Research
UK Charity Survival and Longevity Index
How long do charities actually last? Cohort survival analysis of every England and Wales charity registered since 1980, drawn from the Charity Commission full-register extract. Updated 2026-07-20.
Survival rate by registration cohort
For each year from 1980 to 2016, the table shows how many charities were registered, how many have since been removed, and the proportion still on the active register today. Only cohorts at least 10 years old are shown; more recent cohorts are excluded because their apparent survival rates are artificially high (the charities have simply had less time to be removed).
The 1993 and 1994 cohorts show unusually large registration numbers because the Commission brought a large backlog of previously excepted charities onto the formal register in those years, inflating those cohort sizes.
| Cohort year | Registered | Removed | Still active | Survival rate | Median age at removal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1980 | 3,904 | 2,540 | 1,364 | 34.9% | 21 yrs |
| 1981 | 3,402 | 2,271 | 1,131 | 33.2% | 21 yrs |
| 1982 | 3,706 | 2,462 | 1,244 | 33.6% | 19 yrs |
| 1983 | 3,811 | 2,552 | 1,259 | 33% | 20 yrs |
| 1984 | 3,952 | 2,633 | 1,319 | 33.4% | 18 yrs |
| 1985 | 3,776 | 2,498 | 1,278 | 33.8% | 18 yrs |
| 1986 | 4,062 | 2,670 | 1,392 | 34.3% | 16 yrs |
| 1987 | 4,042 | 2,726 | 1,316 | 32.6% | 17 yrs |
| 1988 | 4,054 | 2,618 | 1,436 | 35.4% | 16 yrs |
| 1989 | 3,929 | 2,594 | 1,335 | 34% | 15 yrs |
| 1990 | 4,073 | 2,630 | 1,443 | 35.4% | 16 yrs |
| 1991 | 4,363 | 2,884 | 1,479 | 33.9% | 14 yrs |
| 1992 | 4,791 | 3,103 | 1,688 | 35.2% | 13 yrs |
| 1993 | 12,748 | 8,863 | 3,885 | 30.5% | 16 yrs |
| 1994 | 11,782 | 7,909 | 3,873 | 32.9% | 15 yrs |
| 1995 | 8,495 | 5,217 | 3,278 | 38.6% | 14 yrs |
| 1996 | 8,201 | 5,089 | 3,112 | 37.9% | 13 yrs |
| 1997 | 7,101 | 4,688 | 2,413 | 34% | 15 yrs |
| 1998 | 5,977 | 3,497 | 2,480 | 41.5% | 13 yrs |
| 1999 | 5,584 | 3,129 | 2,455 | 44% | 12 yrs |
| 2000 | 5,473 | 3,147 | 2,326 | 42.5% | 11 yrs |
| 2001 | 5,594 | 2,982 | 2,612 | 46.7% | 10 yrs |
| 2002 | 5,237 | 2,717 | 2,520 | 48.1% | 10 yrs |
| 2003 | 6,104 | 3,109 | 2,995 | 49.1% | 10 yrs |
| 2004 | 6,060 | 2,897 | 3,163 | 52.2% | 10 yrs |
| 2005 | 5,140 | 2,394 | 2,746 | 53.4% | 10 yrs |
| 2006 | 4,786 | 2,140 | 2,646 | 55.3% | 10 yrs |
| 2007 | 4,656 | 2,029 | 2,627 | 56.4% | 9 yrs |
| 2008 | 5,138 | 2,063 | 3,075 | 59.8% | 9 yrs |
| 2009 | 6,053 | 1,732 | 4,321 | 71.4% | 8 yrs |
| 2010 | 6,166 | 1,955 | 4,211 | 68.3% | 7 yrs |
| 2011 | 5,689 | 1,942 | 3,747 | 65.9% | 7 yrs |
| 2012 | 5,358 | 1,749 | 3,609 | 67.4% | 7 yrs |
| 2013 | 4,973 | 1,413 | 3,560 | 71.6% | 6 yrs |
| 2014 | 4,639 | 1,095 | 3,544 | 76.4% | 6 yrs |
| 2015 | 5,316 | 1,011 | 4,305 | 81% | 6 yrs |
| 2016 | 5,963 | 1,081 | 4,882 | 81.9% | 6 yrs |
Source: Charity Commission full-register extract (OGL v3.0), 2026-07-20. Survival rate = active / (active + removed) within each cohort.
