Nigeria ranks high for helping strangers, low in charity – Report

Nigeria has been ranked among the lower half of countries in the latest World Happiness Report 2025, which measures benevolence based on factors such as charitable donations, volunteering, and helping strangers.

The report, published by the Gallup World Poll (2022–2024) and the World Risk Poll (2019), examines six key indicators of benevolence across various countries.

Nigeria ranks poorly in most categories, especially in charitable donations and the return of lost wallets.

However, the country fares slightly better in helping strangers.

The findings stated, “The relative frequency of other benevolent acts depends on local social and religious norms, as well as the role of private benevolence as a substitute or supplement for institutional social safety nets.”

This suggests that in countries like Nigeria, where social welfare systems are not robust, acts of generosity may be more informal and community-based.

Nigeria’s performance in benevolence ranking

The ranking system assesses nations based on the percentage of people who have recently engaged in acts of kindness, such as donating to charity, volunteering, and returning lost wallets.

The data reveals that Nigeria is among the countries with lower scores in donation-based benevolence.

However, there is a contrast in behaviour when it comes to assisting strangers.

The report highlights that “Jamaica, Liberia, and Sierra Leone are in the top ranks for helping strangers but have donation rankings that are 80 or more places lower.”

Nigeria also follows this trend, ranking higher for helping strangers than for donating money.

A major aspect of the study focuses on the return of lost wallets as an indicator of societal trust.

“There are a few countries where the ranking for helping strangers is very high, while the ranking for donating to charity is very low.

“Jamaica, Liberia, and Sierra Leone are in the top ranks for helping strangers but have donation rankings that are 80 or more places lower.

“Nigeria and Kenya, also in the top 10 for helping strangers, provide a less extreme contrast, but still rank much higher for helping strangers than for donating.

“All five countries are near the bottom of the ranking for expected wallet return by police,” the report said.