Donations in Belgium rise again, & could exceed 2021 peak

Total tax-deductible donations in Belgium grew to at least €375.1m in 2024, Government figures show.

This provisional total is a slight increase on the €373m donated in 2023 and 2022’s €363.4m. It also represents 28% growth since 2019.

However, it is not the highest figure in recent years; €387.6m of tax-deductible donations were made in 2021. In several European countries, 2020 and 2021 were years of particularly high donations to charity, as the world grappled with the worst period of the Covid-19 pandemic.

But Belgium’s 2024 figure may still rise due to late filings of financial documents. In 2023, more than €18m in donations were revealed in certificates which were received after the deadline. If this were repeated for 2024, then the year’s total donations would beat the 2021 figure.

The average donation in Belgium rose from €153 in 2023 to €164 in 2024’s provisional figures, meaning it has grown nearly a fifth since 2019, when it stood at €139.

This trend, of the number of donors declining or stagnating, but average donation amount growing, has also been seen in several other European countries in recent times.

Despite this growth in donations, fundraisers and charities in Belgium remain concerned about a reduction in the level of tax deduction applying to donations, from 45% to 30%.

EFA member Fundraisers Belgium is a member of the Impact Coalition which has campaigned against this change.

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