Households donate less to charitable organisations

Over the past 15 years, average annual household spending on charity varied considerably. In the early 1990s, household spending on charity declined. Subsequently, it levelled out for a number of years, until 2004 when it started to grow. In 2007, household spending on charity declined again. The average household donated 308 euro to charity in 2007, as against 357 euro in 1992.

Spending on charitable causes can be divided into fund-raising and donations and contributions to welfare organisations. In 1992, households spent 204 euro on fund-raising and donations. In 2007, they donated 149 euro. Contributions to welfare organisations remained more or less unchanged; 153 euro in 1992 against 159 euro in 2007.

Donations to charitable organisations made up approximately 1 percent of total household spending (nearly 30 thousand euro) in 2007. The Dutch government spent 0.8 percent of the gross domestic income on official development aid in 2007. 

Average household spending on charity, 1992-2007