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It's no secret that Australians know how to come together. Our country operates off a strong sense of community, shared appreciation of kindness and, of course, the most eternally Aussie principle of all – giving everyone a fair go.
It's fitting then that a new global study by Remitly ranks Australia among the top ten most generous nations in the world. To reach this conclusion, the digital finance company surveyed 4,500 people from 25 countries, assessing individuals with ten questions drawn from the Interpersonal Generosity Scale. This psychological tool measures how generous and selfless individuals are, with higher scores equating to more generosity. Remitly calculated the average score of people from each nation they looked at, coming up with a final 'generosity' score for each country.
Rather than focusing on how willing people are to donate their material wealth, this scale is centred on how generosity is reflected in social behaviour. It touches on empathy, kindness, patience, emotional support and how willing people are to put their needs second when the situation calls for it.
Australia ranked ninth on the list, scoring 47.3 out of 60. Our country's village feel, strong community values and emphasis on a 'fair go' contribute to us placing in the top ten of all the other nations on Earth.
In first place was South Africa, scoring 51.57 out of 60, with most respondents agreeing with statements that reflected high levels of empathy and putting others first. In second place came the Philippines, which had a high score of 50.2 for its 'pakikipagkapwa' – a social culture that's all about community support and mutual aid. The United States landed third, with its active culture of volunteering, fundraising and community building scoring them 49.23. You can check out the top ten below, or see the full results here.
The 10 most generous countries in the world
- South Africa
- Philippines
- United States
- Ireland
- Canada
- Portugal
- Greece
- United Kingdom
- Australia
- Mexico