Britain is rapidly losing the charity habit, with public donations to good causes falling by more than £1.4bn last year, according to an analysis by the Charities Aid Foundation (Caf). The annual report found that just half of people gave to charity in 2025, down from 61% a decade earlier, marking a significant shift in attitudes towards charitable giving.
Mark Greer, managing director of Caf, said charity giving was no longer a “deeply embedded cultural norm” amid rising cost of living pressures and a more sceptical society. “Charities can no longer depend solely on habitual generosity or goodwill from the public,” he added. The decline has hit even major charities such as Macmillan Cancer Support, Samaritans and Oxfam, which have made big cuts to staff and budgets.
The collapse in overall donations from £15.4bn to £14bn was driven by a fall in the average gift size from £72 to £65. Nearly half of non-donors (49%) said they could not afford to give, up from 44% in 2024. Lack of affordability was cited across income demographics, including those earning over £125,000 a year, with 49% of higher-rate taxpayers saying they were “not interested in charities”.
Caf estimates that 6 million fewer people gave to charity last year compared with 2016, potentially reducing total voluntary sector income by about £12bn. Overseas aid charities have been particularly hard hit, with donor numbers falling from 20% in 2016 to 11% last year, triggering a £250m annual drop. In contrast, UK food banks received £610m in 2025, surpassing arts, culture and science (£575m), education (£508m) and homelessness (£442m).
Peter Grant, an expert in philanthropy at Bayes Business School, said the decline also reflected a more polarised society, with “culture war” attacks on organisations like the RNLI and National Trust undermining charity legitimacy. Kate Lee, chief executive of the National Council for Voluntary Organisations, warned: “The drop in giving is a worrying sign for the sector. At a time when demand for charitable support is rising, a decline on this scale could present serious challenges.”
