This is according to the Nordic Donor Report 2026, conducted on behalf of EFA members ISOBRO (Denmark), Giva Sverige (Sweden), Fundraising Norway and VaLa (Finland), with around 1,000 adults surveyed in each country.

Seven in 10 (70%) Norwegians, up from 66% last year, said they donate regularly or occasionally to charities. In Denmark, which was the most generous nation in the 2024 and 2025 surveys, the figure fell slightly from 67% to 66%.

Sweden also overtook Denmark, moving from 64% to 69%, while Finland’s figure dropped from 50% to 48%.

Between 2024 and 2025, the donor share had risen in all four countries, by at least six percentage points.

The report notes that the difference between men’s and women’s giving rates has been narrowing over time, and that giving is also increasing across most age groups. The exceptions are in Sweden and Norway, where giving by 18-29-year-olds has been flat across the last three years — something the report says “may need specific attention.”

25% more engagement

Across the four countries, overall engagement in charitable activities has grown by 25% between 2024 and 2026. There is a positive trend around activities such as donating clothes or goods — the most common charitable activity in the region — entering raffles, and making one-off or regular donations.

Volunteering has remained essentially stable, moving from 9% in 2024 to 10% in 2026, while remembering a charity in a will has dropped from 2% to 1%.

Humanitarian aid remained the most supported cause across the Nordics, cited by 27% of respondents, with support for disadvantaged people in their home country (24%) and people in need in developing countries (18%) the next most prominent.

There is, however, notable variation within the region. Helping disadvantaged people in the home country is Finland’s most supported cause (35%), ahead of humanitarian aid (23%) — the reverse of the pattern in Norway, Sweden and Denmark, where humanitarian aid consistently leads. Finland is also the only country where support for religious organizations has not declined over the three years of the survey.

The Finland gap

The report flags a decline in monthly giving in Finland, with the proportion of monthly donors dropping from 18% in 2025 to 10% in 2026, compared to roughly one in three donors in the other three countries.

As was the case following the 2025 report, VaLa points to tax policy as a structural factor in the gap, noting its own research findings that more than 30% of Finns say they would give more if donations were tax-deductible, rising to around 45% among younger age groups.

Picture by Lara Jameson via Pexels

The survey of 1,043 adults finds that 56% gave money in the last six months, meaning the figure has returned to 2020 levels, although it remains short of the 63% in 2016, the survey’s first year.

The number giving monthly has also returned to pre-pandemic levels, at 29% – but remains lower than 2016’s 32%. Both monthly and general giving has increased for both men and women, and across all age groups.

Earlier this year, Giva Sverige said that two in three Swedish nonprofits expected their fundraising income to increase during 2026.

A more polarised landscape

Overall sentiment towards nonprofits remains strong – 79% of Swedes hold a positive view of the sector, a figure which was 77% in 2016 and has only changed marginally in the years since. The figure is even higher (88%) for those aged 18-34.

However, the report notes a growing divide between voters who supported the centre-right and nationalist parties who make up the Tidö coalition, which has governed Sweden since 2022, and opposition voters.

While 91% of opposition voters have a positive view of the sector, this drops to 66% among Tidö supporters – and the gap has grown since 2025, when the respective figures were 86% and 71%.

Charlotte Rydh, secretary general of Giva Sverige, writes in the report:

“Differences between voters of the different political blocs show that civil society operates in a more polarised public sphere — a reality that organizations must navigate. We also see a clear shift in what Swedes want civil society to do: from being seen as actors that solve societal challenges and strengthen democracy, to being valued for meeting places and community.”

Rydh’s point about shifting expectations reflects another point in the data.

The proportion of Swedes who say uniting people and creating meeting places and is an important future role for civil society is 32% – more than double the figure of 15% in 2021. The number saying it should help people to have meaningful leisure time has gone from 14% to 18%.

