50+ Volunteering statistics you need to know

Volunteering is beneficial and essential for both volunteers and organizations. By promoting volunteering in your company, you can help staff development, increase employee engagement, and improve your company image. You can also reach more people and get more connections. In addition to the many benefits for your company, volunteering allows you to give back to the community.

In the following article, we have compiled 50+ volunteering statistics you need to know. If you want to learn more about volunteering, this article and statistics will guide you. You will also read about why you need volunteer statistics and benefit from the experiences that the statistics reflect. Without further ado, let's move on to our article.

Highlights about volunteering statistics

Knowing the statistics about volunteering will help you understand it more correctly. It will enable you to approach the subject more scientifically and allow you to take more solid steps in that direction. It will also encourage you to make accurate comparisons for your business plan. The following are some of the most important statistics about volunteering:

50+ Volunteering statistics to get valuable insights

Are you an employer trying to give back to your community and want to develop your team? Knowing the statistics about volunteering will help you take the right step. The statistics broken down into categories will help you explore the topic in more detail. Here are 50+ volunteering statistics in different categories to help you:

💡If you want to learn how to create a volunteer application form, you can check out our article about creating a volunteer application form.

General statistics about volunteering

General volunteer work statistics will give you a broad perspective on volunteering without going into detail. As we read the statistics ahead, we will see how effective volunteering is and how it benefits everyone involved. Now, check out these general statistics about volunteering:

1. Globally, more than 1 billion people volunteer (TeamStage).

2. An Independent Sector Study found that the average hourly value of volunteers is $28.54 (VolunteerHub).

3. The number of monthly volunteers aged 15 and over worldwide is 862,378,600 (Better Impact).

4. Approximately 60% of businesses provide paid time off to volunteer staff members, and another 21% want to do so within the next two years (Galaxydigital).

5. 86% of employers think that workers want them to give them chances to participate in the community (America's Charities).

6. The value of voluntarism is over $184 billion (VolunteerHub).

7. In 2020–2021, 16.3 million people volunteered via an organization or a group in the UK (NCVO).

8. Over 71% of volunteers only work with one organization yearly (VolunteerHub).

9. Data from LinkedIn shows that in 2020, LinkedIn's US members added more than 110,000 volunteer activities to their profiles each month (LinkedIn).

10. Compared to 34% in 2006, 67% of people in 2014 found volunteer opportunities online (VolunteerHub).

11. In the UK, 30% of people over 16 volunteered at least once in 2020–2021 for a company or an organization (NCVO).

12. More than one in four volunteers (28.3%) give at least 100 hours of their time to volunteering annually (Volunteering Australia).

Student volunteering statistics

Students are an essential part of volunteering. It is as beneficial for students as it is for companies and organizations. It helps students in their careers and allows them to make new connections. Check out the statistics on student volunteering:

13. A study found that college graduation rates were 19% higher for students who volunteered in the community than for those who did not (Youth.gov).   

14. In the United States, women comprise 65.5% of student volunteers, while 34.5% are men (Zippia).

15. Child Trends found that 39% of students in the 12th grade in 2014 said they volunteered at least once a month (VolunteerHub).

16. Currently, around 119,638 student volunteers are employed in the US (Zippia).

17. Males with 38% were less likely to volunteer in high school than females with 50% (NCES).

18. Student volunteers are 45% more likely to work at education companies than private companies (Zippia).

19. In the United States, 3 million college students provided 286 million hours of volunteer work in 2015 (Youth.gov).

20. 68% of student volunteers have a bachelor's degree, which is the most common degree among student volunteers (Zippia).

21. Education, healthcare, and nonprofit organizations are the sectors in which student volunteers are most common (Zippia).

Volunteering benefits statistics

The benefits of volunteering are countless. It is essential not just for the organizations and volunteers but also for society. If you are looking for volunteers for your organization, it is time to take a look at volunteering benefits statistics:

22. According to a Deloitte survey on volunteering, 89% of participants think that organizations that support volunteerism provide a better overall work environment than those that do not (Rosterfy).

23. According to The Corporation for National & Community Service, volunteers are nearly twice as likely to donate to charities as people who don't volunteer (VolunteerHub).

24. According to the 2017 Volunteerism Survey, 70% of participants agree that organizations that support volunteerism create a more positive work environment (Deloitte).

25. More than 80% of volunteers said they were more aware of their community, 65% said they were better communicators, and 59% said they felt more confident (CIPD).

