Contents
- Informal volunteering statistics: participation and historical trends
- Informal volunteering statistics by age, sex, disability, and identity
- Informal volunteering statistics across countries and rural or urban areas
- Informal volunteering statistics by income and education
- Informal volunteering activities, help, and motivations
- Informal volunteering time, barriers, and support needs
- Sources
Informal volunteering statistics: participation and historical trends
Informal volunteering statistics depend on how each survey defines help, whom it includes, and the period covered. England’s Community Life Survey defines informal volunteering as unpaid help to non-relatives. In 2024/25, 24% of adults in England said they had provided this help at least once a month during the preceding 12 months. A separate annual measure found that 44% had participated at least once in the previous year. The monthly measure describes recurring frequency; the annual measure includes anyone who helped at least once. (Community Life Survey 2024/25: Volunteering and charitable giving)
Neither England measure changed significantly from 2023/24: monthly participation was 24% in both years, and annual participation was 44% in both. Monthly rates in each survey year from 2013/14 through 2021/22 ranged from 26% to 33%, above the 24% reported in 2023/24 and 2024/25. The annual rate was 54% in 2020/21 and 44% in both 2023/24 and 2024/25. The release describes the latest annual rates as the lowest since push-to-web collection began. (Community Life Survey 2024/25: Volunteering and charitable giving)
Other national surveys report different measures. In Scotland, 39% of Scottish Household Survey respondents reported informal volunteering in 2025, up from 36% in 2024. In Australia, 30% of people aged 15 and over undertook informal volunteering during the 4 weeks before the 2025 General Social Survey. Their populations and reference periods differ, so the figures are best read in their own survey contexts rather than as directly comparable rankings. (Scottish Household Survey Statistics, 2025; General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia, 2025)
An ILO/UNV study surveyed working-age respondents in 8 countries from March to May 2025, measuring direct informal volunteer work. The unweighted average across the country samples was 35.1%. Estimates were 51.7% in Nigeria, 32.0% in India, 31.9% in Jordan, 26.6% in China, 24.1% in Bolivia, 19.5% in Iraq, and 17.4% in Uganda. These are country-sample results for the study’s direct-work measure, not a global participation rate. (ILO/UNV, “Informal volunteering: Trends and characteristics”)
Informal volunteering statistics by age, sex, disability, and identity
In England’s 2024/25 survey, monthly informal volunteering varied across age groups. Adults aged 65–74 had a rate of 29%; those aged 16–24 and those aged 75 and over each had a rate of 28%. Rates were 23% for ages 50–64, 22% for ages 35–49, and 21% for ages 25–34, compared with 24% for adults overall. These are descriptive differences and do not explain why reported participation varied. (Community Life Survey 2024/25: Volunteering and charitable giving)
The monthly rate was 26% among female adults and 22% among male adults. It was 29% among disabled adults and 23% among non-disabled adults. For gender identity, the rate was 29% among adults whose gender identity differed from their sex registered at birth and 24% among those whose identity was the same. Each comparison refers to monthly participation during the preceding 12 months. (Community Life Survey 2024/25: Volunteering and charitable giving)
The release printed sexual-orientation rates of 36% for adults in the “other” category, 31% for bisexual adults, 28% for gay or lesbian adults, and 24% for heterosexual or straight adults. The publication carries a correction notice for sexual-orientation and socioeconomic estimates, directing readers to corrected 2025/26 figures. These are the historical values printed in the 2024/25 release; they should not be read as corrected estimates. (Community Life Survey 2024/25: Volunteering and charitable giving)
The same release reported monthly rates across ethnicity categories. White Gypsy or Irish Traveller adults had a rate of 39%, mixed White and Black African adults 34%, and Black African adults 32%. Mixed White and Black Caribbean adults and Arab adults each had a rate of 30%; White Irish adults had 29%. Adults in the Any other mixed or multiple ethnic background group and Pakistani adults each had 28%. The Any other Asian background group had 21%, and Chinese adults 20%. These retain the survey’s category labels. (Community Life Survey 2024/25: Volunteering and charitable giving)
By religion, monthly participation was 33% for adults in the Any other religion classification, 31% for Buddhist adults, and 31% for Jewish adults. Christian and Muslim adults each recorded 27%. The classifications group respondents’ reported answers; the figures do not explain differences between groups. (Community Life Survey 2024/25: Volunteering and charitable giving)
Informal volunteering statistics across countries and rural or urban areas
The ILO/UNV study’s 35.1% cross-country average is the unweighted mean of working-age participation estimates for Bolivia, China, Ethiopia, India, Iraq, Jordan, Nigeria, and Uganda. Each country contributes equally to that average, rather than in proportion to population. The country rates range from 17.4% in Uganda to 51.7% in Nigeria. The measure covers direct informal volunteer work in surveyed samples and should not be generalized to every resident or every form of informal help. (ILO/UNV, “Informal volunteering: Trends and characteristics”)
The study compares rural and urban working-age respondents in 5 countries. Urban participation was higher in India, Ethiopia, Jordan, and Nigeria; China’s rural estimate was higher.