Meanwhile, the proportion saying that nonprofits must support the most vulnerable elsewhere in the world has dropped from 42% to 30%, and those who say it should solve difficult social challenges from 24% to 15%.

Reasons for not giving

The report also looked at the reasons why people gave, and why they did not.

For those who had given in the past six months, there were four main reasons:

• The cause matches my values: 43%
• I have been giving to this organization for a long time: 39%
• I wanted to help make a difference for the recipient of the gift: 38%
• I felt the need was clear/great: 38%

Among Swedes who had not donated in the previous six months, 36% said they couldn’t afford it, and 26% said they thought money wasn’t being spent properly. Nearly a fifth (17%) said they hadn’t been asked.

Picture by mammela on Pixabay

According to the report, public donations continued to drop between 2024 and 2025, with people giving an estimated £14bn in 2025, compared to £15.4bn in 2024. The public’s mean monthly donation was £65 in 2025, down from £72 in 2024, while the median donation also declined by 9%, from £28 to £26.

Affordability and (lack of) interest

The survey respondents who did not donate to charity in 2025 were asked the reasons why. The most common response by far was ‘I can’t afford it’ (49%), followed by ‘I don’t trust charities to use my money wisely’ (19%), ‘I just didn’t want to’ (10%) and ‘There hasn’t been a charity that’s interested me enough (9%)’.

CAF says that nearly three in 10 (28%) of non-donors gave an answer suggesting that they weren’t interested in charities in general, with that figure rising to just under half (49%) of those who are higher and additional rate taxpayers – a more affluent group of UK residents, numbering roughly seven million.

For those who donate to charity, the majority are motivated by an emotional reason (78%), such as caring about the cause, and because they want to be part of something bigger (53%), such as supporting their community or making a difference.

Sectors and methods

The overseas aid and disaster relief sector has been particularly badly hit – total donations have dropped from £970m in 2016 to £727m in 2025.

Health charities have the broadest support (43% of donors supporting them last year), but on average give £27, which is on par with the sector-wide average.

While only 8% of donors gave to religious causes last year, their donations were on average far higher than for any other sector at £90 – no other sector had a figure in excess of £60. Religious charities were particularly popular among donors in Northern Ireland and the East of England, while London donors had a particular interest in environmental charities.

More than a quarter of all giving – £4bn in total – is ‘planned’, which CAF defines as meaning it comes through direct debits, standing orders, membership fees and subscriptions. Meanwhile, 40% of donors said they normally only give to charity when directly asked or moved by an appeal, and a third of donors still like to donate cash.

Mark Greer, managing director of the Charities Aid Foundation says:

“Giving falling by nearly 10% in a year will be a significant concern for charities up and down the country who are providing vital services to people in need. We have been relying on a declining number of dedicated donors, but the reality of this trend has begun to bite.

“To support our communities, we need a collaborative effort to revive the culture of giving across the country. This includes exploring ways we can encourage donations from those that can afford to give, and policy action from the Government to unlock greater giving.” 

The 2025 Rapport Sur Les Dons Suisse or Spendenreport Schweiz shows 82% of households making a donation in 2024. This is a substantial increase from 72% in the year before, and more in line with figures in the low eighties recorded in previous reports.

However, the median donation fell to CHF300 (€321), the lowest figure since 2019, a year-on-year decrease of 25%. The report says that median donations from young families, who have been hit particularly hard by the economic climate, dropped by 50%.

Household giving rates grew from 74% to 82% in the country’s German-speaking majority, and from 66% to 79% among its French-speaking population. In its Italophone community, the smallest of Switzerland’s three major groups, giving rates dropped slightly, from 76% to 74%.

Donors’ preferred causes remained similar to in previous years. Survey respondents were most likely to cite domestic social and emergency (48%) and nature, the environment and animals (also 48%) as priorities, closely followed by children and young people (46%) and disability (45%).

