Non-governmental organization

A non-governmental organization (NGO) is an entity that is not part of the government. This can include non-profit and for-profit entities. An NGO may get a significant percentage or even all of its funding from government sources. An NGO typically is thought to be a nonprofit organization that operates partially independent of government control. Nonprofit NGOs often focus on humanitarian or social issues but can also include clubs and associations offering services to members. Some nonprofit NGOs, like the World Economic Forum, may also act as lobby groups for corporations. Unlike international organizations (IOs), which directly interact with sovereign states and governments, NGOs are independent from them.

The term as it is used today was first introduced in Article 71 of the newly formed United Nations Charter in 1945.[1] While there is no fixed or formal definition for what NGOs are, they are generally defined as nonprofit entities that are independent of government management or direction—although they may receive government funding.[1]

According to the UN Department of Global Communications, an NGO is "a not-for profit, voluntary citizen's group that is organized on a local, national or international level to address issues in support of the public good".[2] The term NGO is used inconsistently, and is sometimes used synonymously with civil society organization (CSO), which is any association founded by citizens.[3] In some countries, NGOs are known as nonprofit organizations while political parties and trade unions are sometimes considered NGOs as well.[4]

NGOs are classified by (1) orientation- entailing the type of activities an NGO undertakes, such as activities involving human rights, consumer protection, environmentalism, health, or development; and (2) level of operation, which indicates the scale at which an organization works: local, regional, national, or international.[4]

The number of NGOs varies widely by country. India has one of the largest sectors, with over 3.7 million NGOs registered on the government's DARPAN portal as of 2024.[5] In contrast, the number of registered NGOs in Russia has seen a significant decline due to restrictive laws, with thousands being liquidated or delisted since the implementation of the "foreign agent" law.[6] The United States has approximately 1.5 million NGOs.[7] The United States, by comparison, has approximately 1.5 million NGOs; an NGO for every 227 people.[8]

  1. ^ a b "What is an NGO? What role does it play in civil society? | Knowledge base". Candid Learning. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  2. ^ Leverty, Sally (2008). "NGOs, the UN and APA". American Psychological Association. Retrieved 12 August 2021.
  3. ^ "Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the United States" (fact sheet). 20 January 2017. Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor. U.S. Department of State. state.gov. Retrieved 21 September 2017.
  4. ^ a b Vakil, Anna (December 1997). "Confronting the classification problem: Toward a taxonomy of NGOs". World Development. 25 (12): 2057–2070. doi:10.1016/S0305-750X(97)00098-3.
  5. ^ "NGO Darpan". NITI Aayog, Government of India. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  6. ^ "Russia shuts down another leading human rights NGO". Reuters. 8 April 2022. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  7. ^ "Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in the United States". U.S. Department of State. 20 January 2017. Retrieved 15 September 2025.
  8. ^ "US Department of State". Retrieved 11 January 2023.
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