Ireland is the most generous nation in Europe when it comes to donating to charity and offering a helping hand to a stranger, a new study has found.

Not only did Ireland come fifth in generosity in a world ranking of 146 countries, but the country came just a place behind the US and pipped the UK which was sixth, according to the Charities Aid Foundation's (CAF) World Giving Index.

The index measuring global generosity found that Ireland moved from eighth place to fifth since 2017.

The survey found that close to 64pc of Irish citizens reported donating money in the previous month.

The same number of people also reported helping a stranger in need.

The global average for helping a stranger is 51pc.

However, when it comes to volunteering their own time, only 40pc of Irish respondents reported volunteering.

Indonesia was ranked as the world's most generous country, followed by Australia and New Zealand.

Irish Independent