Faith-Based Giving Strong in Philippines, Outpacing Global Averages

The Philippines’ strong religious faith has led to robust faith-based giving, with 45% of Filipinos donating to organizations supporting religious causes, according to the World Giving Report (WGR) by UK-based nonprofit Charities Aid Foundation (CAF). “Faith-based giving is strong here in the Philippines,” Milet Aquino, communications officer at the Association of Foundations (AF), local partner of CAF, said during the report’s launch on Wednesday. “Regardless of your religious affiliation, you know that faith really has the power to mobilize people and resources,” she added. In the global report, the Philippines ranked 19th out of 105 countries, with Filipinos donating 1.5% of their personal income to charities, religious organizations, and/or people and families in need. Among the data highlighted by AF in the report is the country’s donation to religious organizations in 2025. The study revealed that Filipinos have donated 22% higher than the global average of 23% and have increased by 2% from 43% last year. The total value of donations to religion also reached 31%, up from the global average of 21% and the continent average of 20%. “If you’re on the ground, if you work with communities, you know how easy it is to get people to come to your activities or to get resources if you’re working with a local church,” Ms. Aquino said. The report also showed that 38% of Filipinos have volunteered in faith-related activities, making it the second main cause of volunteerism in the country. “It’s not just like the number of people giving but really there’s that higher share value for religious giving here in the Philippines,” Ms. Aquino said. “These insights on faith-based giving remind us that faith communities really have that power,” she added. “[They] can be valuable partners when you’re trying to mobilize volunteers, donations, and your community support.” While the share value of donations is high in religions, individuals and families in need still received the highest share at 45%. This closely follows the global average of 41% and the continent average of 37%. Meanwhile, charity donations nationwide stand at 24%, lower than the global and continental averages of 38% and 42%, respectively. Of the total value of charity donations nationwide, the majority (60%) went to NGOs operating in local areas. Other charity donations support NGOs working across the country (30%) and international NGOs (10%). “Filipinos want to support local NGOs and this is also consistent with what we saw globally,” she said. “They want to make sure that the donations hit close to home and support their own locality, especially for those grew up in the provinces and rural areas.” “They want to make sure that their donations actually also uplift the areas where they came from,” she added. The AF is a network of over 250 NGOs and foundations supporting development initiatives nationwide. — Almira Louise S. Martinez