Kenya scored 63 points in the World Giving Index 2024, placing it just behind Indonesia, which earned 74 points.
The survey, which posed three questions about recent charitable actions, revealed that 82% of Kenyans reported helping a stranger or someone they didn’t know.
This makes Kenyans particularly generous, with a high likelihood of receiving assistance from them in times of need, even if you’re abroad.
In the World Giving Index 2024, Kenya is ranked second globally for the generosity of its citizens. This ranking is based on a 2023 survey of 145,702 people across 142 countries, covering over 95% of the world’s population.
The 14th edition of the index highlights not only the consistency in volunteering time but also an increase in financial donations and aid to strangers.
Indonesia retained the top spot with 74 points for the seventh consecutive year, having surpassed Myanmar in 2017.
“As many as nine in 10 Indonesians donated money to charity, and more than six in 10 volunteered their time,” the survey said.
Kenya took the second place with 63 points against the global average index score of 40 points.
An average of the positive responses was calculated for each country, giving an index score and a global ranking.
Singapore came third but tied on 61 points with fourth placed The Gambia, followed by Nigeria (60 points); United States (59); Ukraine (57) while Australia, United Arab Emirates and Malta came in 8th, 9th and 10th respectively with 54 points each.
“A higher index score indicates that more of that country’s population is engaged with giving. The lowest possible score is zero points, and the highest possible score is 100 points,” the report notes.
The survey posed three key questions about recent charitable activities:
- Have you contributed money to charity?
- Have you assisted a stranger or someone you didn’t know who was in need?
- Have you volunteered your time with an organization?
Regarding assistance to strangers, Kenyans led with 82% of respondents affirming they had done so. They were followed by Bangladeshis and Nigerians (81%), Liberians (80%), and people from Senegal, Sierra Leone, and The Gambia (78%). Ukraine, Malawi, and Niger each had 71% of respondents providing help.
While Kenyans did not make the top 10 for monetary donations, they ranked fourth for time volunteered, with 52% of respondents indicating they had given their time.
Indonesia topped the charts in both financial contributions and time volunteered, with approval ratings of 90% and 65%, respectively.
Poland was at the bottom of the list with only 23% of citizens reporting they had helped a stranger, 15% having donated money, and 7% having volunteered their time.
Regionally, Oceania, North America, and Southeast Asia emerged as the most generous regions, each scoring well above the global average of 40 points. Oceania in the Asia Pacific led with 52 points. In Europe, Western Europe topped with 43 points, North America led the Americas with 48 points, and Western Africa led Africa with 42 points. East Africa, including Kenya, was second in generosity with 41 points, followed by Middle Africa, Southern Africa, and Northern Africa with 39, 35, and 33 points, respectively.
Overall, the likelihood of people helping strangers increased from 49% in 2014 to 61% in 2023. Monetary donations grew slightly from 31% to 35%, while the rate of time volunteered rose from 21% to 24%.
“The global index score is at its joint-highest level,only previously matched during the pandemic,” the report said.
“We continue to call upon governments, policymakers and international funders to ensure the building blocks are in place to enable cross-border giving, and to create sustainable, resilient local giving structures.”