While the world often feels divided, a staggering $1.5 trillion flowed toward charitable causes in 2022, revealing a powerful global story of generosity that connects us all.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, global charitable giving reached $1.5 trillion, marking a 5.2% increase from 2021 adjusted for inflation
- According to the World Giving Index 2023, 34% of the global population donated money to charity in the past month, up from 27% pre-pandemic
- Indonesia led the World Giving Index 2023 with 90% of respondents helping a stranger, donating money, or volunteering
- US charitable giving totaled $499.33 billion in 2022, down 3.4% from 2021 adjusted for inflation
- Individuals contributed $369.58 billion to US charities in 2022, 74% of total giving
- Foundations gave $103.53 billion in 2022, up 0.6% adjusted
- Millennials: 21M donors in US, average $342/gift
- Gen Z US donors: 45% donated, prefer digital
- Boomers control 70% of US charitable dollars, average age 68
- Religion receives 27% of US donations, $132B in 2022
- Education: 16% of giving, $84B including K-12 and higher ed
- Human services: 15%, $74B for food, shelter, family services
- US giving expected to grow 4.1% in 2023 to $524B
- DAF grants projected to hit $100B annually by 2025
- Online giving to rise 10% yearly through 2027 to $25B in US
Charitable giving is growing globally with digital and youth engagement leading the trend.
Charitable Causes and Sectors
- Religion receives 27% of US donations, $132B in 2022
- Education: 16% of giving, $84B including K-12 and higher ed
- Human services: 15%, $74B for food, shelter, family services
- Health orgs: 9%, $47B including hospitals
- Arts/culture: 5%, $21B for museums, theaters
- Environment/animals: 3%, $15B with climate focus up 10%
- International affairs: 3%, $13B for global aid
- Public-society benefit: 4%, $20B for civics, advocacy
- Youth/sports: 2%, $10B for camps, athletics
- Animal welfare donations doubled to $6B since 2016
- Disaster relief: $5B in 2022 from hurricanes, floods
- Mental health giving: up 25% to $2.5B in 2022
- Hunger/food security: $8B, 80% via food banks
- Higher ed endowments grew donations to $60B in 2022
- Medical research: $12B, cancer leading at 40%
- Homelessness services: $4.2B annually
- Civil rights/equity: up 30% to $3B post-2020
- Veteran support: $7B, 90% private funding
- Children/family: $18B, child welfare focus
- Global health: $10B from US to vaccines, malaria
- Climate change orgs: $2.5B in 2022, up 20%
- Museums received $15B, 70% from individuals
- Animal rescue: 500K orgs, $5B total
- Poverty alleviation: $25B globally from US
- Sports youth programs: $6B, scholarships key
- Libraries/public access: $1.8B donations
Charitable Causes and Sectors Interpretation
The data paints a portrait of a nation whose heart and wallet are overwhelmingly dedicated to salvation and schooling, while its conscience increasingly funds mental health, equity, and a planet that can actually sustain the congregations, classrooms, and soup kitchens we so generously support.
Donor Demographics
- Millennials: 21M donors in US, average $342/gift
- Gen Z US donors: 45% donated, prefer digital
- Boomers control 70% of US charitable dollars, average age 68
- Women make 51% of US donations by volume, 62% by number
- HNWIs ($1M+ assets) give 6.5% of income avg
- UHNWIs donate 8.9% of wealth lifetime
- 84% of US donors are married, give 20% more
- African American giving: 60% donate, $25B total annually
- Hispanic donors: 49% participation, focus on education
- 72% of US parents teach kids philanthropy by age 10
- Urban donors give 15% more than rural per capita
- 55% of US donors aged 30-49 volunteer too
- Low-income (<$25K) donate 7.2% of income vs 3.1% high-income
- 68% of US religious donors give monthly
- LGBTQ+ donors: 52% higher rate than average
- Veterans donate 2x average to military causes
- Empty nesters increase giving by 25%
- 40% of young professionals use DAFs
- Baby Boomers plan 60% via bequests
- 75% of family foundation donors are couples
- Tech workers donate 4x national average
- Retirees give 11% of income avg
- 30% of donors motivated by tax benefits
- Single donors give to more orgs (avg 5 vs 3)
- Educators donate 65% rate
- Healthcare workers: 70% donated post-COVID
- 52% of US donors under 40 prefer monthly giving
Donor Demographics Interpretation
The charitable landscape reveals a generous but fragmented heart: while Boomers hold the purse strings and legacy plans, the passionate, digital-first younger generations and the quietly sacrificial low-income givers are writing the more immediate and diverse story of American giving, one monthly subscription and community-focused dollar at a time.