26. Volunteering strengthens the body and reduces stress levels in its participants (VolunteerHub).

27. In the 2017 Deloitte Volunteerism Survey, 77% of participants stated that employee well-being is linked to company-sponsored volunteer activities (Deloitte).

28. Regular volunteers have a 27% increased chance of landing a job (VolunteerHub).

29. According to 77% of nonprofit organizations, having qualified volunteers on staff might improve their organization's practices. However, just 12% of nonprofit organizations use volunteers for these kinds of tasks (Deloitte).

Demographics of volunteering statistics

Many different groups in society contribute to volunteering. Therefore, it would be helpful to analyze the statistics according to demographics. We can find out which groups are giving how much their time by looking at the statistics. Here are the demographics of volunteering statistics:

30. According to The Bureau of Labor Statistics, people between the ages of 35 and 54 are the most likely to volunteer their time (VolunteerHub).

31. Female volunteers comprised 14% of the "consistent volunteers" compared to male volunteers (NCES).

32. Of all volunteers, 22.6 percent are under 24 years old (VolunteerHub).

33. About 3.0 billion hours of service are contributed by 32,772,431 male volunteers in the US, whereas 44,614,636 female volunteers provide roughly 3.9 billion hours of service (Americorps).

34. Every year, 4% of college graduates who are 25 years of age or older volunteer (VolunteerHub).

35. In the United States, 26.1% of Generation Y volunteers (Americorps).

36. Men are 47.5% more likely to volunteer for sports and physical recreation compared to 30.5% for women. Women are more likely than men to volunteer in health and welfare organizations (Volunteering Australia).

37. The Bureau of Labor Statistics states that women volunteer 6% more than men (VolunteerHub).

38. Between September 2020 and September 2021, the age group with the most significant percentage of volunteers was 16 to 17-year-olds, with 28.2 percent (Statista).

39. Of all the generations, Generation X (ages 41 to 56 in 2021) has the most remarkable volunteering rate (United States Census Bureau).

40. In the US, 19,904,598 millennial volunteers provide almost 1.5 billion service hours (Americorps).

Statistics about volunteering by country

Volunteering takes place all over the world. You can gain different perspectives by examining volunteering statistics in other countries. Thanks to these statistics, you can also compare countries and learn more about the topic. Now let's take a look at statistics about volunteering by country:

41. In 2021, over 4.1 billion hours of service were provided to communities by 60 million Americans who formally volunteered through an organization (Americorps).

42. In 2020, it is projected that more than 5 million (5.025 million) Australians volunteered via a company or group. This represents nearly a quarter (24.8%) of adults over the age of 15 (Volunteering Australia).

43. An estimated 159 million hours of formal volunteer work are performed annually by persons in New Zealand (VolunteerFDIP).

44. In 2021/22, around 55 percent of people in England reported volunteering at least once in the previous year (Statista).

45. In 2018, more than 24 million people volunteered in Canada, which is equal to 79% of Canadians aged 15 and older (Statistics Canada).

46. In 2019, 28.8 million individuals, or 39.7% of Germans aged 14 and older, participated in at least one volunteer activity (BMFSFJ).

47. In France, older people are also more likely than younger people to participate in voluntary activities weekly. In 2022, 14 percent of people aged 45-49 volunteered (Statista).

48. A bit more than 20% of volunteers in Belgium do not have a job (European Commission).

49. In 2020, around 9.2 percent of people in Italy volunteered, and volunteering activities are common among all age groups (Statista).

50. A total of 77.9 million Americans, or around 30% of the population, reported volunteering for an organization or association in 2019 (Americorps).

Why do you need volunteer statistics?

If you are looking for volunteers for your organization, the first thing you should check is volunteering statistics. Statistics give you the opportunity to learn from data and turn data into knowledge. It allows you to make informed decisions. Checking volunteering statistics will help you to:

For these reasons and more, definitely check volunteer statistics before taking action. Use the experience reflected by the statistics to help your organization grow. Volunteering statistics will help you understand how it can make a difference.

💡 If you are curious about more statistics, you can check out our internship statistics. 

Final words

In this article, you have seen some important information about volunteering through statistics. 50+ volunteering statistics will show you demographics about volunteering, the benefits of volunteering, and statistics about students and countries. Also, you can read about why you need volunteer statistics.

With the help of these statistics, you can make informed decisions about your organization. You now have all the necessary information about volunteering!