A new report reinforces the view that the Muslim community in the UK is amongst the most generous, finding that British Muslims donate four times more to charity than the national average.
The research by consultancy Blue State also found Muslims in the UK are more actively involved in volunteering, community organisations and fundraising events compared to the wider British public.
The British Muslim Giving Behaviours 2024 report is based on a survey of over 1,000 British Muslims and a nationally representative sample of more than 2,000 people across the UK, which included 86 Muslims.
The report says that Zakat and giving back were cited as an “important part of religious and cultural identity to ensure everyone has what they need.”
“One of the most fundamental findings from this report is the sheer generosity of the British Muslim community,” it says.
In the last 12 months, British Muslims donated x4.3 the mean value of the average across all adults in the UK — £708 compared to the national average of £165.
The higher charitable giving among British Muslims spanned all income levels, with those earning between £75,000-£100,000 donating an average of £1,494—more than ten times the amount given by the typical British adult.
While the findings reinforce the generosity of the Muslim community, the extent of its giving stands out starkly against the backdrop of the cost of living crisis.
That’s despite UK Muslims being more concerned about their personal financial stability compared to the UK average, says the report.
Even in the lower income brackets, British Muslims were more generous — a notable trend given that recent research indicates that 50% of the UK’s Muslim population lives in poverty, compared to just 17% of the general public.
“Despite the income disparity, we see Muslims in the £15,000 – £29,999 household income bracket giving 3.7x more than the rest of the UK, showing a community going above and beyond,” says the report.
“Even through the current cost of living crisis, our survey respondents had significant perspective over what they have compared to others.
“And even at the lower end of the income brackets, people were aware of the impact their donations could make to people who have even less,” it added.
Other key findings include
Compared to the broader British population, Muslims were also more likely to be involved with community organisations (13% vs 7%); volunteer (17% / 11%), take part in community fundraising events (21%/10%) and personal challenges such as marathons (15% / 8%).
The research also found in the past 12 months:
- Three out of four British Muslims reported having already donated to support individuals impacted by the war in Gaza.
- 85% of Muslims donated internationally, compared to 48% of the UK average.
- Muslims seem twice as likely to have taken action towards leaving a legacy gift.
Regarding Zakat, 61% of British Muslims donated to an Islamic charity and 14% to a secular charity.
One in two Muslims said they would give Zakat to non-religious organisations if they improved their communications around their work and Zakat funds.
Meanwhile, around 73% either donated the same value as their Zakat to charity across the year or more.
“When it came to giving Zakat, over a quarter of those surveyed (27%) don’t just give during Ramadan but across the year. While Sadaqah (i.e. general charitable donations) are given throughout the year, and 29% said they give more this way than through Zakat,” adds the report.
Despite the economic crisis in the UK and a much higher level of giving already, half of Muslims say they intend to increase their giving in the next 12 months – 49% versus the UK-wide baseline of 21%.
“Our findings validate that Muslim donors form a hugely important part of overall giving in the UK (an audience that represents a potential donor pool of over 1m) and we would love more organisations to celebrate the contribution of this community, and think of how programmes nurture these relationships in a respectful and authentic way,” says the group.
