Happiness has a greater impact on a person’s giving than their wealth, according to the results of a worldwide study on charitable behaviour.

The World Giving Index, published today by the Charities Aid Foundation, was compiled from Gallup surveys conducted in 153 countries.

The surveys asked people whether they had given money to charity or volunteered in the last month, and to rank how happy they were with life on a scale of one to ten.

Australia, New Zealand and the US came out on top for overall giving, while the UK came in at eighth place. The UK remains one of the top overall givers in Europe, coming behind only Switzerland and the Netherlands.

In terms of money, the UK was also one of the top givers, with 73% of the population saying they had donated to charity.

Last year, adults in the UK donated £9.9 billion to charity, with work in the fields of medical research, hospitals and hospices, and children and young people taking the greatest share.

The UK lagged behind in terms of happiness, with an average wellbeing score of 5.6, just slightly above the global average of 5.4 and lower than the Netherlands at 7.6, Canada at 7.5, New Zealand at 7.4, Australia at 7.3, and the US at 7.2.

The people in Turkmenistan were found to be the most generous with their time, with 61% of people saying they had volunteered, while Liberians topped the list for helping a stranger, at 76%.

The findings suggest that giving is more closely connected to a person’s happiness than how much money they have.

Richard Harrison, Director of Research at CAF, said: “We have always thought of ourselves as a charitable nation and now for the first time we can see how charitable we are compared to the rest of the world.

“Donating money to charity is something that is traditionally seen as being driven by how wealthy a person is. However, it is clear that happiness plays an important role in influencing whether people give.

“The findings suggest a positive cycle where one person gives to charity, the charity improves the happiness of the individuals they support and they in turn are more likely to give.”