Guess Which Nation Is the Most Generous in the World

The World Giving Index looks at charitable behavior across the world.

ByABC News
November 19, 2014, 2:31 PM
The 2014 World Giving Index looks at charitable behavior across the world, involving 135 countries over a five year period (2009 - 2013).
The 2014 World Giving Index looks at charitable behavior across the world, involving 135 countries over a five year period (2009 - 2013).
Ariel Skelley/Getty Images

— -- The United States and Myanmar have tied for the title of the most generous country in the world, based on factors such as helping strangers, donating money and volunteering time.

That's according to the 2014 World Giving Index, which looks at charitable behavior across the world, involving 135 countries over a five-year period (2009 - 2013). The index and rankings are compiled by the Charities Aid Foundation, a nonprofit group that focuses on promoting philanthropy.

This year, the United States is the only country to be ranked in the Top 10 for all three of the charitable giving behaviors covered by the World Giving Index: helping a stranger (1st), volunteering time (joint 5th) and donating money (9th). Myanmar’s position is driven primarily by an incredibly high proportion of people donating money (91 percent).

The report attributes Myanmar's high level of giving as a reflection of "the strong Theravada Buddhist community within Myanmar, with its estimated 500,000 monks receiving support from lay devotees."

Canada came in at number 3, followed by Ireland, New Zealand, Australia, Malaysia, the United Kingdom, Sri Lanka and Trinidad and Tobago to round out the top 10.

"This year’s report shows that giving is more than just about wealth, with only five G20 countries represented in the World Giving Index Top 20 -- indeed, eleven G20 countries are even ranked outside of the WGI Top 50," according to the report.

The least-charitable nation of the 135 surveyed? Ecuador.