Singapore Ranked 64th in the World In Giving

Where do Singaporeans measure in terms of giving? The ‘World Giving Index’ report examines the nature of giving around the world through three aspects of giving behavior. Published by the [...]

Where do Singaporeans measure in terms of giving? The ‘World Giving Index’ report examines the nature of giving around the world through three aspects of giving behavior. Published by the Charities Aid Foundation in the United Kingdom, the report provides insight to the act of giving across the globe annually, including Singapore, since 2010.

In this article, our advocacy senior analyst, Ms Poh Sho Siam, gives an overview of how Singapore has fared as compared to other countries in the world.

World Giving Index

To examine charitable behaviour across the world, 1,000 individuals from each of the 135 countries were asked these questions:

Have you done any of the following in the past month?

Donated money to a charity
Volunteered your time to an organisation
Helped a stranger, or someone you didn’t know who needed help
The World Giving Index takes a simple averaging of the responses from these three questions. Each country is given a percentage score and ranked on the basis of these scores.

Singapore’s ranking

In 2013, with data collected in 2012, Singapore was ranked 64th out of the 135 countries surveyed, with an index score of 32%. The top five giving nations were the United States (61%), Canada (58%), Myanmar (58%), New Zealand (58%) and Ireland (57%). The last five were the Democratic Republic of the Congo (16%), Albania (16%), China (16%), Croatia (16%) and Greece (13%).

Photo of World Index 2013 graph, with singapore ranked 64th with 32%

Among the ASEAN countries, Singapore was ranked before Malaysia (71st), Cambodia (93rd) and Vietnam (116th), but behind Myanmar (2nd), Philippines (16th), Indonesia (17th), Thailand (38th) and Lao People’s Democratic Republic (41st).

Photo of World Giving Index 2013 Asean comparision. Singapore ranked before Malaysia

Singapore’s Giving Over Time

Singapore’s ranking had improved from 91st in 2010 and 2011, 114th in 2012 to 64th in 2013.

Chart to show Singapore's ranking over the years(91st 2010, 91st 2011, 114th 2012 and 64th 2013)

The study also shows Singaporeans as more inclined to donating money, followed by helping a stranger and volunteering their time.

In 2013, 55% of the respondents indicated that they donated money, 24% helped a stranger and 17% volunteered time in the past month, an improvement from 2012.

Graph to Show Singapore's giving from 2010-2013

Singapore’s improved ranking over the years gives hope to charities as we face challenges when garnering support. There are many worthy causes and the challenge that every voluntary welfare organisation faces is to stand out among them. The typically limited resources charities have also means that outreach is generally limited. Because society is also more careful now when giving to charities, charities also find themselves having to do more, such as providing more information to potential donors and increasing governance measures, in order to raise funds as compared to the past.

The results of the study gives hope that Singaporeans will continue and grow in giving generously and proactively to help those in need.