South Australian volunteers delivered $45 billion in value to the local economy last year with younger South Australians leading the way and volunteer numbers surpassing one million for the first time.
According to the 2025 State of Volunteering report, released today by Volunteering SA&NT, volunteers created $45 billion in gross social and economic value across 294.8 million hours.
The highest participation rate of all volunteers was among those aged between 25 to 34 (74 per cent) closely followed by 15 to 24-year-olds (73 per cent).
If volunteering were counted as an industry, it would be South Australia’s largest employer.
Commissioned by Volunteering SA&NT, the State of Volunteering report delivers a snapshot of volunteering across the State, strengthening understanding of the sector and its social and economic value. It draws on two surveys – a random study of 1,032 South Australians and a parallel survey of 283 volunteer managers.
The Report also revealed:
- 63.7 per cent of South Australian residents gave their time to volunteering over the past year.
- Volunteers themselves bear the majority of the cost of volunteering, at approximately $8.6 billion. This comprises $4 billion in direct out-of-pocket. expenses and $4.6 billion in forgone earnings, representing the opportunity cost of volunteers’ time.
- Volunteers aged 25 to 34 contribute the greatest amount of time, averaging 377.4 hours of volunteering each year.
- Volunteering contributes 2.8 per cent to South Australia’s gross domestic product.
- Investment in volunteering delivers strong returns, with every $1 generating approximately $4.70 in economic and social value.
- Benefits of volunteering stretch across the community with around 40 per cent of the net return on investment flowing to individual volunteers in terms of wellbeing; 38.6 per cent delivering civic value while 21.3 per cent generates commercial benefits.
As put by Katrine Hildyard
Volunteering represents one of South Australia’s greatest acts of generosity, and it is also one of our greatest economic assets, with more than one million people giving their time, skills and care.
Volunteers are the backbone of community life in South Australia, not because they have to be, but because they choose to be.
These numbers are extraordinary: volunteering delivers billions of dollars in social and economic value to South Australia. And behind every dollar figure is a person supporting others – driving someone to an appointment, coaching a sports team, responding in a crisis, visiting someone who is lonely, or making sure a community event can happen.
Volunteers are often the first to arrive, the last to leave, and the reason so many community services keep going.
Thank you to every single one of our state’s volunteers and a huge ‘well done’ to the throngs of young people stepping up to make a difference in the lives of others, giving hope to individuals and hope for the future of our state.
As put by Volunteering SA&NT CEO Hamilton Calder
South Australians are volunteering on an extraordinary scale, with young people leading the way.
Almost three quarters of South Australians aged between 15 and 34 are undertaking some type of volunteering whether that be formally or informally.
We’re excited this will continue following the State Government’s commitment to expand the Student Volunteer Award program led by Volunteering SA&NT.
Across our state, South Australians are embracing volunteering, and we are building something extremely valuable. The task now is to sustain it.
The returns on volunteering remain remarkably strong but costs are rising.
Particularly in the context of cost-of-living pressures, this highlights the importance of reimbursements and resourcing for organisations to support volunteers and preserve the extraordinary returns volunteering delivers.
