Aussies donating almost $8 billion yearly

AUSTRALIANS are donating about eight billion dollars to charitable causes each year according to new data from Roy Morgan Research.

“That is up a massive $2.1 billion (plus 36.3 per cent) since 2015,” CEO of Roy Morgan Michele Levine said.

“A majority, 58 per cent, of Australians aged 14 plus (13.2 million) donated an average of $594 to charity in the year to June 2025, a figure that has increased significantly from a decade ago.

“However, growth in the size of donations has slowed since the pandemic as the cost-of-living crisis hit Australians in recent years.”

Released this month, the new Roy Morgan data shows that over the last decade the average size of charitable donations made by Australians grew significantly.

In 2015-16 the average charitable donation per donor was $334 and the average charitable donation per donor increased by $166 (plus 50 per cent) in the next five years to an average of $500 in 2020-21.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, the growth in the size of the average charitable donation has continued, but at a slower pace, up by $94 (plus 19 per cent) over the last four years to $594 in 2024-25.

Household income growth has been outpacing growth in charitable donations since 2021. Household incomes over the last few years have grown by 22 per cent since June 2021, to just under $150,000 per household by June this year.

This is marginally faster than the growth in average charitable donations over the same five-year period, up by $94 to $594, an increase of 19 per cent.

The divergence between the two, which generally track closely together, has opened up this year, the Roy Morgan data shows.

Six months ago, average charitable donations were increasing at the same pace as household incomes, both rising by 21 per cent from June 2021 to December 2024.

“Over the five years to 2021 the average size of donations increased by a massive $166 (plus 50 per cent) to $500, but since then donations have increased by only $94 (plus 19 per cent) in the last four years,” Ms Levine said.

“The slowdown in the growth in average charitable donation size is no surprise given the cost-of-living crisis faced by millions of Australians in recent years as we faced the highest level of inflation in over three decades which peaked at 7.8 per cent in the 12 months to December 2022.”