Charity Landscape Pakistan – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1202

Charity Landscape Pakistan – Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1202

Dear Colleagues! This is Asrar Qureshi’s Blog Post #1202 for Pharma Veterans. Pharma Veterans Blogs are published by Asrar Qureshi on its dedicated site https://pharmaveterans.com. Please email to pharmaveterans2017@gmail.com  for publishing your contributions here.

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Preamble

This blog post is based on the report ‘Giving in Pakistan 2025’ compiled by Pakistan Center for Philanthropy and Charities Aid Foundation. Link here. https://cdn.prod.website-files.com/680a2b043029e999edde4e2a/68664b6abe9cdf1285c5ac4e_WGR%202025%20-%20Pakistan%20Giving%20Report%20-%20final%20checked.pdf 

Pakistan’s Generosity in 2025: A Story of Culture, Compassion, and Collective Action

In 2025, Pakistan emerged as one of the world’s most generous nations, earning a place in the global spotlight thanks to the World Giving Report 2025, a leading international study of charitable behavior compiled by the Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) in partnership with the Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP). Ranked 17th out of 101 countries in overall generosity, Pakistan has demonstrated that generosity is not just an individual choice but a cultural cornerstone and social strength, even amid economic headwinds.

This blog post explores the key findings from Pakistan’s Giving Report, what they reveal about the nation’s philanthropic DNA, how generosity is expressed in daily life, and what it means for social development and civic engagement.

Understanding the World Giving Report Framework

The World Giving Report uses three core indicators to measure generosity:

1. Helping a stranger in need

2. Donating money to charity or those in need

3. Volunteering time to help an organization or community cause

Together, these behaviors form a composite picture of how people engage with the world around them, not just financially, but through time, effort, and goodwill.

Pakistan’s position on the global generosity map is remarkable, especially considering the country’s economic challenges and development pressures. What stands out is how deeply rooted the act of giving is in the social and cultural life of Pakistani society.

Generosity in Numbers: Pakistan’s Global Position

According to the Pakistan Giving Report 2025, Pakistanis:

Ranked 17th globally in overall generosity metrics.

Showed particularly strong performance in donating money, where the proportion of income given was significantly above both global and regional averages.

This high ranking places Pakistan ahead of many wealthier countries on the generosity scale, reinforcing a pattern seen in other global surveys: charitable behavior is not strictly correlated with income level. Rather, cultural values and social norms are powerful drivers of giving.

Who Pakistanis Give to and How

Direct Giving Over Formal Channels

One of the most distinctive features of Pakistan’s giving culture is the preference for direct giving where individuals donate money straight to people in need or to families rather than primarily through formal institutions. The report finds that:

A majority of donation value went to direct giving to people in need, around 44.7% of total donations.

A smaller share went to formal charities (33.8%) and religious causes (21.5%).

This pattern reflects a strong tradition of informal mutual assistance, where generosity is expressed in personal relationships and community networks, from supporting neighbors, relatives, and local families, to helping those encountered daily in the neighborhood or marketplace.

It also reflects the reality that, in many areas of Pakistan, access to formal charitable infrastructure is limited, especially outside urban centers, so communities often rely on their own networks of social support.

Frequency and Patterns of Giving

Pakistanis give frequently and consistently:

Nearly 18% of donors gave more than 12 times during the year.

Another 21% gave between 6 and 11 times throughout 2024.

Compared with global averages, these figures indicate higher sustained engagement with charitable activities. Pakistanis don’t merely give once or sporadically, they give often and across a range of contexts, including festivals, religious occasions, community gatherings, and personal networks.

This regularity is driven by a blend of spiritual motivation and social obligation that makes giving a recurrent and integrated part of life.

Giving as Duty and Joy

A fascinating insight from the Pakistan Giving Report is how people feel about giving.

Many respondents saw giving money not just as a choice, but as a duty, often rooted in religious teaching and moral responsibility.

Despite being described in duty-based terms, an overwhelming 89% of those who gave said they were happy about it.

This duality, duty combined with satisfaction, illustrates a core cultural dynamic: generosity in Pakistan often begins as a moral or religious obligation (e.g., Zakat and Sadaqah in Islam), but then becomes a source of personal fulfilment and social pride. 

Why People Give – Motivation and Meaning

The report identifies the top reasons for giving money in Pakistan:

1. Religious encouragement or obligation

2. Caring about a cause or wanting to make a difference

3. A sense of duty to support others if one is able

These motivations align with the deeply rooted values of compassion, collective responsibility, and moral stewardship central to many Pakistani families and communities.

Interestingly, while some global donors might cite fundraising campaigns or media coverage as motivators, Pakistani donors more often cite personal conviction and spiritual duty. This underscores how giving is woven into everyday life and community identity.

How Much Do Pakistanis Give? A Look at Proportion of Income

Pakistan’s generosity also stands out when measured as a proportion of income donated:

On average, Pakistanis donated approximately 1.64% of their income.

This rate is higher than both global and regional averages for charitable giving.

While 1.64% might appear modest in absolute terms, in the context of Pakistan’s middle- and lower-income majority, this represents a significant financial sacrifice, especially given competing household priorities like food, education, housing, and health.

Challenges and Opportunities in Giving

Despite this strong performance, the report also highlights areas that could be strengthened:

Low Formal Volunteering

While Pakistanis are generous with money and help informally, formal volunteering rates are lower than global averages. Many people help neighbors or community members, but fewer engage with structured volunteer organizations. Addressing this gap presents an opportunity to channel social energy into institutional frameworks, increasing the impact of volunteerism at scale.

Informal Giving vs. Institutional Impact

The preference for direct giving reflects both empathy and a lack of access to robust nonprofit channels, but it also means that impact measurement and scalability are limited. Further strengthening civil society infrastructure, transparency mechanisms, and nonprofit accountability could help transform informal generosity into measurable development outcomes.

Economic Vulnerability

Economic instability and inflation place real constraints on discretionary giving. The fact that Pakistanis give at such high levels despite financial pressures speaks to cultural resilience but also highlights the need for systems that integrate giving with poverty alleviation and social protection.

The Role of the Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy (PCP)

The Pakistan Centre for Philanthropy plays a critical role in shaping the philanthropic landscape by:

• Conducting research such as this country-specific report,

• Promoting transparency and certification for nonprofits

• Facilitating partnerships between citizens, civil society, government, and private sector actors

• Supporting the growth of a sustainable and accountable ecosystem for giving

By linking local insights with global data, PCP helps contextualize Pakistan’s generosity in ways that inform policy, strategy, and civic engagement.

Sum Up

The Pakistan Giving Report 2025 paints a picture of a nation where compassion is social capital, where people give not only out of means but out of meaning. Pakistan’s place among the top 20 most generous countries in the world is a testament to a culture of giving that blends religious duty, personal empathy, and community responsibility.

For donors, civil society partners, policymakers, and citizens alike, this report offers both a celebration of what has been achieved and a challenge to continue building a more coordinated, impactful philanthropic ecosystem. When generosity becomes infrastructure, supported by research, institutions, and public policy, it becomes a force for sustainable development and shared social wellbeing.

Concluded.

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For most blogs, I research from several sources which are open to public. Their links are mentioned under references. There is no intent to infringe upon anyone’s copyrights. If, any claim is lodged, it will be acknowledged and duly recognized immediately.