Contents
- Canadian youth volunteering statistics: How many young Canadians volunteer?
- Canadian youth volunteering statistics: Formal volunteering and school requirements
- Canadian youth volunteering statistics: Where young volunteers contribute
- Canadian youth volunteering statistics: Volunteer activities and community help
- Canadian youth volunteering statistics: Informal volunteering among young people
- Canadian youth volunteering statistics: Canada Service Corps reach, barriers and outcomes
- Sources
Canadian youth volunteering statistics: How many young Canadians volunteer?
Volunteering rates depend on what counts as volunteering and which age group and year a survey covers. Statistics Canada’s 2023 table reports separate rates for overall, formal and informal volunteering among people aged 15 to 24. The 2018 youth article uses a broader 15-to-30 age range and different survey framing. These results offer useful snapshots, but they should be read within their own definitions and periods rather than treated as a direct time series.
In 2023, 81.1% of Canadians aged 15 to 24 reported overall volunteering. In the same age group and year, the formal volunteering rate was 39.9%, while the informal volunteering rate was 71.9%. The three measures describe distinct categories in the table; they should not be added together to produce a total. Overall volunteering provides the broadest reported measure, while formal and informal rates separate organized service from help outside organizations. Source: Statistics Canada, Table 45-10-0039-01
| Volunteering measure | Canadians aged 15 to 24 | Year |
|---|---|---|
| Overall volunteering rate | 81.1% | 2023 |
| Formal volunteering rate | 39.9% | 2023 |
| Informal volunteering rate | 71.9% | 2023 |
The table’s rates are not components of a single sum. A person may fit more than one measure, and the table reports each definition separately. The data are for Canadians aged 15 to 24 in 2023, not all young people under 30. The table was released on November 21, 2025, but its observations describe 2023. Source: Statistics Canada, Table 45-10-0039-01
Canadian youth volunteering statistics: Formal volunteering and school requirements
For a separate picture of organized service, the 2018 General Social Survey on Giving, Volunteering and Participating found that 46% of youth aged 15 to 30 formally volunteered for an organization. In that survey, the formal volunteer rate was 44% for people aged 31 to 46 and 38% for people aged 47 and older. These are age-group rates from 2018, and they are not directly comparable to the 2023 rate for ages 15 to 24 because the age bands, year and source context differ. Source: Statistics Canada, “Political participation, civic engagement and caregiving among youth in Canada”
The same article reported formal volunteering for 42% of young men aged 15 to 30 and 49% of young women in that age group. It characterized the difference as not statistically significant. These figures describe the survey’s reported rates; they do not establish that gender caused a difference. Source: Statistics Canada, “Political participation, civic engagement and caregiving among youth in Canada”
School and other requirements form another part of the context. In 2018, 16% of people aged 15 to 30 said they were required to do unpaid activity by school or in some other way. Among youth aged 15 to 19, the reported share required to do unpaid activity was 31%. The figures concern requirements to perform unpaid activity; they do not say that every required activity was formal volunteering for an organization. Source: Statistics Canada, “Political participation, civic engagement and caregiving among youth in Canada”
Canadian youth volunteering statistics: Where young volunteers contribute
Among youth aged 15 to 30 who formally volunteered in 2018, the organization categories ranged from social services and education to sports, religion and health. The percentages below identify youth formal volunteers associated with each organization type. Because categories are not mutually exclusive, a volunteer could be represented in more than one row; the figures should not be summed or read as shares that divide all volunteers into exclusive destinations.
