British Muslims are giving to charity at a rate at least four times higher than the national average, according to data published today.
The global consultancy Blue State has published its British Muslim Giving Behaviours report, which surveyed more than 1,500 Muslim adults and a general group of more than 2,000 British adults, 86 of whom were Muslims.
The research found that British Muslims donated £708 on average in the past 12 months, compared to the national average of £165.
This figure was representative of all income brackets and rose to its highest among those earning between £75,000 and £99,000 a year, who gave more than 10 times the average British adult at £1,494.
A greater number of Muslims also gave time to volunteer last year, the report found, with 17 per cent of Muslim respondents volunteering compared to the national average of 11 per cent.
Muslims were also more involved with community organisations, fundraising events and personal challenges such as marathons.
Charity shop and food bank donations were recorded by about one-third of British adults and half of Muslim respondents to the survey.
Jasmine Miah, senior strategist at Blue State, said: “This research built on a study we undertook last year – when digging down into a national survey, we could see hints that British Muslims seemed to be the most generous group in British society.
“We knew we needed to go further, and with this comprehensive survey, with 3,000 people surveyed in total, and more than 1,500 of them British Muslims, we can finally confirm this finding.”
Miah said: “These findings have implications for British charities, and how they engage the whole of society to provide essential services – but also reflect a positive and generous attitude not only to donations but also to community life from the UK Muslim population.”
The research found that 85 per cent of Muslims donated internationally in the past 12 months compared to 48 per cent of the UK average.
The data also noted that 82 per cent of Muslims gave to British causes and 78 per cent of the population did so nationally.
According to the pillars of Islam, eligible Muslims must give Zakat, donations equivalent to 2.5 per cent of their qualifying wealth, to charity every year.
The survey found that 56 per cent of British Muslims always pay their Zakat.