UK charity and not-for-profit statistics 2025

The number of registered charities in the UK is massive. 170,056 charities appeared on the Charity Commission’s register, as of March 2024. And between March 2024 and January 2025, another 668 charities were registered.

However, the total number of charities in the UK is unknown, since only not-for-profits with a gross annual income of £5,000 or more have to register.

It’s difficult to know exactly how many extra, unregistered charities there are. But it’s estimated there are between 80,000 and 100,000 across England and Wales.

Plus, as many as 20,000 organisations that aren't generally regarded as charities also have charitable status – like private schools, churches, and museums.

The last few years have been a bumpy road for many charities. Especially small and micro charities. Rising costs, more demand for their services, and dwindling donor numbers have led to many of these important not-for-profits closing their doors in 2024.

This article looks in-depth at UK charity statistics and the state of the sector in 2025.

UK charity sector statistics & key facts

All figures are the most up-to-date available at the time of publishing.

• The UK had 170,171 registered charities in June 2024. At least another 20,000 not-for-profit organisations have charitable status but don’t feature on the register.
• The Charity Commission received 9,008 applications to register a charity in 2023/24, 54% of which were successful. In the same period, 3,885 charities were removed from the register.
• The total income of registered charities in 2023/24 was £96bn.
• In the same period, charities spent £94bn.
• The voluntary sector contributed approximately £18bn to the UK’s economy in 2020/21, or 0.8% of GDP.
• Micro charities and small charities (defined by an income less than £10,000, and £10,000 to £100,000 respectively) make up over 80% of the sector.
• Conversely, major and super-major organisations (income over £10 million) make up less than 1%.
• Social services is the largest voluntary subsector, accounting for around a fifth of organisations. It also contributes the most to the UK’s economy, at around £3.4bn per year.

How much do charities make in a year?

In 2023/24, the total income of charities registered in the UK was £96bn (up from £88bn in 2022/23). From January 2025, this figure stands at over £100bn.

The voluntary sector contributes around £18bn to the UK economy each year. Account for its social impact and the value of charitable donations in the statistics, however, and it’s worth much more – £23bn, according to one report.

The amount of money charities make has increased overall when compared with recent years (though never quite reaching pre-pandemic levels). Charity donations statistics in the UK show that people are giving more generously, with regular donations up by 3% in 2023.

Despite the gap between charity income and spending narrowing slightly, total charity spending remained high in 2024, at £94 billion (£85 billion in 2022/23).

The UK's biggest charities

The UK's largest charities (AKA organisations with incomes over £10m) make up less than 1% of the charity sector. Yet despite being low in number, they account for over 66% of all charity spending.

The largest charities in the UK (by income) in 2025:

• Nuffield Health (1.36bn)
• Save the Children International (1.22bn)
• The Charities Aid Foundation (1.15bn)
• The British Council (£873m)
• The Arts Council of England (£803m)
• United Learning Ltd (£735m)
• The National Trust (£723m)
• Cancer Research UK (£684m)
• Cardiff University (£636m)
• Lloyd’s Register Foundation (£560m)

A dive into the statistics on the income and spending of the UK’s biggest charities show that most of their money comes from a mixture of donations, legacies and/or charitable activities, and is largely spent on fundraising and charitable activities.

The most popular UK charities

Interestingly, a charity’s income doesn’t necessarily reflect its popularity (AKA how many people have a good opinion of it) in the statistics.

A YouGov poll revealed the UK’s most popular charities in 2025:

• Macmillan Cancer Support (89%)
• St. John Ambulance (87%)
• British Heart Foundation (85%)
• Samaritans (85%)
• Cancer Research UK (81%)
• Alzheimer’s Research UK (79%)
• RNLI Lifeboats (78%)
• British Red Cross (77%)
• Prostate Cancer UK (77%)
• Marie Curie (75%)

According to these results, adults in the UK think positively of a range of different charities, but particularly ones carrying out research into serious and life-changing conditions like cancer and Alzheimer’s.

Analysing the popularity rankings across different generations reveals some interesting trends, too.

Millennials are more likely to support animal charities (eg Dogs Trust) and environment-focused initiatives (eg Keep Britain Tidy). Meanwhile, mental health (eg Samaritans) and children’s charities (eg Children in Need and Great Ormond Street Hospital) rank highly among both Gen X and Baby Boomers.

The most common small charity causes in the UK

There are lots of different ways to interpret the UK’s ‘most common’ charity causes. Here, we mean the charitable causes represented by the largest number of small voluntary organisations (income less than £100k).

