Guyana has been ranked the 16th most-generous country on earth, according to a new ranking from Gallup’s World Giving Index. The index is based on surveys and other research on 153 different countries, which together constitute about 95 per cent of the world’s population. The survey asks in part about charitable behaviour, including donations, volunteering habits and taking time to help strangers.
Based on this index, Australia and New Zealand are tied as the most generous nations on earth.
The top 21 most generous countries, in order, are Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Canada, Switzerland, the U.S., Netherlands, Britain, Sri Lanka, Austria, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Sierra Leone, Malta, Iceland, Turkmenistan, Guyana, Qatar, Hong Kong, Germany, Denmark and Guinea. Gallup’s analysis of the data found that giving money is more strongly correlated with happiness than with a nation’s gross domestic product.
“It would be reasonable to conclude that giving is more an emotional act than a rational one,” the report said.
Among the other findings, age and gender affected generous behaviours.
Globally, giving money to charity increases with age, largely explained by changes in disposable income. Women are generally more likely to give than men, the report said. (New York Times)
