Many acts that sustain communities don’t look like “volunteering” at first glance: doing groceries for an elderly neighbour, babysitting a friend’s child, or helping fix a neighbour’s roof. Few people who help in this way would describe themselves as volunteers. And yet, this kind of direct, person-to-person help accounts for nearly 70 per cent of all volunteer activity worldwide.
Despite being the most common form of volunteering, direct volunteering remains under-researched and poorly understood, especially in low- and middle-income countries. A new study by the United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme and the ILO sheds light on this invisible workforce, drawing on survey data from eight countries: Bolivia, China, Ethiopia, India, Iraq, Jordan, Nigeria, and Uganda.
Volunteering rates vary widely across countries
Volunteer participation varied significantly across the eight countries, from under 30 per cent in Jordan to nearly 80 per cent in Nigeria. The African countries studied (Ethiopia, Nigeria, Uganda) showed the highest rates of volunteering, while Latin American (Bolivia) and Arab states (Iraq, Jordan) had the lowest. Asian countries (China and India) landed in the middle.
Across all countries, a consistent pattern emerged: most volunteers were engaged in direct, one-on-one help. In Ethiopia, Nigeria, and Uganda, about 70 to 80 per cent of volunteers provided this kind of person-to-person support. In India, the figure was even higher, at around 90 per cent.
Overall volunteering rates were similar between men and women, but the types of activities they engaged in differed, as explored below.
How age and sex affect patterns
Young people were more likely to volunteer than older adults, especially in direct roles. Participation generally declined with age, particularly among men.
Women’s participation followed a U-shaped pattern: volunteering dipped among those aged 35–44 and rose again for women over 45. This midlife decline likely reflects increased caregiving responsibilities during those years, such as raising children or caring for elderly relatives.
In contrast, organization-based volunteering remained relatively stable across age groups and genders.