Volunteering.⁴
The number of people who volunteered at a community organisation in 2018 was 1,008,000 which is a decrease from the previous report indicating 1,229,054 volunteers in 2013.⁴
89% of recent volunteers meet new people through their volunteering.⁵
For those interested in future ways of getting involved, what appeals most is:
- 52% Opportunities to make use of existing skills or experience.
- 50% Opportunities which look fun and enjoyable.
- 44% Opportunities to combine with existing interests or hobbies.⁵
Over 1/3 of volunteers think things could be better organised and 1/4 feel there is too much bureaucracy.⁵
1 in 5 volunteers feel like their volunteering is becoming too much like a paid job.⁵
90% of volunteers feel their involvement makes a difference.⁵

Australia Volunteering Statistics

In 2019, 29% (or almost 5.9 million people) of Australians aged 15 and over participated in unpaid voluntary work through an organisation. This has decreased from 34%-36% reported between 2006 and 2010.⁷
Volunteers contributed an estimated 596.2 million hours to the community in 2019.⁷
In 2019 a similar proportion of males and females participated in formal voluntary work. Men were 2% Higher than Women.⁷
2019 Formal volunteering by age: 29% Age 15-24 | 36% Age 40-54 | 29% Age 55-69.⁷
Couples with children were more likely to volunteer than other family compositions. 37% Couples with Children | 23% Single Individuals.⁷
People living in households with higher incomes were generally more likely to volunteer.⁷
33% of the Australian population over age 15 participated in informal volunteering in the 30 days prior to the GSS (General Social Survey) 2019.⁷
Covid-19 created many challenges that created a decline in volunteering. The 'Re-engaging Volunteers and COVID-19' survey, completed by nearly 600 respondents over December 2020 and January 2021, found:⁸
- Nearly three quarters (72%) of organisations reported that their volunteer programs were either only partially operational (60%) or not operational (12%).
- Four out of ten (42%) of respondents were not confident that their organisation will achieve pre-COVID levels of volunteering activity in the next six months.
- Four out of ten (43%) reported experiencing an increase in demand for services, with over half (56%) reporting that they were short volunteers.
25% of organisations are engaging more volunteers virtually or remotely than pre-COVID.⁸

United Kingdom VOLUNTEERING STATISTICS

In 2020/2021, approximately 8 million people in England took part in formal volunteering at least once a month which is the lowest recorded participation rate since data collection.¹⁰
In 2020/2021, approximately 14 million people in England took part in formal volunteering at least once a year which is lower than 2019/2020 (17 million).¹⁰
In 2020/2021 those living in rural areas showed higher participation in volunteering than those in urban areas (24% vs 16% at least once a month).¹⁰
Formal volunteering had no variability seen between gender, disability or region categories.¹⁰
In 2020/21 approximately 15 million people in England had taken part in informal volunteering at least once a month. This proportion is higher than in 2019/20 and the highest recorded since data collection began.¹⁰
In 2020/21 approximately 54% or 25 million people in England had taken part in informal volunteering at least once in the last year, similar to 2019/20 but lower than in 2013/14 when 58% took part.¹⁰