The Regulator for Charities in England and Wales

Facts & Figures

Register Summary – Recent History (1999 to 2007)

At 31st December

Total Number
of charities

Annual income
£bn

Number of
Large charities (annual income
> £10 million)

Annual Income
£bn

Proportion of Total Income
%

2007

169,297

44.55

679

22.41

50.3

2006

168,609

41.26

627

20.10

48.7

2005

167,466

37.86

570

17.59

46.5

2004

166,336

34.86

511

15.84

45.4

2003

164,781

31.62

460

14.19

44.9

2002

162,335

29.45

421

13.04

44.3

2001

160,778

26.71

372

11.42

42.7

2000

159,845

24.56

336

10.27

41.8

1999

163,355

23.74

307

10.19

42.9

The table above shows the increase in the size (both numerically and in income terms) of the registered charity sector in England and Wales over the last decade or so.

It also confirms that the number of large charities (over £10 million annual income) has more than doubled resulting in the proportion of the sector’s resources controlled by its largest organisations rising to more than half of the total.

Please note that £10 million has been used to define large charities here because data is available for that segment of the sector for the whole period.