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The figure quoted for the number of charities in the UK is usually about 170k. That's the number of registered charities with the Charity Commission E&W but the number of charities in the UK is far higher. No one really knows for sure but the total figure for UK non-profits is about 0.5 million, of which charities represent about 80%. This resource breaks down UK charity numbers to answer the question of how many charities there are in the UK.
| Location/Type | Number |
| England & Wales | 360,079 |
| Scotland | 45,000 |
| Northern Ireland | 7,205 |
| Total UK Charities | 412,282 |
| Social Enterprises | 76,335 |
| Total UK Non-Profits | 488,619 |
| Location/Type | Number | Notes/Source |
| Charity Commission E&W | 170.080 | Charity Commission registered charity numbers Apr 24, but doesn't include linked charities. |
| Exempt Charities E&W | 80,000 | No-one really knows, David Ainsworth Civil Society 2015 article estimate 80k. Includes universities, housing associations, academy schools and museums. |
| Excepted Charities E&W | 9,999 | Civil Society article 2015 – well over 10k. Includes churches, scout and guide groups, with income under £100k pa. |
| Unregistered charities UK | 100,000 | NAO Briefing July 2012 – below £5k threshold |
| Scotland | 45,000 | Estimated 45k voluntary organisations, half registered as charities, about 30k small community groups: 700 charities of £1+m. SCVO data source – 24k registered charites |
| Northern Ireland | 7,205 | |
| Estimated Total | 412,284 |
The total number of registered charities in Scotland as at end 2023 was 25,107 but this included 1,246 Cross Border Charities, which are also registered with the Charity Commission E&W.
The Charity Commission for Northern Ireland (CCNI) has estimated there are between 11,000 and 16,500 charities currently operating in Northern Ireland, ranging from churches, clubs and drop-in groups to societies and umbrella groups, so registration will be a managed process over coming years. The total number of registered charities in Northern Ireland was 7,205 in Apr 24.
| Income Band | Numbers | % |
| £0 to £10,000 | 206698 | 58% |
| £10,001 to £100,000 | 94874 | 27% |
| £100,001 to £500,000 | 36849 | 10% |
| £500,001 to £5,000,000 | 15400 | 4% |
| £5,000,000 plus | 3575 | 1% |
| Total | 357396 |
| Location/Type | Number | Notes/Source |
| Social Enterprises | 70,000 | Social Enterprise UK State of the Sector Report 2015 - 70,000 social enterprises in the UK. |
| CICs | 29,000 | CIC regulator 22/23 annual report – 29k |
| Community Benefit Societies (CBC) | FCA registered, benefits the community, may, or may not be a charity. | |
| Cooperatives | 7,000 | Not a charity, exists for benefit of individual members. Includes credit unions. FCA registered. Estimated to be 7000. |
| Estimated Total | 77,000 |
CICs, CBC and Cooperatives are social enterprises. I can't find a number for CBCs but they are a bit unusual, so my guess is maybe in the region of 1000 to 2000. A Community Amateur Sports Club (CASC) is not a legal structure but a tax categorisation by HMRC. In Nov 24, HMRC records listed 7,878.
All 3 regulators allow data to be downloaded as a .csv file.
A registered charity ourselves, the CEF works for any non profit, not just charities.
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Here are the main assumptions in the model:
