Indians becoming more generous: CAF study

Indians are becoming more generous in stepping up to support others in tough times, according to a new study that shows the country climbing up the World Giving Index of global generosity.

India's ranking improved to 81 from 91 in the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) World Giving Index for the year 2017 .

The survey found that global giving has declined across continents, barring Africa which recorded a positive shift in giving habits.

The survey was conducted on parameters including number of people donating money, volunteering time and helping a stranger and 1,46,000 people were interviewed across 139 countries, a CAF statement said.

Asia witnessed a decline as compared to Africa in all three giving behaviours with those donating money falling from 37 to 33 per cent, helping a stranger decreasing from 51 to 47 per cent and volunteering down to 21 per cent.

Only six of the G20 countries appear in the top 20 and all experienced a decline in their WGI score, said the statement from the UK-based charity.

Myanmar retained its crown as the world's most generous country for the fourth year in a row. However, despite maintaining its position it also experienced a drop in its overall score, down from 70 to 65 per cent.

Africa is the only continent to buck this downward trend, experiencing an upswing across all three giving behaviours (against its five year average).

Kenya was one of the continent?s star performers, jumping from twelfth place to third with an eight percentage point increase in its WGI score, the statement added.

The Charities Aid Foundation, which delivers more than ?500 million to charities annually, has been producing the CAF World Giving Index since 2010 in order to inform wider research into the state of charitable giving at a national and international level.