Benevolence may be slipping around the world after reaching a high point from 2021 to 2023, according to a new Gallup survey.
Last year, 56% of respondents globally said they had helped a stranger in the prior six months, down six percentage points from 2023. Financial giving also was down four percentage points (to 33%) and contributing time was down four percentage points (to 26%) over the same period.
Although the declines push generosity in all three metrics closer to pre-pandemic levels, charitable giving continues to be higher in most cases since 2006, Gallup explained.
“The more recent declines could reflect philanthropic fatigue — a natural pullback after a crisis like the pandemic — or shifting priorities as economic pressures mount. However, the trend raises concerns about the future of philanthropy and community involvement, especially as a number of donor countries cut back on developmental aids,” a Gallup report says.
Cuts in U.S. international aid have exploded this year, and not just in the U.S. Since taking office in January, Donald Trump has cut billions in overseas assistance and has all but eliminated the U.S. Agency for International Development. A few weeks later, Great Britain announced it would cut overseas development aid by 40%.
One of the leading detractors from individual giving in 2024 was financial insecurity, Gallup reported. “But regardless of how they felt about household situations, fewer people — particularly those finding it ‘very difficult’ to get by — reported making monetary donations in 2024.”
In fact, individuals from all income levels pulled back on giving from 2023 to 2024. Half those “living comfortably” contributed money in 2023 but only 46% did so in 2024, while the drop was from 37% to 33% for those “getting by,” from 31% to 30% for people in “difficult” situations and from 31% to 25% for those in “very difficult” financial condition.
“Assisting strangers has been the most commonly reported form of charity since Gallup began tracking it in 2006,” the report explains. “In 2024, a majority of people worldwide (56%) said they helped a stranger in the past month. However, this activity varied widely across the 144 countries surveyed, from a high of 87% in Liberia and Venezuela to a low of 21% in Japan.”
Gallup analysts speculate the generosity toward others seen in Liberia and Venezuela may be connected to strong levels of community engagement in response to oppression and economic austerity. “Japan’s lower percentage could be influenced by cultural factors such as a greater emphasis on privacy and self-reliance.”
Other nations where helping strangers was more frequent in 2024 included Zambia (84%), Kenya (81%) and Botswana (76%), while North Macedonia (42%), Lebanon (40%), Croatia (33%) and Poland (27%) were among the countries where helping strangers was less common.
“Twenty-five countries that span the globe — from China to Zimbabwe — experienced double-digit declines in this activity in 2024, contributing to the overall decrease,” Gallup reports. “Ethiopia saw the largest significant drop, with the percentage of people helping a stranger falling from 66% in 2023 to 44% in 2024, as the country continues to grapple with conflict, drought, high living costs and natural disasters.”
Supporting charitable groups is less popular than giving to strangers but still outpaces volunteering, according to Gallup. “Reports of donating money vary globally, from a high of 89% in Indonesia — where strong community ties and religious obligations often encourage generosity — to a low of 3% in Morocco, where disposable income is more limited.”
In 2024, reports of monetary donations dropped 10 points or more in 19 countries.
Volunteerism also took a hit overall last year.