In 2023, the UK witnessed an unprecedented surge in charitable donations amounting to £13.9 billion, a 9% increase from the previous year, according to a report by the Charities Aid Foundation. Despite this, the number of regular donors has seen a significant decrease, highlighting a shift in the landscape of charitable giving.
In 2023, the UK saw a remarkable surge in charitable donations, reaching a historic high of £13.9 billion, marking a 9% increase from the prior year. This revelation emerged from a report by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) which also shed light on some surprising trends in giving across different regions. Notably, Belfast West, one of the economically less affluent areas, stood out for its generosity, with residents donating an average of 2.2% of their household income to charities. In stark contrast, the wealthier London area of Kensington and Bayswater saw donations amounting to just 0.5% of household incomes.
While the total donations increased, the report highlighted a worrying decline in regular contributors to charities. From 2019 to 2023, the proportion of people making regular donations fell from 65% to 58%. This drop was somewhat counterbalanced by those who did donate, with the average monthly donation seeing a significant rise of nearly 40% to £65.
The CAF’s chief executive, Neil Heslop, emphasized the pressing need for fostering a broader culture of giving amidst challenging times for charities, exacerbated by the Covid-19 pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis. He stressed the importance of a sustainable approach to charitable giving to strengthen society’s social fabric. The report, which derived its findings from a survey involving 13,164 participants, pointed out that regions in Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland demonstrated greater generosity in proportion to income compared to those in England, underscoring the variable landscape of philanthropy across the UK.
