Retirement is often sold as a long stretch of free time. But the data tells a different story about what people over 50 are actually doing with it. Since the pandemic, formal volunteering among UK adults aged 50 and over has dropped by 1.16 million regular participants — that’s roughly the population of Birmingham deciding not to show up. The hours lost add up to 110 million per year, worth an estimated £4 billion in economic value. For someone planning their post-work years, this isn’t just a charity sector problem. It’s a signal that something about retirement itself has shifted.
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This article is general information only and does not constitute professional advice. For your specific situation, consult a qualified professional.
The numbers matter because volunteering has never been a side activity for older adults. People aged 65 to 74 are the age group most likely to volunteer in the UK — or at least they were. Before the pandemic, nearly one in three volunteered formally at least once a month. That figure has now settled at 22%, barely budging since 2021. Among those aged 50 to 64, the rate fell from 23% to 16%. Even the 75-plus group dropped from 25% to 21%. The recovery hasn’t happened.
What’s driving this isn’t what most people assume. Only one in eight older people who stopped volunteering in the last five years blamed COVID restrictions. Twice that number said they stopped because their home or work circumstances changed. That distinction matters for anyone mapping out what retirement actually looks like — because the barriers aren’t going away on their own. Here’s what you actually need to know.
The term that keeps appearing in the research is formal volunteering — structured, regular unpaid work through an organisation, as opposed to informal help like looking after a neighbour’s shopping. The distinction matters because formal volunteering is what delivers the measurable wellbeing benefits, but it’s also what’s collapsed.
What I tend to notice is that people planning retirement rarely factor in how they’ll spend their time beyond the first year. The assumption that volunteering will naturally fill the gap is worth questioning when the data shows most over-50s who stopped haven’t returned. If you’re thinking about volunteering in retirement, the landscape has changed.
What the data actually shows about volunteering rates
The Centre for Ageing Better’s State of Ageing 2025 report tracks the decline across every older age band. The table below shows where rates stood before the pandemic and where they are now. The pattern is consistent: a sharp drop followed by a flat line.
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| Age group | Pre-pandemic formal volunteering rate | Current formal volunteering rate |
|---|---|---|
| 50–64 | 23% | 16% |
| 65–74 | 31% | 22% |
| 75+ | 25% | 21% |
Informal volunteering has also fallen to its lowest level in at least eight years. The 632,000 fewer people aged 50 and over doing informal help at least once a month represents a quieter but equally significant shift. When both formal and informal routes shrink, the social infrastructure that retirement once relied on starts to thin out.
The Marie Curie Great Daffodil Appeal survey adds another layer. While 47% of UK adults say they’re likely to volunteer in the next year, half of all respondents cite time as the biggest barrier. Among those who do volunteer, 56% say it gives them a sense of pride and purpose, and 38% say it helps them meet people. The desire is there. The structure to make it happen isn’t keeping up.
One scenario worth running: if you’re in your early 60s and planning to retire at 66, the 16% volunteering rate for your age band means roughly five out of six people in your position aren’t volunteering formally. That’s not a personal failing — it’s a systemic gap. The question is whether your retirement plan accounts for the social and mental health consequences of that gap. For anyone weighing up early retirement trade-offs, the volunteering data adds a dimension most calculators miss.
Why the old rules no longer apply
The reasons people give for not volunteering have shifted. Before the pandemic, the assumption was that older adults had time and inclination in roughly equal measure. The data now shows a more complicated picture.
Work and care responsibilities haven’t gone away
Among people aged 50 to 64 in the most deprived areas, 49% say work commitments stop them from volunteering regularly. Even in the least deprived areas, 39% cite work. The idea that retirement is a clean break from obligations doesn’t match reality for many people who are still working past 60, caring for partners or parents, or both. The 24% of over-50s in deprived areas who say illness or disability prevents them from volunteering is four times the rate in affluent areas.
Flexibility is the missing ingredient
The Marie Curie research found that 26% of people are motivated by flexible hours and another 26% by short-term or one-off opportunities. But many charities aren’t set up to manage volunteers who only come in once. The mismatch between what’s offered and what people can actually commit to explains part of the decline. Gen X, the cohort now entering their 50s and 60s, is the most likely to prefer short-term roles — exactly the kind many organisations don’t provide.
The wellbeing benefits aren’t automatic
Analysis of the Understanding Society study, tracking nearly 11,000 adults in England over a decade, found that volunteering is associated with lower mental distress and better health-related quality of life. But the effect is strongest for older adults — Baby Boomers and those born before 1945 — and weaker for younger cohorts. That doesn’t mean volunteering isn’t worth it for people in their 50s. It means the benefits accumulate over time and are more pronounced for those who stick with it into later retirement.
