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UK Civil Society Almanac 2023

DATA. TRENDS. INSIGHTS.

  • Nayyara Tabassum

    Nayyara Tabassum

    Research and Insight Manager

    Nayyara leads NCVO's work on the Almanac, the annual state of the sector publication about the charity and voluntary sector and data work in the organisation.

Published: 12 October 2023

14.2m people volunteered through a group, club or organisation in 2021/22

Almost half of the population volunteered their time informally to help others at least once in 2021/22, back down from the increased levels seen in the earlier stages of the pandemic.

After adjusting spend in previous years for inflation, (in 2020/21), combined income fell for charities of all sizes. There was a faster rate of decline at 11% for micro, small and medium-sized organisations.

Informal volunteering at least once a month had increased from 28% in 2019/20 to 33% in 2020/21, reflecting the impact of the pandemic. In 2021/22, this dropped to the pre-pandemic level of 26%.

Small charities increasingly face closures and increasingly dependent on public funding. The number of newly registered charities fell below average in 2021, and many saw their income fall.
35% of mixed ethnic background groups volunteered at least once in the past year

In the last 12 months, 27% of those who identify as white have volunteered formally at least once. This is lower than among those identifying as being from a mixed ethnic background (35%).

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