Who's the most charitable of them all?

Charity is the act of benevolent giving, so of all the things it is, it?s not a competition. But it?s still interesting to have a look at some stats on the biggest givers. As a country, how deep are our pockets? And where do we rank compared to others?

A report in April 2010 by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development outlined which countries gave the most Official Development Assistance (ODA). This refers to charity donations that come through official, government sectors that are to be used for economic development and welfare.

In absolute numbers, here are the top 5 givers of ODA:

1. United States ? $28.67 billion
2. France - $12.43 billion
3. Germany - $11.98 billion
4. United Kingdom $11.50 billion
5. Japan - $9.48 billion

Australia came in at number 13 with $2.67 billion.

When it comes to how much ODA was given as a percentage of Gross National Income, the leading countries change.

Scandinavian and European countries are leading the way:

1. Sweden ? 1.12%
2. Norway ? 1.06%
3. Luxembourg ? 1.01%
4. Denmark ? 0.88%
5. Netherlands - 0.82%

Australia dropped to number 16, donating 0.29% of its GNI.

Global Humanitarian Assistance also ranked countries by generosity as donation per citizen from 2008. Again, the Scandinavians topped the list! On average, this is how much the leaders donated per person:

1. Luxembourg ? $114.40 per citizen
2. Norway - $95.70 per citizen
3. Sweden - $65.9 per citizen
4. Ireland - $55.9 per citizen
5. Denmark - $54.1 per citizen

These figures provide interesting insight into the global marketplace of charity giving. Whether it?s through child sponsorship or through a one off charity donation, international perspectives help us gauge how generous we are, and how different countries approach contributions and charity donations. By seeing how much other countries donate, targets can be set to ensure we are giving and donating as much as possible.

Could you make more personal donations?

Source: http://entertainment.ezinemark.com/whos-the-most-charitable-of-them-all-7d2eaa8396e0.html

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