| Country | Rural respondents | Urban respondents |
|---|---|---|
| China | 34.7% | 29.4% |
| India | 25.6% | 28.8% |
| Ethiopia | 29.1% | 34.7% |
| Jordan | 28.3% | 33.7% |
| Nigeria | 44.7% | 62.3% |
Share of working-age respondents reporting direct informal volunteer work in the 2025 survey. (ILO/UNV, “Informal volunteering: Trends and characteristics”)
The rural–urban pattern therefore varies among the countries shown. China’s rural estimate is higher; in the other 4 countries, the urban estimate is higher. These figures describe survey respondents and do not establish what accounts for the differences. (ILO/UNV, “Informal volunteering: Trends and characteristics”)
Informal volunteering statistics by income and education
In the 8-country survey, direct informal participation by family-income category is reported as an unweighted cross-country average. Categories use terciles within each country. India and Iraq combined the low category with medium because a low category could not be sensibly defined there, so the labels are not fully comparable across all 8 samples. (ILO/UNV, “Informal volunteering: Trends and characteristics”)
| Family-income category | Direct informal volunteering, unweighted average |
|---|---|
| Low | 36.4% |
| Medium | 32.0% |
| High | 36.5% |
Working-age respondents in the 2025 survey; categories use within-country terciles, with the India and Iraq grouping described above. (ILO/UNV, “Informal volunteering: Trends and characteristics”)
Education groups use ISCED-based categories. The unweighted average direct informal participation rate was 30.4% for working-age respondents with basic-or-less education, 35.9% for those with intermediate education, and 30.8% for those with advanced education. These are descriptive shares across surveyed country samples, not estimates of an education effect. (ILO/UNV, “Informal volunteering: Trends and characteristics”)
A separate probit model compares direct informal volunteering with organization-based formal volunteering. For advanced education, the estimated marginal effect was -0.071 for males and females combined, -0.062 for females, and -0.077 for males. This model concerns the relative probability of choosing direct informal rather than organization-based formal volunteering within the surveyed working-age sample; it does not compare participation with non-participation. (ILO/UNV, “Informal volunteering: Trends and characteristics”)
Informal volunteering activities, help, and motivations
Caregiving accounted for 64.3% of direct informal volunteer-work activities in the ILO/UNV survey’s unweighted average across 8 countries. Other specified activities were animal welfare at 7.1%, teaching or tutoring at 4.6%, and healthcare support at 4.3%. The denominator is direct informal volunteers, so these percentages describe the distribution of activities, not the share of all working-age people doing each activity. (ILO/UNV, “Informal volunteering: Trends and characteristics”)
Scotland’s 2025 survey identifies common tasks among respondents who undertook informal volunteering. Keeping in touch with someone at risk of loneliness was reported by 62%. Shopping, collecting a pension or benefits, or paying bills for someone was reported by 33%. These are reported tasks, not a complete inventory of the activities measured. (Scottish Household Survey Statistics, 2025)
Helping others was the leading main reason for volunteering in the ILO/UNV survey. In the unweighted average across 8 countries, 96.6% of direct informal volunteers cited helping others as the main reason for their primary activity, compared with 91.4% of organization-based volunteers. The report states that in almost all surveyed countries, more than 90% named helping others as the main motivation for their primary volunteering activity. (ILO/UNV, “Informal volunteering: Trends and characteristics”)
Country and sex breakdowns show the same reason was commonly cited by direct informal volunteers. In India, the reported shares were 97.6% for females and 93.5% for males; in China, 96.6% and 91.4%; and in Jordan, 97.1% and 92.4%. In Iraq, both females and males recorded 100.0%. Bolivia reported 97.5% for females and 93.2% for males, while Uganda reported 98.6% and 95.5%. Each figure refers to direct informal volunteers in that country sample and to the main reason for their primary activity. (ILO/UNV, “Informal volunteering: Trends and characteristics”)
Informal volunteering time, barriers, and support needs
The ILO/UNV report gives monthly time figures for direct informal volunteers by age and sex. In the unweighted average across 8 countries, the share reporting under 5 hours per month was 51.7% for females aged 15–24, 49.3% for females aged 25–34, 53.5% for females aged 35–44, and 53.5% for females aged 55 and over. Among males aged 55 and over, the corresponding share was 45.7%. These percentages use direct informal volunteers in each named age and sex subgroup as the denominator, not all people in those groups. (ILO/UNV, “Informal volunteering: Trends and characteristics”)
Among direct informal volunteers, financial constraints were identified as a primary problem by 32.8% in the unweighted 8-country average, and lack of time by 28.8%. Other reported problems included insufficient information about how to get involved (10.2%), transportation issues (9.1%), health limitations (7.5%), and no opportunities matching skills or interests (7.5%). The remaining listed responses were lack of support from work or family (6.1%), poor weather conditions (5.2%), a negative image of providing support (4.0%), and not being qualified to support (1.2%). Respondents could report more than 1 problem, so the shares are not mutually exclusive. (ILO/UNV, “Informal volunteering: Trends and characteristics”)
| Reported problem among direct informal volunteers | Share, unweighted 8-country average |
|---|---|
| Financial constraints | 32.8% |
| Lack of time | 28.8% |
| Insufficient information about how to get involved | 10.2% |
| Transportation issues | 9.1% |
| Health limitations | 7.5% |
| No opportunities match skills or interests | 7.5% |
| Lack of support from work or family | 6.1% |
| Poor weather conditions | 5.2% |
| Negative image of providing support | 4.0% |
| Not qualified to support | 1.2% |
Respondents could report multiple problems; figures are unweighted averages across the 8 surveyed countries. (ILO/UNV, “Informal volunteering: Trends and characteristics”)
Australia’s survey offers a broader comparison about people who did no voluntary work, rather than barriers specific to informal volunteering. In 2025, 47% of that group cited “No time” as a main reason and 36% cited “Not interested or no need.” This denominator differs from the ILO/UNV figures, which describe problems reported by people already engaged in direct informal volunteering. (General Social Survey: Summary Results, Australia, 2025)