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Close Social Relationships20258 min read
The Surprising Global Map of Generosity
Demographic variation in charitable giving and helping across 22 countries in the Global Flourishing Study
- By
- Nakamura, Julia S. et al.
- Participants
- 202,898
- Countries
- 22
- Journal
- Scientific Reports
- DOI
- 10.1038/s41598-025-96009-3
§1
Key Takeaways
01
Rates of charitable giving and helping strangers vary dramatically from one country to another, with some nations showing high levels of participation while others report very low engagement.
02
Older age is generally associated with higher rates of charitable donations but lower rates of helping strangers.
03
Higher levels of education and more frequent attendance at religious services are consistently linked to greater participation in both charitable giving and helping strangers across many countries.
§2
Why It Matters
Recognizing the diverse ways people contribute is key to building stronger, more connected societies.
This research matters because it reveals that prosocial behavior isn't one-size-fits-all. If organizations and governments want to encourage generosity, they need to understand who is already giving and who is already helping — and those aren't always the same people. For example, if people with less money are less likely to donate but just as likely to help strangers directly, then pushing donation campaigns at them misses the point. Instead, programs could strengthen informal helping networks. The finding that wealth doesn't predict charitable giving also challenges assumptions that richer countries are more generous. Countries like Japan, despite being economically advanced, may need different approaches — like tax incentives or cultural shifts — to boost giving. Meanwhile, countries with strong religious participation but low formal giving might benefit from partnering with faith communities. For public health, this matters too: prior research suggests that helping others is tied to better health and happiness. Understanding who helps and who gives, and where, can help design more effective, fair, and culturally aware programs that invite everyone to participate in ways that fit their lives.
This research matters because it reveals that prosocial behavior isn't one-size-fits-all. If organizations and governments want to encourage generosity, they need to understand who is already giving and who is already helping — and those aren't always the same people. For example, if people with less money are less likely to donate but just as likely to help strangers directly, then pushing donation campaigns at them misses the point. Instead, programs could strengthen informal helping networks. The finding that wealth doesn't predict charitable giving also challenges assumptions that richer countries are more generous. Countries like Japan, despite being economically advanced, may need different approaches — like tax incentives or cultural shifts — to boost giving. Meanwhile, countries with strong religious participation but low formal giving might benefit from partnering with faith communities. For public health, this matters too: prior research suggests that helping others is tied to better health and happiness. Understanding who helps and who gives, and where, can help design more effective, fair, and culturally aware programs that invite everyone to participate in ways that fit their lives.
Recognizing the diverse ways people contribute is key to building stronger, more connected societies.
§3
The Story
Have you ever held a door for a stranger or dropped a few dollars into a donation box? Those small acts of kindness are called prosocial behaviors, and they matter a lot for how communities thrive. This study looked at two specific types — donating money to charity and helping a stranger in need — across 22 countries and over 200,000 people.
A country's wealth has little to do with its generosity; culture is what shapes how we care for one another.
The results show huge differences from place to place. In Indonesia, 79% of people said they donated to charity in the past month, while in Japan, only 10% did. For helping strangers, Nigeria led the way at 83%, while Japan again sat at the bottom with just 11%. Interestingly, a country's wealth didn't seem to matter much for giving.
Japan is one of the richest countries in the study but had the lowest giving rate, while Indonesia, which is less wealthy, had the highest. The study also found that older people tended to give more money to charity but helped strangers less often — possibly because helping in person can be harder with age. People with more education and those who attended religious services more often tended to do both more. Gender and immigration status didn't make a clear difference. The big takeaway?
Giving money and giving time are two different things, and different groups of people lean toward each one in different parts of the world.
Figures
7.9x
Giving Disparity: Indonesia vs. Japan
People in Indonesia were nearly eight times more likely to report donating to charity in the past month than people in Japan, which had the lowest rate at 10%.
83%
Helping Strangers in Nigeria
Nigeria reported the highest proportion of people helping strangers, with 83% of adults saying they had helped someone they did not know in the past month.
+22 points
Religion's Impact on Giving
Globally, adults who attend religious services more than once a week are 22 percentage points more likely to donate to charity than those who never attend.
+13 points
Education and Charitable Giving
Adults with 16 or more years of education are 13 percentage points more likely to donate to charity than those with up to 8 years of education.
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Reader Questions
Research Details
& Citation
Chat with this paperPublished
2025
Journal
Scientific Reports
Participants
202,898
Countries
22
Cite this paper
Nakamura, J. S., Węziak-Białowolska, D., Woodberry, R. D., Kubzansky, L. D., Shiba, K., Padgett, R. N., Johnson, B. R., & VanderWeele, T. J. (2025). Demographic variation in charitable giving and helping across 22 countries in the Global Flourishing Study. Scientific Reports, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-96009-3Tags
charitable-givingpromoting-goodcross-culturaldemographicsreligion-spiritualityeducation
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