Swissfundraising board member Ruth Wagner writes in the report:

“Overall, the sector’s reputation is good and stable. Some aspects such as transparency or innovation capacity are (still) judged somewhat more critically in 2024, and lack of confidence and questioning of charities’ effectiveness are increasingly cited as reasons for not donating.”

“In my opinion, two aspects are extremely important for market development and future success: the media mix is ​​becoming increasingly crucial, and donor loyalty needs to be rethought. It is precisely in digital channels, but also in broadcasting, that one can achieve relatively low-cost reach – and awareness is fundamentally important as background noise and a driving force, not just for conversion.”

Other articles in the Rapport Sur Les Dons include a look back at the AI usage guidance issued by Swissfundraising earlier in the year, and it also includes data from a recently-released report by the Zewo Foundation, based on data from a group of major Swiss charities.

Zewo’s report estimated that total giving in the country in 2024 was 2.25bn CHF, the same figure as in 2023. This total has now been in excess of 2bn CHF for five consecutive years.

Photo by Claudio Schwarz on Unsplash

The report also shows that 79% of people in Austria gave during the year – the highest level since these reports began in 2008.

Austrian fundraising first exceeded the billion mark in 2022, totalling €1.1bn, before dropping to €1.08bn in 2023. The slight decreases in 2023 and 2024 follow increases in every previous year, dating back to the first Spendenbericht in 2008 when the total was €360m.

The fundraising dip in 2024 was disproportionately felt by the biggest charities – the country’s 50 largest nonprofits registered a total drop of 4.2%, while medium-sized organisations increased their revenues by 7.7%.

Average donation up

The average single donation in 2024 was €142, an increase of €4 on the previous year.

The vast majority (81%) of all donations were below €200, while 2.6% were greater than €1,000.

Average donation amounts also differ significantly from region to region, ranging from €202 in the country’s three western states (Salzburg, Tirol and Vorarlberg) to €109 in Niederösterreich and Burgenland. In Vienna, it was only slightly higher at €119.

Ruth Williams, managing director of FVA, says:

“Despite comprehensive social challenges, the people who live in Austria have hardly compromised in supporting charitable concerns – a testimony of the great appreciation towards charitable work.”

The report says that some of the decline in donations was due to a reduction in support for Ukraine, as well as inflationary pressures on consumers. However, Austrians were mobilised to support relief efforts following floods in September 2024 which impacted Austria and neighbouring countries.

The report also notes that tax deduction changes are having a positive impact on the fundraising landscape. At the start of 2024, new laws meant that donation to a much broader range of organisations – including those working education, human rights and sport – became eligible for tax deductions.

FVA has projected that total fundraising in 2025 is likely to remain at the same level as in 2024.

Picture by Javid M on Pexels

The donor rate has dropped just slightly from 50.2% to 49.2%. Nearly 50% of donors donated between €50 and €250, with disability / sickness / healthcare, and child / youth welfare the most popular causes – both areas are supported by 30% of donors. Significantly less of a focus were immediate / emergency aid (17%) and development aid (11%), while just 9% donated to climate protection.

Key factors in donations are transparency, and trust in the charitable organisations. Overall, 41% of people in Germany are involved in volunteer work. Among donors, this figure rises to 53%. The report also shares that 80% of the population are in-kind donors.

The DZI and DFRV agreed in September 2024 to coordinate their respective surveys, analyses and publications on donation behaviour in order to strengthen clarity in donation statistics.

The DZI Donation Index estimates that overall, €12.5 billion was donated in Germany last year – including donations of over 1,500 euros.

According to DFRV, the country’s fundraising organisations awaited this year’s Donation Monitor figures with particular anticipation. Inflation, ongoing multiple crises, and economic uncertainty have created a more challenging psychological environment for donations than usual. This was exacerbated by negative media coverage of the allocation and use of grant funds by nonprofit organisations following a parliamentary inquiry by the CDU/CSU faction, leading to fears of a massive crisis of confidence.

