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The Most Charitable Country In The World Isn't The United States

But it's still high up there!
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By 

Business Reporter, HuffPost

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Natalia Klenova via Getty Images

There’s always next year, America.

The latest World Giving Index concluded that the United States has lost its standing as the most generous country in the world.

Using data collected by Gallup’s World View Poll from 145 countries, the Charities Aid Foundation unveiled its sixth annual report on Tuesday and found that while volunteering is up in the U.S., overall donations dropped from a record high last year.

Last year, the U.S. tied for first with Myanmar for the title of the most giving country.

This year, it dropped down to second.

The report doles out about 1,000 surveys among a range of communities in each country, including rural areas, and assesses the percentage of people who have given to charity, volunteered their time and helped a stranger in the last month.

Globally, giving has increased across all world economy types. Nearly a third of people gave money to charity in the month prior to the interview, up 3.2 percentage points since 2013. But the U.S. saw a drop from a record high of 68 percent last year to 63 percent this year.

That’s the equivalent of 11 million fewer people giving.

“It is great to see that America ranks as the most generous country in the developed world,” Ted Hart, CEO of CAF America, said in a statement. “This report also shows that there can be no room for complacency. America may lead most of the rest of the world but we need to keep on doing more to encourage people to give their money and their time to good causes.”

 Check out the most charitable countries in the world below. 

10
No. 10 Malaysia
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Malaysia was one of the countries to see the most improvement. There, 62 percent said they helped a stranger and 58 percent donated money to charity.
9
No. 9 Ireland
ASSOCIATED PRESS
In Ireland, 67 percent of people donated money to charity and 59 percent helped a stranger.
8
No. 8 Sri Lanka
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In Sri Lanka, 59 percent of people give to charity.
7
No. 7 Netherlands
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Following its first time placing outside of the top 10 in last year’s report, the Netherlands reappeared in seventh place this year.
6
No. 6 United Kingdom
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In the U.K, 75 percent said they donated money.
5
No. 5 Australia
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Australia, where 72 percent of citizens donated money to charity, came in fifth place.
4
No. 4 Canada
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Canada came in fourth place with 69 percent of people saying they helped a stranger, 67 percent having donated money and 44 percent volunteering their time.
3
No. 3 New Zealand
ASSOCIATED PRESS
New Zealand saw a major jump in the amount of people donating to charity, allowing it to climb from 13th place to 6th place this year in the donation category. It came in third overall.
2
No. 2 USA
ASSOCIATED PRESS
The U.S.’s giving levels may have dropped from last year's record high of 68 percent to 63 percent, but its volunteer rates are on the rise. Forty-seven percent of women gave back last year, up 4 percentage points from 2013.
1
No. 1 Myanmar
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Thanks in large part to its high proportion of Theravada Buddhists, who practice Sangha Dana, Myanmar was the most generous country last year. Its citizens volunteered the most and with 92 percent of its citizens giving to charity, it also came in first for donations.

Also on HuffPost:

The Most Charitable Stars
Angelina Jolie(01 of06)
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FILE - In this March 8, 2012 file photo, actress Angelina Jolie attends the Women in the World Summit 2012, hosted by Newsweek and The Daily Beast, at the David H. Koch Theater, in New York. Jolie is one of the world's leading celebrity contributors to charity. (AP Photo/Evan Agostini, File) (credit:AP)
Bono (02 of06)
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FILE - In this Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2012 file photo, U2 front man Bono, and a founder of the charity, ONE International, arrives for a meeting with European Council President Herman Van Rompuy, not seen, at the EU Council in Brussels. Bono is one of the world's leading celebrity contributors to charity. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File) (credit:AP)
Elton John(03 of06)
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FILE - In this Monday, Oct. 15, 2012 file photo, Elton John appears on stage at his AIDS Foundation's 11th annual Enduring Vision benefit, in New York. John is one of the world's leading celebrity contributors to charity. (Photo by Charles Sykes/Invision/AP, File) (credit:AP)
Brad Pitt(04 of06)
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FILE - In this May 23, 2012 file photo, Brad Pitt poses for portraits for the film "Killing Them Softly," during the 65th Film Festival in Cannes, France. Pitt is one of the world's leading celebrity contributors to charity. (AP Photo/Joel Ryan, File) (credit:AP)
George Clooney(05 of06)
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FILE - In this Feb. 6, 2012 file photo, George Clooney poses at the 31st Academy Awards Nominees Luncheon in Beverly Hills, Calif. Clooney is one of the world's leading celebrity contributors to charity. (AP Photo/Chris Pizzello, File) (credit:AP)
Annie Lennox(06 of06)
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FILE - In this May 21, 2009 file photo, Annie Lennox arrives for the amfAR Cinema Against AIDS benefit at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc, during the 62nd Cannes International film festival, in Antibes, southern France. Lennox is one of the world's leading celebrity contributors to charity. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File) (credit:AP)
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