How long removed charities lasted, by income band
Among the 185,749 charities removed from the register, those with lower reported income were removed at a similar or older age than larger charities. Larger charities are more likely to be removed via merger or restructuring rather than simple closure, which explains why they do not necessarily survive longer.
| Income band at removal | Charities removed | Median age at removal |
|---|---|---|
| Under £25,000 | 68,810 | 20 yrs |
| £25,000 to £250,000 | 17,266 | 17 yrs |
| £250,000 to £1m | 3,779 | 17 yrs |
| Over £1m | 1,521 | 20 yrs |
Income is each charity's last reported latest_income before removal (this is not necessarily income in the final year; it is the most recent figure available in the register). A further 94,373 removed charities had no reported income and are excluded from this table.
Frequently asked questions
How long does the average charity last?
The median age at which a charity is removed from the Charity Commission register is 20 years. That is the midpoint across all 185,749 charities removed from the England and Wales register. The figure varies by income size: smaller charities (under £25,000 income) are removed at a median age of 20 years, while larger charities (over £1m income) are also removed at a median age of around 20 years, though for different reasons (mergers, restructuring, and constitutional changes are more common among larger organisations than straightforward closure).
What does charity survival rate mean here?
The survival rate for a registration cohort is the proportion of charities registered in that year that are still on the active register today. A cohort registered in 1980 with a 35% survival rate means roughly two thirds of those charities have since been removed (through voluntary deregistration, merger, dissolution, or regulatory removal). Survival rates naturally look higher for more recent cohorts because those charities have had less time to be removed, so we only include cohorts that are at least 10 years old.
Why are survival rates rising for more recent cohorts?
Two effects contribute. First, newer charities have simply had less time to be removed, so their apparent survival rates are higher at any snapshot date. Second, registration policy changed significantly in the mid-1990s when a large backlog of previously excepted charities was brought onto the register, creating inflated cohort sizes for 1993 and 1994 that include many long-established organisations. The Commission has also tightened compliance monitoring over time, which both catches non-compliant charities earlier and may reduce the number registered that were unlikely to succeed.
Are charities that are 'removed' always closed?
Not always. Removal from the Charity Commission register can mean the charity dissolved or wound up, but it can also mean a merger with another charity, a conversion to a different legal structure (such as a Charitable Incorporated Organisation), or a regulatory removal for failure to file returns. A charity merged into another continues operating; it is only the original registration that ends. The register does not distinguish these reasons in the publicly available extract.
Does charity size affect survival?
The data shows that very small charities (under £25,000 income) and very large charities (over £1m) have similar median ages at removal of around 20 years. Mid-sized charities (£25,000 to £1m income) are removed somewhat earlier, at a median of 17 years. This partly reflects that mid-sized charities are more likely to merge or restructure once they have grown, while very small charities may persist for longer before eventually deregistering. Very large charities are removed primarily through mergers, restructurings, or constitutional changes rather than financial failure.
Methodology and sources
Cohort survival rate = charities from that registration year that are still registered, divided by the total from that cohort (active + removed). Income at removal is each charity's last reported latest_income before removal (this is not necessarily income in the removal year). Cohorts from 1980 to 2016 shown (earlier records incomplete; recent cohorts excluded as <10 years for meaningful survival measurement). Main charities only (linked charities excluded).
- Charity Commission full register extract (OGL v3.0) (Charity Commission for England and Wales, Open Government Licence v3.0)
Download the cohort survival data as CSV (free to reuse with attribution to Trustee Tax).
Related: UK Small Charity Finance Index | Scrutiny Cliff-Edge Monitor
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