| Organization type | Youth aged 15 to 30, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Social services | 24.3% |
| Education and research | 21.5% |
| Sports and recreation | 17.7% |
| Religion | 16.0% |
| Universities and colleges | 9.9% |
| Health | 9.6% |
| Development and housing | 9.0% |
| Arts and culture | 6.1% |
| Environment | 5.7% |
| Hospitals | 4.6% |
| Grant-making and fundraising | 3.7% |
| Business and professional associations | 3.3% |
Social services had the largest listed percentage at 24.3%, followed by education and research at 21.5%. Sports and recreation registered 17.7%, and religion 16.0%. The remaining listed sectors each had a lower reported percentage, with business and professional associations at 3.3%. This ordering describes the selected organization-type measures, not the total amount of volunteer time or the number of hours dedicated to each sector. Source: Statistics Canada, “Political participation, civic engagement and caregiving among youth in Canada,” Chart 2 data
Canadian youth volunteering statistics: Volunteer activities and community help
Organization type tells where formal volunteers contribute; activity type describes what they do. In 2018, 21.3% of youth aged 15 to 30 formally volunteered by organizing or supervising events. Fundraising was reported by 17.0%, and teaching, educating or mentoring by 15.0%. Other listed activities included food collection or delivery, committee work, counselling and coaching. Source: Statistics Canada, “Political participation, civic engagement and caregiving among youth in Canada,” Chart 3 data
| Formal volunteer activity | Youth aged 15 to 30, 2018 |
|---|---|
| Organizing or supervising events | 21.3% |
| Fundraising | 17.0% |
| Teaching, educating or mentoring | 15.0% |
| Collecting, serving or delivering food | 10.0% |
| Sitting on a committee or board | 9.6% |
| Counselling or providing advice | 9.1% |
| Coaching, refereeing or officiating | 7.6% |
| Providing healthcare or support | 6.4% |
| Office work | 5.6% |
| Maintenance or repair | 5.5% |
| Driving | 3.8% |
| Canvassing | 3.6% |
| Conservation or environmental protection | 5.4% |
Events, fundraising and teaching or mentoring were the three most frequently reported activities in this selection. Food-related service registered 10.0%, while committee or board participation registered 9.6%. The range shows that formal volunteer work can include planning, governance, advice, care, transport and practical tasks. These measures are activity participation rates from the 2018 survey, and categories are not mutually exclusive. They do not represent mutually exclusive portions of volunteers. Source: Statistics Canada, “Political participation, civic engagement and caregiving among youth in Canada,” Chart 3 data
Canadian youth volunteering statistics: Informal volunteering among young people
Informal volunteering captures help outside a group or organization, including direct assistance to people beyond one’s household and efforts to improve a community. In 2018, 77% of youth aged 15 to 30 were informal volunteers. The same reported rate applied to people aged 31 to 46, while the rate for people aged 47 and older was 70%. This gives context across age groups for that survey period, without implying that age alone explains participation. Source: Statistics Canada, “Political participation, civic engagement and caregiving among youth in Canada”
Direct help was common: 74% of youth aged 15 to 30 helped people directly through informal volunteering. The article gives examples such as housework, shopping, paperwork, health-related or personal care, and teaching or tutoring. The reported direct-help rate was also 74% among people aged 31 to 46. These are rates for direct assistance, a component of informal volunteering, and should not be confused with the broader 77% informal volunteer rate. Source: Statistics Canada, “Political participation, civic engagement and caregiving among youth in Canada”
Community improvement is another form of informal contribution. In 2018, 30% of youth aged 15 to 30 engaged in activities to improve the community directly. Examples included maintaining a park or public space, attending public meetings, disseminating information, coordinating a group or event, and developing a project. The figure measures participation in this type of activity; it does not indicate how many projects were completed or how much time participants spent. Source: Statistics Canada, “Political participation, civic engagement and caregiving among youth in Canada”
Canadian youth volunteering statistics: Canada Service Corps reach, barriers and outcomes
Canada Service Corps evaluation figures describe program participants and survey respondents, not a representative estimate of all Canadian youth. Across fiscal years 2021–22 and 2022–23, 79% of 16,431 participants—12,953 people—identified with at least one targeted underserved group. The evaluation reports participant characteristics including 14% identifying as Indigenous, 42% as belonging to a visible minority or racialized group, 26% living in a rural or remote area, 16% identifying as 2SLGBTQIA+, and 10% as a person living with a disability. These profile categories should not be added: individuals may identify with more than one group. Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, “Evaluation of the Canada Service Corps – 2018 to 2023,” section 5.1
For context, the evaluation cites a 2022 figure that 20% of youth in Canada aged 15 to 24 had a disability. It also cites the 2021 Census finding that 12% of youth aged 15 to 18 were eligible for instruction in the minority official language. These population figures use their own age groups and reference periods; they are not direct comparisons for every Canada Service Corps participant characteristic. The evaluation notes that participant data were available only for fiscal years 2021–22 and 2022–23 and cannot establish population-wide trends. Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, “Evaluation of the Canada Service Corps – 2018 to 2023,” section 5.1
The evaluation also reports barriers among 691 youth respondents to the Canada Service Corps participant surveys for 2021–22 and 2022–23. Lack of time due to employment or academic commitments was cited by 59%, while 55% cited a lack of financial support for transportation or meals. These answers reflect the surveyed participants’ reported barriers; they do not measure the prevalence of barriers among all Canadian youth. Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, “Evaluation of the Canada Service Corps – 2018 to 2023,” Figure 2
Among the same two fiscal years’ participant survey respondents, 91% completed their micro-grant projects. This is a respondent result for youth who participated in micro-grants, not a completion rate for every participant or every program activity. In fiscal year 2022–23, 79% of Canada Service Corps participant survey respondents said they were willing to take part in future volunteer service placements or community projects. These outcomes describe reported project completion and stated willingness within the evaluation’s program-survey context. Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, “Evaluation of the Canada Service Corps – 2018 to 2023,” sections 5 and 6.2
In fiscal years 2021–22 and 2022–23, about 56% of Canada Service Corps participants were aged 15 to 19. Source: Employment and Social Development Canada, “Evaluation of the Canada Service Corps – 2018 to 2023”