In the Arab States, 24% of working-age people volunteer each month, about 32 million people, according to the 2026 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report published by UN Volunteers (UNV). Globally, the rate is 34.5%, or about 2.1 billion people. The Arabic edition of the report was launched with the League of Arab States in September 2026, according to the United Nations in Egypt.
What is the 2026 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report?
The report is published by UN Volunteers, and the 2026 edition is titled “Volunteerism and its Measurements”. It was published in December 2025 and unveiled globally on 5 December 2025 at UN headquarters in New York, at the opening of the International Volunteer Year 2026.
In the Arab region, the Arabic edition was officially launched on 7 September 2026 with the League of Arab States, followed on 8 September by a regional workshop on measuring volunteerism and making its value visible. It is the most recent edition of the report as of October 2026.
What are the key findings?
| Share of working-age people volunteering each month | Arab States | Global |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly volunteer rate | 24% | 34.5% |
| Monthly volunteers | About 32 million | About 2.1 billion |
| Men | 28.1% | 36.9% |
| Women | 18.9% | 32.1% |
| Direct (informal) volunteering | 15.3% | 25% |
| Organization-based (formal) volunteering | 7.4% | 11.7% |
- Direct volunteering dominates: in the Arab States, people helping others directly (15.3%) is more than twice as common as volunteering through organizations (7.4%), a pattern close to the global one.
- A wide gender gap: the gap between men and women is 9.2 percentage points in the Arab States, against 4.8 points globally.
- Compared with other regions, the Arab States (24%) sit close to Europe and Central Asia (24.2%) and well below Africa (58.5%), Asia and the Pacific (31.8%) and the Americas (30.3%).
- A new way to measure: the report proposes the Global Index of Volunteer Engagement (GIVE), with four dimensions: value to the individual, value to society, economic value, and the enabling environment for volunteering.
What does this mean for NGOs and volunteers in the Arab world?
Most Arab volunteering happens outside organizations. When direct volunteering is twice as common as formal volunteering, NGOs see only a small part of the volunteer energy that already exists. Short, flexible, neighborhood-level tasks are one way to bring it in, rather than long programs that ask for heavy commitment.
Including women is a measurable priority. A 9.2-point gap is almost twice the global gap. NGOs can track the share of women among their volunteers each year and review the timing, location and safety of activities that may hold women back.
Impact is measured, not claimed. The report calls for volunteering to be built into national statistics, labour force surveys and SDG reporting, and for numbers to be combined with qualitative evidence. An NGO can start simply: record volunteer hours, people reached and skills volunteers gained. For a related read, see our summary of the State of Corporate Volunteering report.
The report is a tool for policy dialogue. According to the League of Arab States, its recommendations align with the implementation steps of the Arab Strategy for Volunteer Work. That gives NGOs and researchers a shared reference when they discuss recognition and support for volunteering with governments.
Frequently asked questions
Who published the 2026 State of the World’s Volunteerism Report?
UN Volunteers (UNV), headquartered in Bonn, Germany.
How many people volunteer in the Arab States?
The report estimates that about 32 million working-age people volunteer each month in the Arab States, or 24% of that population.
What is the difference between direct and formal volunteering?
Direct volunteering means helping others without an intermediary, such as helping neighbors. Formal volunteering happens through an organization, association or institution.
Is the report available in Arabic?
Yes. An Arabic overview is available, and the Arabic edition was officially launched in September 2026.
