KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica has ranked number 1 in the world for its people being the most likely to help a stranger, according to the World Happiness Gallup Report 2025.

Jamaica is followed closely by Liberia and Sierra Leone, which also show high levels of generosity toward strangers.

While these countries rank high for helping others in need, they lag significantly behind in charitable donations.

Jamaica, Liberia, and Sierra Leone sit more than 80 places lower in global rankings for contributions to charity.

The report highlights similar trends in Nigeria and Kenya, two countries that also rank in the top 10 for helping strangers but fall near the bottom when it comes to financial contributions to organisations. Both nations, alongside Jamaica and others in this category, also face challenges related to institutional trust, with low expectations for fair returns when engaging with the police, a factor that often correlates with people’s reliance on formal systems.

This pattern suggests that in societies where institutional structures may be perceived as unreliable or distant, people turn to one another for support. Rather than relying on organisations that may not have the reach or accountability to help directly, citizens in these countries prefer to extend generosity to individuals they encounter personally. This is often through human connection rather than through formal charity.

In places like Jamaica, generosity and goodwill become not just moral imperatives but tangible expressions of trust among neighbours and strangers alike.