Nigeria Leads Global Generosity Rankings
Nigeria has been ranked the world's most generous country in the World Giving Report 2025, with its citizens donating a larger share of their personal income to charitable causes than any other nation surveyed. The report, published by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) in partnership with the African Philanthropy Forum (APF), found that Nigerians donated an average of 2.83% of their income in 2024, the highest among 101 countries covered by the global study.
Generosity Measured by Income Share
According to the report, generosity was measured by the proportion of personal income people gave to charity, religious organisations and individuals in need, rather than by the total amount donated. CAF said the findings challenge the assumption that wealthier nations are necessarily more generous, noting that people in lower-income countries consistently give a larger share of their earnings despite facing greater economic challenges.
High Participation and Volunteering Rates
The report also found that 89% of Nigerians made monetary donations during the survey period, the highest participation rate recorded among all countries surveyed. Nigerians also volunteered an average of 13.5 hours annually, well above the global average of about nine hours.
Cultural and Religious Drivers
Researchers attributed Nigeria's top ranking to a strong culture of community support, religious giving and direct assistance to family members, neighbours and strangers in need. The report noted that practices such as church offerings, tithes, zakat and other forms of faith-based giving continue to play a significant role in the country's philanthropic culture.
Global Study Scope and Findings
According to CAF, the study was based on responses from more than 50,000 people across 101 countries, making it one of the world's largest comparative studies on charitable giving. The organisation added that the findings show generosity is not determined by national wealth, as residents of low-income countries donated, on average, 1.45% of their income, compared with 0.70% in high-income countries.
Africa Emerges as Most Generous Region
Africa also emerged as the world's most generous region, with people across the continent donating an average of 1.54% of their income, more than double the 0.64% recorded in Europe.
Top 10 Most Generous Countries in the World
According to the World Giving Report 2025, the world's most generous countries are:
- Nigeria – 2.83% of income donated
- Egypt – 2.45%
- Ghana – 2.19% (joint)
- China – 2.19% (joint)
- Kenya – 2.13%
- Uganda – 2.04%
- India – 1.92% (joint)
- Qatar – 1.92% (joint)
- United Arab Emirates – 1.92% (joint)
- Malawi – 1.80%
The report concluded that generosity is driven less by economic prosperity and more by social values, religious beliefs and strong community ties, with Nigeria standing out as the leading example of those qualities on the global stage.
