Countries with Highest Numbers of Volunteers: USA, Canada, Australia, UK, France, and Many More

Last Updated: July 28, 2024

Countries with Highest  Numbers of Volunteers: USA, Canada, Australia, UK, France, and Many More

Let’s begin by knowing what is a volunteer and travel abroad. It is a process of joining unpaid work in a foreign country. Volunteering abroad is a selfless act of serving the communities overseas. 

Every year hundreds of thousands of people volunteer across the globe. From the work professionals to the high school students, everyone is willing to share their knowledge and skills.

There is no exact comparison for citizens of which country is most engaged in the volunteering activities. Volunteering is widely being practice in all the nations throughout the globe from Asia to Europe and North America.

Over the years many  citizens of the countries listed below have done volunteer work in other countries while contributing their skill and time for different volunteer abroad programs .

Here we have enlisted some of the top countries having their people participating in volunteering abroad activities. In the research carried out by the Johns Hopkins Center for Civic Society Studies. Based on the response to the question of the research “Have you volunteered your time to an organization?” Here are the percentages of all respondents:

Volunteers in the United States of America (USA): 41.9%

volunteers in usa

People from the USA are top in the list of volunteering; almost 41.9% of the respondent from the United Stated said that they have joined the volunteer program at some point. According to the 2018 Volunteering in America report, 77.34 million adults (30.3 percent) from US volunteered through some organization that year. 

snap of volunteer from USA

From these data, it can be concluded that volunteering has also become part of American Culture. From an American youth who had just finished high school to the senior citizen looking forward to sharing life experience, many US citizens are participating in volunteering programs either inside the country or internationally.

Volunteers from the USA are joining different kinds of projects. From participating in environmental conservation projects against climate change to teaching English abroad, US volunteers are serving their purpose every year and the rate of participation is growing each year.

Volunteer From New Zealand: 41.53%    

With 41.53% of the respondents suggesting that they have participated in the volunteering program, New Zealand comes to the second position in this list. On average people of New Zealand contribute a total of around 159 million hours of formal volunteer labor each year. 11.8% of people undertake informal volunteering work, contributing a total of 7.8 million hours of volunteer labor per year to these figures. These data suggest that New Zealanders also have a great affection for the volunteering works.

Volunteers in Norway: 38.93%      

Norway is in the third place of our list for volunteering, as 38.93% of the respondents have said yes to the question of whether they have volunteered at some point. This significant number of respondents suggest that considerable Norwegians participate in some form of volunteering tasks, ranking Norway as the third-most volunteer-oriented country. 

Volunteers from Canada:  38.06%

volunteers in canada

With just a slight margin from Norway, Canada is in the fourth position of this list. With 38.06% of the respondents from Canada stating that they have participated in some sort of volunteering activities, volunteering in Canada stands to this rank. Besides this, there is a staggering fact that more than 13.3 million people—accounting for 47% of Canadians aged 15 and over participated in volunteering in 2010. They devoted almost 2.07 billion hours to their volunteer activities. 

Based on this data we can surely imply that Canadians have a great affection for volunteering. Every year thousands of Canadians are joining the international volunteering programs as well.

Volunteers From Australia: 37.9%

volunteers in australia

Australia comes to the 5th position in this list as 37.9% of the respondents from Australia indicated that they have joined some sort of volunteering activities.

Almost 6.1 million Australian adults (37% of their entire population) undertake some form of voluntary work annually. This fact clearly suggests that Australians are very much fond of volunteering works. Every year thousands of volunteers from Australia also join the international volunteer programs abroad.

Volunteers in the Netherlands: 37.15%    

volunteers in netherlands

Almost with a similar figure as of Australia, Netherland is ranked in the sixth position on this list. Slightly over half of Dutch young people between the ages of 15 and 24 occasionally do volunteer work. This suggests the increasing attraction of people in the Netherlands for volunteering works.

Volunteers from Ireland: 35%

With almost 35% of respondents saying that they have participated as a volunteer, Ireland comes to the seventh position in this list. According to Volunteer Ireland , over a million Irish people join a volunteer program annually.

Volunteers From Switzerland: 34.12%

With almost 34 percent respondents agreeing that they have joined some kind of volunteering work, Switzerland is in the 8th position in this list of top countries having the volunteers.

Volunteers From Austria: 30.34%

With around 30.34 percent respondents saying yes, Austria is in the 9th position. Almost 1.93 million Austrians participated in some kind of voluntary and social works.

Volunteers in United Kingdom:28.65%

volunteers united kingdom UK

Over 28 percent respondent agreeing with their enrollment in recent volunteer works, UK comes to 10th position in our list of top countries with the volunteers.

volunteer from UK at work

It is also estimated that 15.2 million people in the UK volunteer at least once a month. Which a very impressive signal of love of United Kingdom people for volunteering abroad.

