Volunteering → All-cause mortality
Higher volunteering decreases all-cause mortality.
Volunteers died at lower rates than non-volunteers. A meta-analysis of five cohort studies found a risk ratio of 0.78, and a review of adults aged 65 and over found a hazard ratio of 0.76.
Meta-analysis · Moderate
The two move together in observational data. Nobody has yet tested whether one causes the other.
Mechanism
The reviews do not test why.
Caveats
These are comparisons of people who volunteer with people who do not. Healthier and better-off people may be the ones who volunteer, so the gap does not show that volunteering lengthens life. The two estimates are close: in the older group the hazard ratio was 0.76 (95% CI 0.72 to 0.80).
Effect
Risk ratio 0.78 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.9). Risk ratio 0.78 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.90) for volunteers, from five cohort studies.
Nodes
Cite this page
What Causes What. “Volunteering → All-cause mortality.” https://whatcauseswhat.org/edges/e-volunteering-mortality (atlas updated 2026-10-18).
Papers
- Is volunteering a public health intervention? A systematic review and meta-analysis of the health and survival of volunteers.
CE Jenkinson, AP Dickens, K Jones, J Thompson-Coon, RS Taylor, M Rogers, CL Bambra, I Lang · 2015 · BMC public health
volunteers versus non-volunteers in cohort studies · Risk ratio 0.78 (95% CI 0.66 to 0.9)
- Voluntary work for the physical and mental health of older volunteers: A systematic review.
T Filges, A Siren, T Fridberg, BCV Nielsen · 2024 · Campbell systematic reviews
adults aged 65 and over who volunteer · Hazard ratio 0.76 (95% CI 0.72 to 0.8)