Fewer Britons giving to charity, study says, with donations down by 1.4bn

"Charities can no longer depend solely on habitual generosity or goodwill from the public. Charity giving was no longer a deeply embedded cultural norm amid rising living cost pressures, and a more sceptical society. The British remained generous at heart, but society was witnessing a big transformation in attitudes towards charitable giving."

"Nearly half of people (49%) who did not give to charity in 2025 said it was because they could not afford to, up from 44% in 2024. Cost of living pressures have exacerbated a longer-term contraction in the size of the UK's donor base over the past decade, a trend that accelerated during the Covid pandemic."

"The collapse in overall donations from 15.4bn to 14bn in 2025 was driven by a fall in the average size of charitable gifts from 72 to 65. Caf estimates 6 million fewer people gave to charity last year compared with 2016, potentially shrinking total voluntary sector income by about 12bn."

Charitable giving in Britain has experienced a dramatic decline, with donations falling from £15.4bn to £14bn in 2025. The proportion of people donating to charity has halved from 61% a decade ago to just 50% currently. Rising living costs and increased societal skepticism have eroded charitable giving as a cultural norm. Nearly half of non-donors cite affordability as their reason for not giving. Major charities including Macmillan Cancer Support, Samaritans, and Oxfam have implemented significant staff and budget cuts. The Charities Aid Foundation estimates 6 million fewer people donated in 2025 compared to 2016, potentially reducing voluntary sector income by approximately £12bn. This represents a fundamental shift from habitual generosity to selective, constrained giving patterns.

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