Dhaka: Bangladesh has been ranked ninth among its Asian neighbours in an international ranking of most generous countries.

With an overall score of 31 percent, the country has been ranked 74 in the world and fourth in South Asia in the CAF World Giving Index 2018 by British organisation Charities Aid Foundation (CAF).

In the ninth edition of the CAF World Giving Index presents the ranking after collecting data from 146 countries across the globe over a five-year period (2013-2017), reports the UNB.

‘With as many as 2.4 billion people set to join the world’s middle classes by 2030, it is crucial that we ensure that the groundwork is put in place to support and encourage a mass engagement in giving,’ said the report.

The rest of the Asian countries which made their place on top ten are Singapore, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Mongolia, Nepal, Republic of Korea, Thailand and the Philippines, according to the CAF index.

Indonesia took the first position in the world scoring the highest 59 percent, it said.

However, space has been made on top by Myanmar which drops to ninth place in this year’s rankings, having previously held the top spot since 2014. All three of Myanmar’s scores decreased since last year.

‘After the Rohingya crisis reached its peak during 2017, it’s hard not to conclude that the country’s troubles have contributed to Myanmar’s people being less willing or less able to give in these ways,’ it said.

Australia and New Zealand make up the other countries in this year’s top three with only around a half a percentage point between them. They are followed very closely by the USA which has moved up one place since 2016.