December ushers in the busiest and most emotionally charged period for Australia’s charity sector, with new figures revealing a complex story about the nation’s generosity.
While demand for social services peaks – driven by hunger, homelessness, loneliness and family violence – charities increasingly rely on donations and volunteer time to meet the need. But how much are Australians really giving, and how do we compare globally?
According to the most recent data available, Australians claimed more than A$9.1 billion in tax-deductible donations in 2022–23, almost double the amount from the previous year. However, that surge was largely due to a single extraordinary gift: Andrew and Nicola Forrest’s donation of 220 million Fortescue shares, worth $5 billion, to their Minderoo Foundation.
Strip out that one contribution, and the picture is less encouraging. The median tax-deductible donation rose just $2, reaching $150 per taxpayer on average.
More concerning is the declining proportion of Australians giving at all. In 2013–14, more than 35% of taxpayers claimed a deductible gift. By 2022–23, that share had fallen to 27.8%, despite a growing population and rising taxable incomes.
High earners are also increasingly absent from the donor pool. A decade ago, more than 60% of Australians earning over $1 million claimed a tax-deductible donation. Today, fewer than half do.
Experts point to several intersecting factors reshaping the nation’s giving habits.
Baby Boomers – Australia’s most generous generation – are ageing out of the tax system. This includes traditional donors, volunteers and those joining community groups – they’re retiring in large numbers. Once they cease lodging tax returns for employment income, their donations no longer appear in official statistics.
Furthermore, financial pressures on older Australians are more prevalent than ever. Older generations are increasingly acting as the ‘bank of mum and dad,’ helping adult children navigate housing costs and supporting those staying at home longer – leaving less discretionary capacity for charitable giving.
Online fundraising platforms such as GoFundMe are also playing a part, with many fundraisers creating campaigns on this website and others like it not being registered for donations to be tax deductable.
This skews the data further as Australians have given more than $1.1 billion through GoFundMe in the past decade. But most of those contributions are not tax-deductible, because they support individuals facing misfortune, medical costs or cost-of-living pressures—not registered charities. As a result, the growing culture of peer-to-peer generosity is invisible in tax data.
Lower profile philanthropy or Informal giving – helping family, friends or neighbours directly – is on the rise, but again, rarely recorded in official measures of philanthropy.
The ‘World Giving Report 2025’ positions Australia mid-pack when it comes to overall generosity, ranking 44th out of 101 countries.
But on the key measure of how much income people give as a percentage, Australia sinks to 68th place.
Australians donate an average of 0.73% of their income, slightly below the Oceania regional average of 0.75%. By comparison, Africa is the most generous region, donating 1.54% of their income, followed by Asia at 1.28%, North America at 0.94%, South America at 0.73%, with Europe at the tail-end with just 0.64%.
The report also highlights a stark pattern. People in high-income countries donate far less, proportionally, than those in low-income nations.
Only 20% of Australians reported volunteering in the past month. This is well below the global average of 26%, however those who do volunteer are putting in more effort, contributing an average of 9.4 hours per month, one of the higher averages worldwide.
Despite the statistical decline, researchers stress that Australians continue to give in meaningful ways – financially, socially and emotionally. Much of that giving simply falls outside traditional measurement, with benefits flowing both ways.
A robust body of evidence shows that generosity – whether through volunteering, donating, or supporting someone in need – improves mental health for both giver and receiver.
As charities brace for their busiest season of the year, one message resonates above all – the most powerful gifts we give aren’t wrapped, ribboned and placed under a tree, but shared through connection, compassion and community.
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