# Public donations dropped by nearly 10% between 2024 and 2025, says CAF research - Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2026/03/16/public-donations-down-nearly-10-percent-2024-25/ - Published: 2026-03-16T08:50:47+00:00 - Author: Howard Lake **The total amount donated to charity by the British public has fallen for the first time in five years, with an estimated £1.4 billion less donated last year, according to the Charities Aid Foundation’s (CAF) latest report.** The finding was announced today in the publication of CAF’s UK Giving Report, the UK’s longest running survey for household giving. The British public donated **£ 15.4 billion** to charities in 2024, and an **estimated £14 billion** in 2025. According to “the state of the nation’s giving”, total giving has dropped before, but the latest figure comes against a background of the number of people giving to charity declining over 10 years. According to CAF, **69%** of people gave to charity in **2016** but by **2025** that was down to **55%**. Numerically that represents an average of **600,000 fewer donors** in each of those years. It estimated the value of donations ‘lost’ to charities during the decade, if those donors had continued to give, at **£12.4 billion**. ## Advertisement [⌊Posthub advert. You create the campaign. We'll handle the postal journey. Get started at post-hub.co.uk.⌉](https://fundraising.co.uk/ads/posthub-20261007-300x250/) But the actual proportion of people who gave **remained the same from 2024 to 2025 at 55%**. Nevertheless the average (mean) monthly donation was **£65 in 2025**, down from ** £72 in 2024**. The typical (median) donation was **£26**, down slightly from **£ 28 in 2024**, so those who give are typically giving less. (These figures do not include legacy income). ## “Can’t afford to give” Based on CAF’s research, the main reason people do not donate to charity, cited by one in five (**22%**) people in the UK is **because they cannot afford it**. The approach is “common across all demographics”. Other reasons that people give for not donating is they weren’t interested in charities(** 28%**), rising to half (**49%**) of those who are higher and additional rate taxpayers. There has been a notable drop in donors to overseas aid and disaster relief, falling from **19%** of donors in **2016** to **11%** in 2025. Consequently total donations to this cause have declined in real terms. ## Why do people give? For those who donate to charity, CAF reports that the majority are motivated by an emotional reason (**78%**), such as caring about the cause. Others say that they want to be part of something bigger (**53%**), such as supporting their community or “making a difference”. So CAF is able to report that “giving has broadly kept up with inflation over the last decade”. Donations to some causes have beaten inflation since 2016. ![Giving has broadly kept up with inflation over the last decade. Chart from CAF's 2026 Giving Report.](https://wfay6x.infiniteuploads.cloud/2026/03/CAF-Giving-2026- figure-3-total-amount-donated-each-year@2x.png) Figure 3 from CAF’s Giving Report 2026. In addition, **direct debit and standing orders** remain the most popular ways for the public to give, accounting for about a fifth of all donations. ## ⏎ Missed opportunities Missed opportunities for growing giving include, as usual, a figure for Gift Aid. Gift Aid was worth £1.7 billion to charities in 2025, but an estimated £560 million is left unclaimed each year. CAF cites [Charity Finance Group’s research](https://cfg.org.uk/news/get_ready_for_gift_aid_awareness_day_2025) for the unclaimed amount. ## Reviving the culture of giving? Responding to the findings, Mark Greer, Managing Director of the Charities Aid Foundation, suggested that the UK needed a “collaborative effort” to revive the culture of charitable giving. He said: > “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. > “We know that when people are engaged with charities, they support them generously > and for many they want to be part of something greater than themselves. > “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 research was conducted for CAF by YouGov Plc. Findings for the calendar year > 2025 are based on the responses of 12,913 individuals, unless otherwise indicated.“ > The sample is constructed in such a way that it is nationally representative of > UK adults aged 16+ in terms of respondents’ sex, age, region/nation and social > grade”. **You can [download CAF’s UK Giving Report 2026](https://www.cafonline.org/insights/research/uk-giving-report) by registering for free at Charities Aid Foundation.** * **[Shape History on fundraising insights in CAF’s UK Giving Report 2025](https://fundraising.co.uk/2025/04/22/shape-history-on-fundraising-insights-in-cafs-uk-giving-report-2025/)( 22 April 2025) * **[CAF UK Giving report 2017 reveals £9.7 billion was donated in 2016](https://fundraising.co.uk/2017/04/13/caf-uk-giving-report-reveals-9-7bn-donated-2016/)( 13 April 2017)** * **[CAF UK Giving report 2019 shows drop in regular givers for third year running](https://fundraising.co.uk/2019/05/07/caf-uk-giving-report-shows-drop-in-regular-givers-for-third-year-running/)( 7 May 2019)**