Sri Lanka tops 9th in the most generous countries in the world

The results of the annual World Giving Index are out. And, this year, two countries share the top spot as the most generous in the world — the U.S. and Myanmar where Sri Lanka listed as 9th.

Myanmar and the U.S. shared a 64% generosity rating, followed by Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and Australia. The U.S. is the only country to rank in the Top 10 for all three kinds of giving measured by U.K.-based charity CAF-America for the World Giving Index: Helping a stranger (No. 1), volunteering time (joint No. 5 with Tajikistan) and donating money (No. 9). Myanmar ranked No. 1 for money, No. 2 for volunteering time, but only No. 63 for helping a stranger.

Myanmar’s lead ranking is mainly due to a high incidence of donating money, which rose to 91% from 85% reported in last year’s report. The World Giving Index is primarily based on data from research firm Gallup’s “World View World Poll,” an ongoing research project carried out in more than 140 countries in 2013; it encompasses interviews with over 130,000 people. The measurement for donating money is based on the number of people who give money rather than the actual dollar amount.

“It’s not tied to the wealth of a country,” says Ted Hart, chief executive of U.K.-based charity CAF-America. “If it were, you would see a who’s who of the G20 taking up the top slots.” Myanmar has a Buddhist majority and culture of giving, he says. Myanmar received a 91% rating of people donating money, which reflects the strong Theravada Buddhist community there that includes an estimated 500,000 monks. The practice of charitable giving or “dana” is integral to religious observance amongst Theravada Buddhists, he adds.

-marketwatch