Report: Egyptians among world’s least generous

Egyptians ranked 120 out of 135 countries in the World Giving Index 2014, which ranks countries based on the percentage of citizens who said they gave money, volunteered their time or helped a stranger in the past month.

The report, published by the Charities Aid Foundation, is based on surveys conducted throughout 2013 by the market research firm Gallup.

The top spot was shared by the United States, one of the world’s wealthiest countries, and Myanmar, one of the poorest, both with a composite score of 64 percent.

The United States had high scores across the board, while Myanmar stood out for giving to charity, with 91 percent reporting having donated money in the past month.

The report attributes this high rate to religious practices. Around 90 percent of Myanmar’s population practices a form of Theravada Buddhism that emphasizes giving alms to monks and nuns.

Only five G20 countries ranked within the top 20 on the index.

“There is also little correlation between a country’s economic position and its place on the World Giving Index, showing once again that we must not take it for granted that economic prosperity will automatically equal a rise in generosity,” noted Charities Aid Foundation Chief Executive John Low, in the report's introduction.

Egypt’s overall score was 21, a ranking shared by Greece and Tunisia.

The highest ranked counties in the Middle East were Iran, at 19th place with a score of 46, and Syria, which came in 30th with a score of 41. In both countries, more than 60 percent of those surveyed reported having helped a stranger in the past month.

In Egypt, only 40 percent of respondents reported having helped a stranger, 15 percent reported having donated money and just 7 percent reported having volunteered their time.

Egypt outperformed Turkey, which ranked 128 overall, the Palestinian Territories at 133, and Yemen, which was dead last at 135.