There were 21,920 people aged 12 and over last year doing some form of voluntary work, the National Statistics Office said.

The NSO said that 49 per cent of them active within a voluntary organisation, 42 per cent within another entity and eight per cent were doing informal voluntary work.

The majority of male volunteers were volunteering within a voluntary organisation, while most of the female volunteers were volunteering within another entity.

The majority of voluntary workers were aged between 25 and 49.

The main role volunteers working within a voluntary organisation was administrative (46 per cent). 38 per cent played an active role in the organisation’s activities, while 17 per cent played a supporting role.

The majority of males had been doing voluntary work for five to10 years, while the largest share of females had been volunteering for less than five years.

Most volunteers, 45 per cent, were doing voluntary work because they felt this was their moral duty.

Most volunteered for less than 10 hours a month but 24 per cent volunteered for between 10 and 19 hours, 20 per cent for 20 to 29 hours, and another 20 per cent for 30 hours or more. Males tended to spend slightly more time volunteering than females, with the averages standing at 23 hours and 21 hours respectively.