The Elevate Giving Index · 2026
Australian charities, by the numbers
65,284 charities on Australia's ACNC register report $193.2B in combined annual income. Here's the shape of the sector — by cause, by state, and by who it serves — compiled from the public register.
- Charities
- 65,284
- Annual income
- $193.2B
- DGR-verified
- 27,868(43%)
- Large / small
- 6,403 / 42,980
Charities by cause
Registered charitable purpose. A charity can report more than one.
| Charities | Annual income | |
|---|---|---|
| Religion | 18,046 | $25.8B |
| Social & public welfare | 14,336 | $44.9B |
| Education | 13,443 | $84.8B |
| Public benefit | 7,358 | $24.1B |
| Health | 6,979 | $34.1B |
| Arts & culture | 6,148 | $7.1B |
| Environment | 2,825 | $4.4B |
| Reconciliation | 1,639 | $3.5B |
| Animal welfare | 1,225 | $829.7M |
| Public safety | 1,132 | $1.2B |
| Human rights | 852 | $3.6B |
| Advocacy | 642 | $2.4B |
Charities by state & territory
Where charities operate (many operate in more than one).
| Charities | Annual income | |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 19,508 | $57.5B |
| Victoria | 15,916 | $55.6B |
| Queensland | 11,656 | $44.4B |
| Western Australia | 8,332 | $30.2B |
| South Australia | 6,801 | $21.4B |
| Tasmania | 3,994 | $14.7B |
| Australian Capital Territory | 3,806 | $14.2B |
| Northern Territory | 3,477 | $12.5B |
Charities by who they help
Beneficiary groups charities report serving.
| Charities | Annual income | |
|---|---|---|
| Youth | 28,956 | $121.8B |
| Families | 27,164 | $63.3B |
| Aged persons | 25,970 | $89.4B |
| Children | 25,612 | $91.9B |
| General community | 25,122 | $79.9B |
| Women & girls | 22,426 | $79.1B |
| Men & boys | 21,153 | $75.4B |
| Financially disadvantaged | 18,984 | $73B |
| Rural, regional & remote | 17,910 | $73.8B |
| Early childhood | 17,761 | $65.8B |
| Ethnic communities | 17,570 | $69.8B |
| Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander | 16,353 | $85.4B |
| People with disability | 15,951 | $78.2B |
| People at risk of homelessness | 11,531 | $40.6B |
| Unemployed people | 11,405 | $33.2B |
| People with chronic illness | 9,854 | $43.9B |
| Veterans & families | 6,904 | $19.9B |
| Migrants & refugees | 4,777 | $12.1B |
| LGBTIQA+ | 1,238 | $29.1M |
Frequently asked
How many charities are there in Australia?
There are 65,284 active charities on the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) register.
How much do Australian charities raise each year?
Together, Australian charities report $193.2B in combined annual income in their most recent ACNC Annual Information Statements.
What is the largest charitable cause in Australia?
By number of registered charities, religion is the largest cause, with 18,046 charities. New South Wales has the most charities of any state or territory (19,508).
How many Australian charities are tax-deductible?
27,868 charities are currently DGR-verified on Elevate (donations tax-deductible). We verify DGR status on a rolling basis from the ACNC and ABR registers, so this figure grows over time.
Methodology & citation
Figures are compiled from the public Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC) register and the charities' most recent Annual Information Statements. Cause, beneficiary and state totals count each charity once per value it reports, so they sum to more than the national total. Income is the sum of reported total annual income. DGR-verification is Elevate's own, run on a rolling basis, so it understates the true share until verification completes.
Cite as: Elevate, The Australian Giving Index 2026, https://www.elevate.gift/au/charities/statistics.
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