Larissa Probst, DFRV managing director, said:

“We are pleased that trust in fundraising organisations remains high. Donors have stayed the course, demonstrated solidarity, and continued their commitment, in some cases with increased resources, despite uncertainties, multiple crises, and rising costs.”

Adding to this, Burkhard Wilke, managing director and scientific director of the DZI, commented:

“Donating is a matter of trust! The stable to slightly positive trend in donations, despite the difficult economic conditions, can therefore also be seen as a result of the significantly improved transparency of many charitable organisations. The increasingly used services of the independent DZI donation advisory service further support the willingness to donate, as does modern and responsible fundraising.”

The German Donation Monitor findings are based on an online survey of 5,008 respondents, aged 16-75, which took place between 15 October and 15 November this year.

Picture by Andres Siimon on Unsplash

Only 10% of respondents said they were ‘not likely at all’ to give to a charity, according to the survey, based on online interviews with 1,505 respondents.

The survey data, published in September, also asks how important people think various different cause areas are.

The most popular is charities combatting disease, with 75% of respondents calling these ‘very important’ or ‘important’. Charities supporting children and young people are second (66%), followed by mental health (64%).

The least valued are international development (46%), equality and anti-discrimination (51%) and animals (54%) – although in each case, the number calling them ‘not important at all’ is just 6%.

A separate report published by ISOBRO earlier in September showed that total giving in Denmark rose 8% to 7.6bn DKK (€1bn) in 2024. This follows an 8% drop between 2022 and 2023.

Looking at particular cause areas, the figures align with the more recent public research – disease fighting and disability organisations registered a 20% increase in public donations between 2023 and 2024, while donations to international aid charities rose by a more modest 3%.

The report, published with support from Deloitte, showed overall annual growth of 8% in donations received by the 212 organisations participating in ISOBRO’s research. The organisation believes that these nonprofits account for around 90% of total charitable giving in Denmark.

That growth included a 54% increase in income from legacies between 2023 and 2024. Outside of public fundraising, there has also been a sustained rise in corporate giving – such donations grew by 90% between 2020 and 2024, and 10% in the last year.

Kenneth Kamp Butzbach, secretary general of ISOBRO, says:

“The figures show that the Danes continue to stand firmly in their support for charity and civil society. This testifies to the fact that Danes support the cases that matter to them – even at a time of rising food prices, inflation and uncertainties in the world around us.”

Picture by a tray of vials by Testalize.me on Unsplash

This is according to the Tillitsbarometeret (Trust Barometer) 2025, published in August at Arendalsuka, an annual cross-party political event in the country.

Research firm Respons Analyse interviewed 1,000 Norwegian adults on the phone during June and July, and 90% agreed that their level of trust in Norwegian nonprofits was six out of 10 or higher.

This is significantly greater than the next highest institutions – Norwegian trade unions (arbeidstakerorganisasjonene) on 73%, and the country’s parliament (the Stortinget) on 72%. The least trusted of the 12 institutions listed was social media companies, at 10%.

Siri Nodland, secretary general of Fundraising Norge, says that the survey is “a vote of confidence” in the ethics, sustainability and transparency of the nonprofit sector. She comments:

“The trust barometer shows that the population has strong confidence in the nonprofit sector as an important social actor – especially because the organisations often step in where the public sector is not sufficient. In a time of increasing complexity and unrest, people value the community-oriented and responsible work that nonprofit organizations perform on behalf of society.”

Men less trusting, young people more

The survey shows that men (89%) are slightly less trusting of Norway’s nonprofits than women (91%). However, men are in general less trusting of Norwegian institutions – political parties are the only group enjoying higher trust among men (50%) than women (45%).

It also suggests that young Norwegians (aged 18-29) are more trusting than the rest of the population in many institutions. While nine in 10 in this age group trust nonprofits, there is a slightly higher level of trust in the country’s military (92%) – a figure that could be explained by the competitive selection process for national service, for which both men and women can volunteer. The figures for social media are 17% among young men, and 14% among young women.

