UK Civil Society Almanac 2020

Never more needed

First published in 1996, the UK Civil Society Almanac is essential reading on the state of the voluntary sector. This year, during a time of global crisis and uncertainty, understanding the role the sector plays to support society is more important than ever. Drawing on a range of sources, the Almanac provides a snapshot of what voluntary organisations do, their income and spending, workforce, volunteering and its impact. For a quick overview, read our executive summary.

Voluntary organisations work in a wide range of subsectors

Social services remains the largest subsector with 32,258 voluntary organisations, followed by culture and recreation (24,024) and religion (15,139). How do other subsectors fare and what are the top 10 voluntary organisations by income?

19.4 million

people volunteered at least once a year during 2018/19 through a group, club or organisation. Find out more about who, how and where

Income growth is slowing down

While income and spending increased, income growth has slowed down. In 2017/18, the sector’s total income grew by 2% to £53.5bn, with the public being one of the main driver. How have other sources changed and how are different-sized organisations doing financially?

There were 166,592 organisations, mostly micro and small which are declining in number while the biggest organisations are growing. What is happening?

People aged 65–74 are the age group most likely to volunteer on a regular basis. Who else is more or less likely to volunteer?

The voluntary sector contributed £18.2bn to the economy or 0.9% of total GDP. In what other ways does the sector have an impact on our society?

The Almanac defines the voluntary sector as organisations that have six features in common. What are they?

The voluntary sector has a paid workforce of 909,088, up 17% since 2010. Who are they, where do they work and what are their skills?

Our data and charts are available for download. How can our data on sector profile, financials, workforce, volunteering and impact help you?

Download the summary of findings

You can download the summary of findings as a pdf for free, giving you a good overview of the sector at your fingertips.