Where you live changes everything
In rural areas, 24% of people aged 50 to 64 volunteer formally at least once a month, compared with 18% in urban areas. The gap is even starker by deprivation: 24% in the least deprived areas versus 11% in the most deprived. For older people from minoritised ethnic backgrounds in the most deprived areas, the rate drops to 15%. Volunteering isn’t equally available — it’s shaped by transport, local infrastructure, and the kind of organisations that exist in a given area.
If you’re trying to reinvent yourself in retirement, the volunteering landscape requires more active navigation than it used to. The old model of walking into a local charity shop and signing up still exists, but it’s one option among many — and not always the most accessible one.
Making volunteering work in this new landscape
The research points to a few practical shifts that make the difference between intending to volunteer and actually doing it.
Start with the structure, not the cause
The most common reason people don’t volunteer is time — cited by half of UK adults. But “time” usually means unpredictable time. Roles that require a fixed weekly shift are harder to sustain than ones that offer rotas, short commitments, or remote options. The Letchworth Garden City Heritage Foundation nearly doubled its volunteer base to almost 90 people in one year by streamlining recruitment and offering flexible scheduling. The structure came first; the enthusiasm followed.
One-off roles are a genuine entry point
The Marie Curie Great Daffodil Appeal runs on two-hour collection shifts, often done in pairs at a local supermarket. That’s a low-barrier model that suits people who can’t commit to a regular weekly slot. In 2025, 6,642 volunteers raised over £1.2 million through exactly this kind of short-term participation. For someone testing whether volunteering fits their retirement, a single shift removes the pressure of a long-term promise.
Digital and remote options are growing
Volunteer management software is shortening onboarding times and enabling remote participation. Online searches for volunteering opportunities have increased 13% over the past year, and in some areas like Oxford they’ve nearly doubled. Digital volunteering — mentoring calls, administrative support from home, virtual trusteeship — removes the transport and mobility barriers that disproportionately affect older adults in deprived areas.
Pairing volunteering with social connection
The Understanding Society research shows that the wellbeing benefits of volunteering are partly driven by new social networks and roles. A woman in her sixties from Knowsley, quoted in the State of Ageing report, described organising social events in an extra care scheme: “I need that break… when you’re looking after someone who’s seriously ill, it’s hard work, and I needed to be myself again.” The social function of volunteering is not a side effect — it’s the mechanism.
For anyone concerned about combatting isolation after retirement, the volunteering data offers a clear if uncomfortable message: the old routes back into community life are narrower than they were. Finding the right role takes more deliberate effort now.
Frequently asked questions about volunteering in retirement
What’s the difference between formal and informal volunteering? ▾
Why haven’t volunteering rates recovered since the pandemic? ▾
Does volunteering actually improve mental health in retirement? ▾
What age group volunteers the most in the UK? ▾
How do I find volunteer opportunities that fit my schedule? ▾
Does where I live affect my chances of volunteering? ▾
The cost of not getting involved
The 110 million lost volunteer hours aren’t just a statistic for charity planners. For someone retiring in the next five years, they represent a social infrastructure that has quietly shrunk. The groups, the regular commitments, the informal networks that used to absorb people leaving work — many of them haven’t rebuilt. The research from the Centre for Ageing Better and the Understanding Society study both point to the same conclusion: the people who do find a volunteering role tend to be healthier, more connected, and more satisfied. The people who don’t aren’t necessarily choosing isolation — they’re running into barriers that the system hasn’t addressed.
The coming changes to State Pension age and the ongoing rise in the number of people working past 65 mean this gap is likely to widen before it narrows. If you’re planning retirement now, the volunteering question isn’t a nice-to-have. It’s part of the same conversation as your pension pot and your housing costs — because how you spend your time determines a lot about how far your money goes.
Remember: this article is general information only. For advice on your specific situation, speak to a qualified professional.
If this was useful, you might also want to read Retirement boredom: how to avoid a life of leisure turning into a downward spiral.
Sources and Further Reading
Retirement volunteering: giving back whilst staying active — A closer look at the practical side of finding volunteer roles that match your skills and schedule.
Loneliness epidemic: combatting isolation after retirement in the UK — Explores the social health risks of retirement and what actually works to maintain connections.
Centre for Ageing Better (2025). State of Ageing 2025 report. 🔗
Marie Curie (2026). Great Daffodil Appeal survey, conducted by Opinion Matters. 🔗
Mak, H. W., Coulter, R., & Fancourt, D. (2022). Relationships between Volunteering, Neighbourhood Deprivation and Mental Wellbeing across Four British Birth Cohorts. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(3), 1531. 🔗
The Access Group (2025). Current trends in volunteering. 🔗