The survey also shows that trust in the country’s institutions is relatively stable – the only organisation in the survey suffering a decline in trust of more than one percentage point between 2023 and 2025 is the country’s local municipal councils. Their score dropped from 60% in 2023 to 57% in the current survey.

The nonprofit sector’s score has risen slightly from 87% in 2023 and 89% in 2025. The only other sector in whom trust has increased over the last two years is the country’s Government, with a score of 65% (up from 59% in 2023).

This figure is dwarfed by the 1.54% and 1.28% averages in Africa and Asia respectively, and lower than North America’s 0.94%, Oceania’s 0.75% and South America’s 0.73%.

However, Europeans are the most likely to support international charities doing work outside of their own country, with 15% of donors giving to such organizations, nearly double the 8% that do so in South America.

The individual countries where people are most likely to donate to crises outside of their country are the UAE (32%) – where nearly nine in 10 of the population are foreign nationals – Saudi Arabia (29%), and Norway (28%).

Country rankings

CAF’s surveys of more than 50,000 people across 101 countries found that Nigeria is the single most generous country, with an average of 2.83% of income donated.

Euro-Asian nation Turkey is 11th with a 1.77% average, while the highest-ranked EU member or candidate member is Bosnia & Herzegovina, in joint 31st with 1.17%.

Japan is the least generous country in the report under this metric, with a 0.16% donation average, while the second-bottom ranked state is Germany (0.39%). In total, 16 of the bottom 20 are also European, including France (equal 97th, with 0.45%).

Neil Heslop, CEO of CAF, says of these findings:

“It is notable that giving does not necessarily correlate with wealth or even security, but rather on the perception of necessity – and very often we perceive those closest to us to be most in need. During these challenging times, there is much we can learn about the power of connection, and the nature of compassion for our fellow citizens, whether they be across the street or around the world.”

Putting children first

Globally, children and young people is the single most popular cause for donations, with 29% of donors giving to such organizations. It is the only cause appearing in the top five cause areas for every continent.

Poverty relief (also 29%), religious causes (28%) and humanitarian aid (26%) are the next most popular, with the least popular are sports/recreation (6%); arts, culture, heritage or science (5%); and other (4%).

The country most likely to give to environmental causes is Vietnam (supported by 37% of donors), followed by China (27%) and India (24%).

The status report shows that one in five of its member organizations has reduced its operations compared to what was planned, largely as a result of reduced public support and sharply increasing costs. Only 7% of members say they have been able to expand.

For half of the organizations, public funding has decreased since 2022’s change of government. A third also report decreased willingness among companies to contribute this year. In addition, 7 out of 10 organizations said they are pessimistic about developments in the world.

Giva Sverige’s Giving Index for May, which is included in the report, shows that giving remains strong – increasing in the first quarter of the year. However, optimism about future giving is decreasing and Giva Sverige notes that the increase does not outweigh the withdrawn support from other funders and increased costs.

Charlotte Rydh, Secretary General of Giva Sverige, comments:

“Some see giving from the public and companies as something that can easily replace public support, but the reality is rarely that simple. Different types of funders fulfil different functions, and together they create the stability required for long-term investments and sustainable operations.”

Since its inception in 2023, the Giving Index has proven to be an accurate indicator, both for the development of giving and for the mood of the economy. On two occasions, increases in the Giving Index have been followed by increased confidence in the future among households and companies according to the Barometer Indicator, which is the National Institute of Economic Research’s indicator of the mood in Swedish society.

Rydh adds:

“The Giving Index was introduced with the ambition of being able to quickly understand how external events affect giving from the public and companies. So far, the index has also proven to be useful for the opposite; to use the development in giving as an indicator of how the entire economy is moving. The fact that optimism about future giving is now decreasing should therefore also be seen as negative for other sectors of society.”

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