Who Gives Their Time? A Global Look at Volunteering

Have you ever wondered who is most likely to volunteer? Is it the young, the old, the religious, the retired? A massive new study of over 200,000 people across 22 countries set out to answer just that, and the results paint a fascinating picture of how people give back around the world.

“People who regularly attend religious services are more than twice as likely to volunteer their time.”

Globally, about one in four people reported volunteering for an organization in the past month. But this average hides huge differences between countries. The study found that Nigeria had the highest rate, with an incredible 51% of people volunteering. Indonesia and Kenya also showed high rates of participation.

On the other end, countries like Japan, Poland, and Egypt had the lowest rates, all under 10%. So, who are these volunteers? The researchers found two factors that stood out almost everywhere: education and religious service attendance. People with more years of schooling and those who regularly attend religious services were consistently more likely to volunteer their time. For example, people who attended services more than once a week volunteered at more than double the rate of those who never attend.

Other factors like age, gender, and marital status were more complicated. The patterns changed depending on the country. In some nations, men volunteered more; in others, women did. In some, younger people were more active; in others, it was the middle-aged or retired. This shows that while some human tendencies are universal, culture and national context play a huge role in shaping who has the opportunity and motivation to help out.