On June 23rd, 2025, Statistics Canada released preliminary findings from the 2023 Survey of Giving, Volunteering, and Participating (GVP).

This new data provides national context on concerning declining rates of volunteerism and other participation trends across Canada. The data is collected every five years, with the most recent collection period taking place between September 15, 2023 and March 30, 2024.

“The data doesn’t signal a shift—it signals a breakdown. Canadians are stretched thin: financially, emotionally, and with their time. When both types of volunteerism and charitable giving decline together, it signals a fraying social fabric. If we want people to keep showing up for their communities, we need to show up for them. Volunteerism doesn’t just happen—it requires investment, infrastructure, and intention. Without it, we risk volunteer labour shortages across the sector and rising social isolation in the years ahead.”

—Joanne McKiernan, Executive Director, Volunteer Toronto

Key findings from the 2023 Survey of GVP include:

• People are volunteering with non-profits less: Formal volunteering rates, representing those who volunteer through non-profit organizations and charities, have dropped 9%. This indicates a long-term decline at a faster pace than before: 32% in 2023, down from 41% in 2018 and 44% in 2013.
  
  
• People are volunteering less hours: The total number of hours of formal and informal volunteering by Canadians fell from 5.0 billion hours in 2018 to 4.1 billion hours in 2023, a drop of 18%. On average, people who volunteered dedicated 173 hours to volunteering in 2023, or 33 fewer hours than in 2018.

In 2018, for the first time, Statistics Canada also released data measuring informal volunteerism, capturing volunteering rates for people who get involved in their community or helping someone directly without the support of a non-profit. The 2023 data is our first update on informal volunteering trends over time:

• People aren’t choosing alternative ways to give back: Informal volunteering rates have also dropped significantly from 74% in 2018 to 66% in 2023, a drop of 8%.
  
  
• People are looking inwards and improving their communities less: The decline in the rate of informal volunteering is due to fewer volunteers involved in improving the community. This decrease was due mainly to a decline in the number of volunteers who participated in improving the community (-19%). Compared with 2018, this number fell more sharply than the number of volunteers who helped others directly (-3%).

The decline of participation in both types of volunteerism indicates a necessity to intervene with programs, funding and infrastructure to enable volunteerism and increase opportunities for community involvement.

Sources for this article:  

• Statistics Canada: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/250623/dq250623b-eng.htm
• Volunteer Canada: https://blog.volunteer.ca/new-results-from-statistics-canadas-survey-of-giving-volunteering-and-participating/
  
  

As more national data becomes available, it will be released on the Canadian Knowledge Hub for Giving and Volunteering.

If you’re looking for more up-to-date local data, check out Volunteer Toronto’s State of the Sector – Toronto Snapshot (2025) for our latest insights.