# Small v big charities: 73% of charities raise 3% of charities’ total income

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2018/01/16/small-v-big-charities-73-charities-raise-3-charities-total-income/
- Published: 2018-01-16T13:05:23+00:00
- Author: Howard Lake

**The Charity Commission has published its latest quarterly snapshot of charities
registered in England and Wales as at 31 December 2017.**

 

It confirms that the sector consists primarily of small and very small organisations,
while the vast majority of the income is generated and received by a very small 
minority.

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At the end of 2017 there were **168,237** charities in England and Wales listed 
on the Charity Commission’s register, the highest figure for 2017. In March the 
total was **167,023**.

 

## Small charities, big charities

 

At the end of the year:

 

• **65,656** charities raised between £0 and £10,000 (**39% **of all charities on
the register with financial details)

 

• **57,570** charities raised between £10,001 and £100,000 (**34.2%**)

 

• these smaller charities together received **3%** of the total income received 
by all English and Welsh charities

 

• **2,250** charities each raised over **£5 million**

 

• these larger charities, representing **1.3%** of all charities, received **72.2%**
of all the income raised by charities

 

The figures are based on the annual gross income reported by charities in their 
annual returns. The analysis above excludes the **11,247 **charities (**6.7%** of
those registered) for which the Commission does not yet hold current financial data.

 

![Charity Commission register statistics 31 December 2017](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.
cloud/2018/01/charity-commission-charities-income-distribution-201712.jpg)

_Annual income distribution of charities in England and Wales in 2017. Data source:
Charity Commission. Chart: UK Fundraising_

 

 

 

You can view the [statistics from the Charity Commission](https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/charity-register-statistics/recent-charity-register-statistics-charity-commission).
You can search the [register of charities](https://www.gov.uk/find-charity-information)
to view charity sector data graphically, by income size or main income source.

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