Britain ranked fifth when it came to helping others in a survey of 15 to 64-year-olds conducted in 26 countries belonging to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), as well as China, India and South Africa.

The report, Society at a Glance, measured ‘pro-social behaviour’ in OECD countries, such as volunteering, giving money to charity and helping a stranger.

Some 57 per cent of Britons had done at least one of these in the last month.

Only America, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand were more generous. Greece is the least kind country, with only 13 per cent saying they had done something to help others.

The report also looked at other aspects of living, such as the working hours of men and women, and voting patterns.

In Britain, women were found to spend two hours more per day doing ‘unpaid work’ such as cooking and cleaning, than men.

The survey indicates that working women are still undertaking the largest share of household chores.

This trend is replicated across the OECD, with women in every single country surveyed doing more unpaid work every day than men.