Photo: Ian Fuller
Thailand ranked number 19 in the World Giving Index 2015 by Charities Aid Foundation, which was released this week.
The index measures three types of generosity: donating to charity, helping strangers, and volunteering. Thailand rose two spots from last year in the generosity index which surveyed over 150,000 people from 145 countries.
Thailand is renowned for donating. The index found that 87 percent of Thai people donate to charity, the second largest percentage in the world after Myanmar (92 percent).
Meanwhile, the country’s score for helping strangers and volunteering fell short. Only 44 percent of Thais help strangers, and only 14 percent do volunteer work.
The report noted that Thailand and Myanmar’s strong Buddhist cultures drive donations.
Globally, Myanmar topped the index for the third year in a row, and our neighbor to the west also secured first place for both volunteering time and making donations. The United States came in second place with its huge contribution for helping strangers (76 percent), followed by New Zealand, Canada, Australia and United Kingdom.
Overall, more people donated money and helped strangers this year, while volunteering saw a small downturn.
Powerful China ranked second to last in terms of generosity, while the Republic of Burundi came in dead last. The survey also found that only five G20 countries are in this year’s Top 20, proving that economic prosperity does not lead to a rise in giving.
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