Also every year thousands of participants from UK join the volunteer and travel abroad program in the different parts of the globe.                   

Volunteers from France:28.52%

volunteers France

People of France also have a great affection for volunteering. From teenage, to the high Scholl students to the professional adults, French people have been sharing their experience and knowledge by participating in different volunteer programs every year.

Moreover, here in the list are few more countries from which everywhere people are participating in different volunteer programs and serving the world communities by sharing their knowledge and skills.

Volunteers from Finland : 27.87%

With 27.87% of the respondents suggesting that they have been involved in some kind of volunteer and humanitarian works, Finland also stays in our list of the countries with most volunteers. Organized practice of volunteering started in the mid 18th century in Finland, ever since volunteering activities are being carried out by Finnish society. Around 1.3 million people from Finland take part in some kind of volunteer work.

Volunteers from Japan : 24.72%

Almost 24.72 percent of respondents from Japan said they have been involved in some kind of volunteer work. Which makes Japan one of the most volunteered countries in Asia for our list.

Volunteers from Belgium: 24.05%

With the range of 24.05% Belgians working in volunteer work, Belgium also stands strong in our list of the countries with most volunteer participants.  Between 1 million and 1.4 million, equivalent to almost 14% of the Belgian population, is involved in some kind of volunteering or social work.

Volunteers from Germany: 22.72%

WIth the 22.72% of the German respondents stating that they have volunteered for some kind of social cause, Germany is also included in our list of volunteering countries. In 2020, around 17.1 million Germans participated in some kind of volunteering social work. This country of Europe always stands afront when it comes to helping people of other countries.

Volunteers from South Korea: 21.33%

21.33% respondents from Korea suggested that they have participated in some kind of volunteering work.

Volunteers from Italy: 21.12%

Almost 21.12% Italian enthusiasts indicating they have been part of some humanitarian and social works, Italy is also the member of the countries with most volunteers abroad. Almost 4.4 million of population get involved in volunteer works organized by some group, and almost 3 million Italians helped people on their own. This shows that Italy should not be missed while we mention countries with most humanitarian workers.

Volunteers from Denmark: 19.75%

As 19.75% respondents from Denmark agreed that they have taken part in some kind of voluntary work, we proudly include Denmark in our list.

Volunteers from Czech Republic: 18.2%

With 18.2% Czech respondents agreeing of doing voluntary work in the past, Czech Republic is in our list .

Volunteers from Spain: 14.81%

volunteer from spain

With 14.81% respondents  suggesting they have been part of the volunteer causes, Spain stays in our list. According to NATIONAL REPORT – SPAIN - European Union , volunteering in Spain is growing significantly in the last decade. The number of volunteers from Spain stands around 1.1 million.

Volunteers from Slovakia: 12.89%

With 12.89% of respondents suggesting their involvement in some kind of social and humanitarian works, Slovakia stands strong in our list.

Volunteers from Portugal: 11.91%

volunteer from portugal

More than one in 10 adult Portuguese take part in some kind of voluntary , social or humanitarian work.  51.6% of these enthusiasts participated the volunteer programs through an organization.

Volunteers from Poland:10.37%

With 10.37 percent of respondents indicating that they have been part of some kind of volunteering causes, Poland is in our list of countries with the most volunteers.

Volunteers from Hungary: 6.32%

Almost half a million Hungarian population take part in some kind of volunteer and social work. Which is equivalent to 4.7% of the adult population. With 6.32 percent of the respondents replying that they have been part of activities helping others, Hungary takes an honorary position in our list.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

What are Volunteers of America?

All the enthusiasts of USA, participating in different social works, local and abroad volunteer programs are the volunteers from America. Almost 25. 1 percent of adults in America are volunteering.

How do I find volunteer work for UK Citizens?

If you are looking for local volunteering opportunities in the UK, search for the volunteer programs near you. However for the abroad volunteer programs, there are few options like Volunteer FDIP offering the volunteer programs for UK Citizens and the rest of the world.

What volunteer opportunities are for people of Canada?

From helping the local communities in Canada to joining different teach and volunteer abroad programs, there are multitudes of opportunities for the people of Canada.

How can I volunteer from Australia?

To join a volunteer program from Australia, you have to find volunteer programs abroad. Right now due to COVID-19 situations, there can be different immigration policies of the Australian Government for different countries, but the rest of the process would be the same to participate.

How many volunteers are there in Germany?

Approximately 17.1 million people of Germany have participated in some kind of voluntary work.

What do the Volunteers from Ireland do?

Volunteers from Ireland serve for different local causes. Apart from that they have been helping abroad for education, health, childcare and environment sectors as well. 

Which country volunteers the most?

The United States, New Zealand, Norway , Canada and Australia are some of the countries with a high number of volunteers. However, volunteering is not something tangible. Every person in every country is contributing somehow for humanity, and the global rate of participation of people volunteering is increasing.

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