How many people work for small charities?

In 2021*, just under half (45%) of the workforce in the voluntary sector are employed by charities with fewer than 25 staff – over 413,000 people.
77,000 people (8%) work for charities with over 500 staff.

*figures from September 2021

We define a small charity as a voluntary or community organisation with an annual income of less than £1m.

Find out more

We use the latest data from a wide range of organisations that hold data and evidence on small charities

Find out more