Small charities make up over 80% of the UK's charity sector. And so their impact on local communities is huge.

According to UK small charity statistics gathered by the National Council for Voluntary Organisations (NCVO), the most common small charity causes in 2020/21 were:

• Social services (19% of organisations)
• Cultural and recreational services (15%)
• Religion (10%)
• Grant-making foundations (7%)
• Parent-teacher associations (7%).

Village halls, youth clubs, and scout groups also featured further down the list. They made up a combined 9% of voluntary organisations in the UK.

Statistics & key facts about the UK charity workforce

• Recent statistics from the Charity Commission show that 1,281,583 people were employed by a charity in January 2025.
• There were also over 924,000 trustee positions at registered charities in the UK and 6,673,540 volunteers.
• Figures gathered by the UK Civil Society show that around 978,000 people were working in the voluntary sector in 2024. That’s about 3% of the UK’s workforce.
• In December 2023, more than half (53%) of voluntary sector employees worked for small charities (1-49 employees). Of those, a quarter (25%) worked for micro charities (1-10 employees).
• In 2024, the UK’s biggest charity employers were Save The Children (19,548 employees) and Nuffield Health (18,215 employees).
• Between 2011 and 2024, the voluntary sector workforce has grown by 30%. Unfortunately, it’s also slightly shrunk since 2023, despite steadily growing in the past.
• 84% of charity workers are based in England, which is equal to the country’s share of the UK population. This is followed by Scotland at 10%, Wales at 3%, and Northern Ireland at 2%.
• In England, 42% of the voluntary sector workforce is based in London and the south.
• Four in ten volunteers work remotely or in hybrid roles. This accounts for about 39% of the UK’s volunteer workforce.
• Women are more likely than men to work for charities. They make up 68% of the workforce.
• 39% of people employed in the voluntary sector are social workers.

The geographical breakdown of the voluntary sector workforce across the UK in 2024 is:

• East – 17%
• London – 16%
• Scotland – 10%
• South West – 9%
• East of England – 9%
• North West – 8%
• West Midlands – 8%
• Yorkshire and the Humber – 8%
• East Midlands – 6%
• Wales – 3%
• North East – 3%
• Northern Ireland – 2%

Where are UK charities based?

Of the 170,056 charities registered in the UK in 2024, the geographical breakdown was as follows:

• 80% in England
• 12% in Scotland
• 4% in Wales
• 4% in Northern Ireland

Scotland had the highest number of registered smaller charities per 1,000 people in the population at 3.6. Wales had the lowest at 2.3 per 1,000 people.

According to the latest UK charity sector statistics, larger charity organisations are more likely to be active nationally and internationally. Whereas smaller ones operate locally, often within the county or area they are based.

Most of the UK’s biggest voluntary organisations are based in London and the south.

Mind the digital gap

Having seen a period of huge digital acceleration, shifts in working models, and the streamlining of operations post-pandemic, UK charities have had to invest heavily in their services to keep up.

Digital growth is a huge benefit for charities, allowing them to effectively analyse data and communicate with their audiences in new ways. In 2025, blockchain technology could be one of the strategies charities increasingly develop to consolidate support among their donors.

Yet despite small charities making up over 80% of the UK’s charity sector, investment is significantly higher among larger organisations. 72% of small charities cited squeezed finances as the reason they’re struggling digitally in 2024.

Recent statistics on charity spending show that large charities (income of £1m or more) have more money to spend on pioneering tech solutions and fundraising strategies. And that 36% of small charities have an advanced digital strategy compared to 74% of large charities.

Generously protected

Charities of all shapes and sizes need specialist insurance to protect them from risk. Just because you’re doing something good doesn’t mean others won’t point the finger of blame if something goes wrong.

What kind of cover suits any organisation best will depend on whether they're a charity, club, or community group. Also, what their purpose is, including if they offer a service or advice.

Public liability insurance covers events, fundraisers, and meetings in case of injury to anyone attending or damage to property. Employers’ liability insurance for charities is the only cover required legally and protects an organisation’s staff and volunteers. Trustees’ insurance protects trustees.

Contents and portable equipment insurance covers loss of or damage to kit, big or small. And professional indemnity insurance deals with claims an organisation’s service was sub-standard.

Charity cyber insurance provides technical expertise, plus legal, PR, and financial help if an organisation is targeted by cybercriminals. It also deals with data breaches – which is important when over a third of charities confessed to being targeted by one in 2024.

Need help narrowing down your insurance needs? Take a look at our charity and not-for-profit insurance hub for help and advice. Or give our friendly team a call on 0345 222 5391.

Image used under license from iStock.