charitable giving: usa v. the world

The USA beats other nations by a mile in terms of charitable giving. As a percentage of income, we give over twice as much as Brits and Canadians. Germans are particularly closed-fisted when it comes to giving. The French give well less than one-tenth as much as Americans. Folks in each of these countries tend to view themselves as compassionate and look down on Americans as greedy and self-centered. Perceptions don't seem to match reality.

Chart from The Wall Street Journal 10 December 2007, p. R10.