Trustee facts and figures

There are just over 180,000 charities in England and Wales registered with the Charity Commission, and perhaps another 80,000 that do not have to register, (usually because they are too small).  These charities are all different, but one thing they have in common is their reliance on trustees.

• There are over 1,000,000 trustee positions in England and Wales;
• Estimates suggest that almost half of charities have at least one vacancy on their board;
• Just 0.5% of trustees in England and Wales are aged between 18 and 24, (compared with 12% of the population as a whole);
• The average age of trustees in England and Wales is 57, two thirds are aged 50 and over.
• 43.4% of trustees are female, and 56% are male.

(Each trustee is counted only once, though some are trustees for more than one charity. The figure for female trustees should be treated as a minimum as only those whose titles are certainly female are included).