--- title: "Oxfam GB vs Save the Children UK — international charity…" description: "Oxfam vs Save the Children compared: poverty alleviation and emergency relief vs child welfare and global education — Clarity Scores and UK regulator filings." source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare/oxfam-gb-vs-save-the-children-fund retrieved: 2026-08-18T02:03:44.053Z license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0" --- [OX](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/oxfam-gb) [OXFAM](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/oxfam-gb) 70/100 3★ Reg. 202918 compared with [TS](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/save-the-children) [THE SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/save-the-children) 85/100 4★ Reg. 213890 # Oxfam GB vs Save the Children UK — international charity comparison **In short:** Oxfam focuses on global poverty, water and emergency relief; Save the Children prioritises child health, protection and education — compare filings and Clarity Scores. Data from [Charity Commission register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 10 August 2026. Donors choosing between Oxfam and Save the Children are comparing two of the UK’s largest international development charities. Compare their UK regulator filings, fundraising efficiency, and Clarity Score beacons below. ## Key differences | What to compare | OXFAM | THE SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND | | --- | --- | --- | | Primary focus | Poverty alleviation, water & sanitation, emergency relief, campaigning | Child protection, global health, education and emergency child response | | Global footprint | Operations in over 60 countries with local partners | Operations in over 110 countries focusing on children | | UK retail presence | Extensive high-street charity shop network | Targeted high-street retail and corporate partnerships | | Best if you want | Systemic poverty eradication and disaster response | Direct interventions improving children’s lives worldwide | ## What the latest filings show Figures from the most recent annual accounts on the Charity Commission register. Clarity scores use our [methodology](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology). | Metric | OXFAM | THE SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND | | --- | --- | --- | | Overall score | 70/100 (3★) | 85/100 (4★) | | Accountability & Finance | 100/100 | 100/100 | | Spend on charitable activities | 68% of expenditure | 87% of expenditure | | Fundraising efficiency | £3.1 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) | £8.2 raised per £1 fundraising (3-yr avg) | | Latest income | £339m | £305m | | Fundraising spend | 32% of expenditure | 12% of expenditure | | Reserves | 2 months | 2 months | | Accounts filing | On time | On time | | Data confidence | high | high | | Charity number | 202918 | 213890 | [OXFAM on the register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/202918) · [THE SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND on the register](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/213890) ## OXFAM may suit you if… - You want to fund water, sanitation and emergency poverty relief - You support global campaigning on economic justice [Full profile →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/oxfam-gb) ## THE SAVE THE CHILDREN FUND may suit you if… - You want your donation focused explicitly on children’s health and education - You support emergency nutrition and child protection [Full profile →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charity/save-the-children) ## Common questions ### Oxfam vs Save the Children — which spends more on charitable activities? Both charities publish detailed annual returns with the Charity Commission. Check their Clarity Score profiles on CharityCompare to view their exact charitable spend percentage. 100 How we score charities +The Clarity Score is a 100-point rating from UK regulator filings (Charity Commission for England and Wales, OSCR and CCNI). Four pillars — Accountability & Transparency (40), Financial Health (30), Financial Efficiency (20), and Community Support (10) — each scored on a continuous scale, not pass/fail cutoffs. A statutory inquiry sets the score to 0 automatically. [Full methodology →](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/methodology) Accountability & Transparency Scored from filings 40 points — filing history (15), trustee oversight (15, scaling up to a board of three or more), declared policies (10). Financial Health Scored from filings 30 points — reserves (15, full marks 3–24 months, tapering on both sides), income stability (10), liabilities to assets (5, scaling down as debt rises). Financial Efficiency Scored from filings 20 points — program expense ratio and fundraising cost, each on a graduated scale (not a single cutoff). Kept at 20% of the total: financial-ratio scoring alone is not a reliable effectiveness signal (see "why not just an overhead ratio?" below). Community Support Scored from filings 10 points — volunteer-to-staff ratio from Charity Commission workforce data, scaling continuously up to a 2:1 ratio. Overall score Sum of all pillar points. Display stars use the same bands as the labels: 90–100 → 5★ Exceptional; 75–89 → 4★ Good; 60–74 → 3★ Needs improvement; 1–59 → 2★ Poor; 0 → not rated. [Compare these charities side-by-side](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities?ids=oxfam-gb,save-the-children) [Back to compare](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare-charities)