Donations from British people to charities fell by 10% last year in terms of overall value, according to new data.
The UK Giving Report 2026, published today by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF), says that British people donated £14bn last year, down from £15.4bn in 2024.
This marked the first fall since 2021, which CAF attributed to lower average donations, more people cancelling transactions and many not being able to afford giving to charity.
The number of British people who donated or sponsored a charity remained at 55% in 2025, but donors were giving smaller amounts on average - £65, down from £72 a year earlier.
Based on a YouGov survey of nearly 13,000 people, CAF estimated that 2.8 million people cancelled a regular gift in 2025 and affordability was the main reason people did not donate.
It found that among those who did not donate, 28% suggested they were not interested in charities. This proportion rose to 49% of respondents who are higher or additional rate taxpayers.
‘Giving is no longer a habit in this country’
CAF reported that there are six million fewer donors than a decade ago and highlighted the Covid-19 pandemic as a period of significant loss.
About 37 million people donated or sponsored someone in 2016, equating to 69% of adults, but by 2025, this fell to about 31 million or 55% of adults.
CAF estimates that the decline in donors has cost charities about £12.4bn since 2016.
The steepest annual decline was during the pandemic, with a cumulative loss of nearly four million donors throughout 2020 and 2021, according to CAF’s figures.
Philippa Cornish, client relations director at CAF, said: “The decline in charitable donors over the past decade is stark. Giving is no longer a habit in this country.
“Yet charities continue to face rising demand for their services coupled with increased costs, meaning they are having to work harder than ever, just to stand still.”
In its report, CAF urged the government to help drive a “renewed culture of giving in the UK”, and praised the recently created Office for the Impact Economy as a “step in the right direction”.
Fewer overseas aid donors
CAF has linked the drop in total donations to a fall in donors to overseas aid and disaster relief specifically.
The report identified that fewer donors give to overseas aid and disaster relief than a decade ago, falling from 19% of donors in 2016 to 11% last year.
Overseas aid donations totalled £970m in 2016, falling to £727m in 2025. CAF said: “[This is] a significant decline in absolute terms, but a much larger decline when accounting for inflation.”
In February last year, the UK government announced it would reduce its aid spending from 0.5% to 0.3% of gross national income in 2027, following a previous decline from 0.7%.
