Volunteer statistical fun facts from around the world

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

Sources:

1. 2022 State of the World's Volunteerism Report
2. Volunteering counts: Formal and informal contributions of Canadians in 2018
3. The 2023 Giving Report
4. Volunteering New Zealand: Volunteering Statistics
5. 2019 Time Well Spent Report
6. Volunteering in America: New U.S. Census Bureau, AmeriCorps Research
7. Australian Government Volunteers Report
8. Report: Re-engaging volunteers and COVID-19, 2021
9. Study: Volunteering in Canada: Challenges and opportunities during the COVID-19 pandemic
10. Volunteering and Charitable Giving - Community Life Survey 2020/21
11. AmeriCorps
12. Enterprise Apps Today