UK Volunteering Statistics 2025/26: Slow, Uneven Growth After Years of Decline

Executive summary

According to the U.K. government’s Community and Engagement Survey 2025/26, England’s volunteering rates rose for the third consecutive year, but the story is slow, steady recovery rather than a breakthrough. Monthly formal volunteering reached 18% (up from 17%), informal volunteering reached 25% (up from 24%), and combined participation reached 35% (up from 33%), still short of the 23% pre-Covid rate. Charitable giving held flat at 66%. Demographic gaps haven’t narrowed, and the biggest barrier remains time, not interest, keeping flexible volunteering firmly on the agenda.

How many people volunteer in the UK?

Source: Community and Engagement Survey 2025/26, DCMS, 14 August 2026.

Which areas have the highest and lowest rates?

Local variation is far wider than the national average suggests. Formal volunteering ranges from 7% in the City of London to 29% in Rushcliffe, a 23-point spread. The South West, South East and East of England run above average; London, the West Midlands and the North East run below it. For any multi-region organisation, the national figure hides where growth is actually happening.

Who is most likely to volunteer, and has that changed?

Not really, and that’s worth flagging. Demographic gaps have persisted rather than narrowed. 25% of 65 to 74 year-olds volunteer formally at least monthly, compared with just 12% of 25 to 34 year-olds, roughly the same gap as previous years. Informal volunteering skews toward both younger and older groups; disabled people volunteer informally more than non-disabled people (29% vs 25%); and people in higher managerial and professional occupations continue to lead on both volunteering and giving

Why do people volunteer, and what stops them?

Motivation is values-led; the barrier is logistical, and it isn’t shifting.

Top reasons to volunteer: wanting to help (51%), the cause mattering personally (31%), having spare time (30%).

Top barriers: work commitments, by a wide margin, cited by 51% of people who didn’t volunteer as much as they might have. Other uses of spare time (36%) and childcare (21%) follow well behind.

Work commitments have been the dominant barrier for several years running, not a one-off finding. That consistency is exactly why flexible, low-commitment volunteering options remain the practical route to converting willing people into active volunteers

Is charitable giving changing?

Barely. 66% gave to charity in the last four weeks, down 1 percentage point from 67%, continuing a plateau since 2021/22, still well below the 75% seen pre-2020.

What this means for volunteer programmes

The headline for 2025/26 is continuity, not a breakthrough: volunteering is recovering slowly, demographic gaps persist, and time remains the barrier it has always been. That argues for two practical priorities: visibility into where local recovery is happening, and flexible, low-friction ways for time-poor people to get involved.

If you’re working through that operationally, Rosterfy’s team can help.

Frequently Asked Questions

What share of people in England volunteer? 35% took part in formal or informal volunteering at least once a month in 2025/26.

Has volunteering recovered to pre-pandemic levels? Not fully. Formal volunteering was 23% before the pandemic and stands at 18% now, up from 17% last year.

What’s the biggest barrier to volunteering? Work commitments, cited by 51% of people who didn’t volunteer as much as they might have, well ahead of any other reason.

This article is for general information and doesn’t constitute legal advice. For a specific role’s eligibility, check the DBS eligibility tool or your organisation’s safeguarding lead.