Iraqis are the most likely people in the world to help a stranger, according to the World Giving Ind

This was driven home to me by what seems to be a startling statistical finding. Iraqis are the most likely people in the world to help a stranger, according to the World Giving Index (WGI). https://www.newscientist.com/article/2100107-how-does-peoples-generosity-around-the-world-compare/

Let that sink in for a moment. This is a country that was "shocked and awed" by the United States and Britain into almost total state collapse, endured years of civil war, is supposedly prey to sectarian and ethnic hatred and is at the mercy of rival militias and warlords - including the infamous and bloodthirsty Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

Against such a backdrop and in a world where the relative trickle of refugees into Europe is causing continent-wide panic, you would expect people to fear strangers, to suspect that a passer-by in apparent need is actually part of an ambush or a ploy, to keep what little they have for themselves and their nearest and dearest. Despite this, four out of five Iraqis report having helped a stranger in the past month. How is this possible?

For example, research has repeatedly found Americans to be the most generous charitable donors in the world as a percentage of income, giving away around 2 percent of the gross domestic product. However, this does not make the US the most generous country in the world. Like in developing countries with low taxes and huge income disparities, the visible poverty all around forces wealthy people of conscience to give.

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/opinion/2016/08/generous-earth-160824130402397.html