Global Giving Statistics
- In 2022, global charitable giving reached $1.5 trillion, marking a 5.2% increase from 2021 adjusted for inflation
- According to the World Giving Index 2023, 34% of the global population donated money to charity in the past month, up from 27% pre-pandemic
- Indonesia led the World Giving Index 2023 with 90% of respondents helping a stranger, donating money, or volunteering
- Philanthropy from ultra-high-net-worth individuals worldwide totaled $510 billion between 2010-2020
- Corporate giving globally amounted to $200 billion in 2022, with tech sector contributing 25%
- In 2023, 63% of global donors used digital platforms for contributions, a 15% rise from 2020
- Foundations worldwide distributed $650 billion in grants in 2021
- The UK saw £12.7 billion in charitable donations in 2022/23, up 9% from previous year
- Australia recorded AUD 13.3 billion in giving for 2022, with household donations at AUD 4.9 billion
- In Europe, charitable giving grew 4.1% to €138 billion in 2022, led by Germany and France
- Kenya ranked 2nd in World Giving Index 2023 with 86% participation rate in giving activities
- Global volunteer hours contributed equated to $1.7 trillion in economic value in 2022
- Online giving worldwide surged 12% in 2023, totaling $15 billion via platforms like GoFundMe
- HNWIs donated 4.7% of wealth on average globally in 2022
- Asia-Pacific philanthropy hit $60 billion in 2022, driven by China and India
- Latin America saw 8% growth in donations to $25 billion in 2022
- Middle East charitable giving reached $70 billion zakat and sadaqah in 2023
- 48% of global Gen Z donated in 2023, highest among generations
- Pandemic recovery boosted global giving by 7% in 2022 per CAF data
- Corporate volunteering globally: 70% of companies, averaging 24 hours per employee
- International aid from DAC countries: $204 billion in 2022
- 25% of global giving was to international causes in 2022
- Digital wallets accounted for 40% of global donations in 2023
- Faith-based giving worldwide: $400 billion annually
- Africa’s giving grew 10% to $15 billion in 2022
- 57% of world’s population engaged in some giving act monthly in 2023
- Global crowdfunding raised $1.1 billion for charity in 2023
- Employee giving programs globally matched $10 billion in 2022
- 35% increase in global planned giving since 2019
- Total global philanthropy market valued at $1.2 trillion in 2023 excluding aid
Global Giving Statistics Interpretation
The world's generosity is not only alive and well but has gone viral, as humanity now collectively donates over a trillion dollars annually, proving that from digital wallets to traditional alms, our impulse to help one another is both profoundly ancient and astonishingly modern.
Trends and Future Projections
- US giving expected to grow 4.1% in 2023 to $524B
- DAF grants projected to hit $100B annually by 2025
- Online giving to rise 10% yearly through 2027 to $25B in US
- Gen Z/Millennial giving to surpass Boomers by 2030
- Corporate ESG giving up 15% annually to 2030
- AI-driven personalized giving platforms to double by 2025
- Impact investing to reach $1T philanthropic capital by 2025
- Crypto donations projected $5B by 2025, up from $500M
- Post-recession giving to stabilize at 2% GDP share
- Volunteerism rebound to pre-pandemic levels by 2025, 30% digital
- Family philanthropy to grow 50% by 2030 via next-gen
- Climate giving to triple to $50B by 2030
- Recurring donations to be 50% of online giving by 2025
- Global giving to hit $2T by 2030, 6% CAGR
- US bequests to rise 20% with aging population
- Micro-donations via apps to $10B US by 2026
- Equity/diversity giving sustained at $5B+ annually
- Mental health philanthropy to $10B by 2030
- Tech-enabled matching gifts to double to $20B
- International giving from US to grow 5% yearly
- NFT/charity sales peaked but to stabilize at $1B/year
- Workplace giving to $15B by 2025 with hybrid work
- Planned giving societies membership up 25% by 2030
- Sustainable investing philanthropy $500B by 2030
- Donor-advised fund minimums dropping, 2M accounts by 2025
- AI analytics to boost retention 20%
- Global south philanthropy self-reliance to $100B by 2030
Trends and Future Projections Interpretation
The philanthropic future is shaping up to be a high-tech, multi-generational juggernaut, where your digital change, crypto coins, and even your great-aunt's bequest are all being optimized to turbocharge giving from every conceivable angle.
US Giving Statistics
- US charitable giving totaled $499.33 billion in 2022, down 3.4% from 2021 adjusted for inflation
- Individuals contributed $369.58 billion to US charities in 2022, 74% of total giving
- Foundations gave $103.53 billion in 2022, up 0.6% adjusted
- Bequests to charity reached $42.88 billion in 2022, up 10.9%
- Corporations donated $29.48 billion in 2022, down 2.5%
- Religion received $132.22 billion in 2022, 27% of total US giving
- 50% of US households donated to charity in 2022 per NPTrust
- Average US household donation: $4,135 in 2022
- US online giving: $13.2 billion in 2022, up 3.7%
- Fidelity Charitable processed $11.8 billion in 2022, up 9%
- 56% of US donors gave to disaster relief post-2022 events
- US mega-gifts over $100M: 89 in 2022 totaling $7.5B
- Vanguard Charitable grants: $2.1 billion in 2022
- US giving as % of GDP: 2.1% in 2022
- 72% of US companies have giving programs, matching $3B+
- Schwab Charitable: $3.9B distributed in 2022
- US volunteer value: $122.9/hour in 2022, total 5.8B hours
- DAF assets in US: $234B in 2022, up 8%
- 65% of US Boomers donated in 2022 vs 45% Gen Z
- US education giving: $84.83B in 2022
- Human services: $74.46B, 15% of total
- Arts/culture/humanities: $21.39B in 2022
- 24% of US giving from California donors in 2022
- New York state giving: $60B+ annually
- US recurring donors: 33% of total, average $1,200/year
- Post-COVID US giving rebound: 4% growth projected 2023
- 41% of US donors increased giving in 2022
- US itemizers deducting: 10% of filers, $250B total
- 60% of US households earning under $50K donated in 2022
US Giving Statistics Interpretation
While overall US charitable giving dipped slightly in 2022, the enduring generosity of everyday individuals—who still provided nearly three-quarters of all donations—proves that the American spirit of giving is alive and well, even if our wallets are feeling a bit lighter.
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