Charitable donations in the United States support major sectors like religion, education, human services, and health—funding everything from food and shelter to hospitals. Giving patterns also vary by who donates: women contribute more by volume, Millennials are a large donor group, Gen Z is more likely to give digitally, and Boomers still control most dollars. Globally, participation has continued to rise since the pre-pandemic period as new channels like donor-advised funds and online giving grow.
Key Takeaways
- 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
- 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
- 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 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
- 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
In 2022, US giving totaled $499.33B, led by individuals, while global giving kept rising to $1.5T.
Related reading
01 · Category
Charitable Causes And Sectors26 stats
01
Religion receives 27% of US donations, $132B in 2022
02
Education: 16% of giving, $84B including K-12 and higher ed
03
Human services: 15%, $74B for food, shelter, family services
04
Health orgs: 9%, $47B including hospitals
05
Arts/culture: 5%, $21B for museums, theaters
06
Environment/animals: 3%, $15B with climate focus up 10%
07
International affairs: 3%, $13B for global aid
08
Public-society benefit: 4%, $20B for civics, advocacy
09
Youth/sports: 2%, $10B for camps, athletics
10
Animal welfare donations doubled to $6B since 2016
11
Disaster relief: $5B in 2022 from hurricanes, floods
12
Mental health giving: up 25% to $2.5B in 2022
13
Hunger/food security: $8B, 80% via food banks
14
Higher ed endowments grew donations to $60B in 2022
15
Medical research: $12B, cancer leading at 40%
16
Homelessness services: $4.2B annually
17
Civil rights/equity: up 30% to $3B post-2020
18
Veteran support: $7B, 90% private funding
19
Children/family: $18B, child welfare focus
20
Global health: $10B from US to vaccines, malaria
21
Climate change orgs: $2.5B in 2022, up 20%
22
Museums received $15B, 70% from individuals
23
Animal rescue: 500K orgs, $5B total
24
Poverty alleviation: $25B globally from US
25
Sports youth programs: $6B, scholarships key
26
Libraries/public access: $1.8B donations
Interpretation
Charitable Causes And Sectors Interpretation
Within the Charitable Causes And Sectors category, religion leads with 27% of US donations totaling $132B in 2022, far ahead of education at 16% and showing how giving is concentrated in major foundational sectors while environment and animals receive only 3% despite climate-focused growth of 10%.
02 · Category
Donor Demographics27 stats
01
Millennials: 21M donors in US, average $342/gift
02
Gen Z US donors: 45% donated, prefer digital
03
Boomers control 70% of US charitable dollars, average age 68
04
Women make 51% of US donations by volume, 62% by number
05
HNWIs ($1M+ assets) give 6.5% of income avg
06
UHNWIs donate 8.9% of wealth lifetime
07
84% of US donors are married, give 20% more
08
African American giving: 60% donate, $25B total annually
09
Hispanic donors: 49% participation, focus on education
10
72% of US parents teach kids philanthropy by age 10
11
Urban donors give 15% more than rural per capita
12
55% of US donors aged 30-49 volunteer too
13
Low-income (<$25K) donate 7.2% of income vs 3.1% high-income
14
68% of US religious donors give monthly
15
LGBTQ+ donors: 52% higher rate than average
16
Veterans donate 2x average to military causes
17
Empty nesters increase giving by 25%
18
40% of young professionals use DAFs
19
Baby Boomers plan 60% via bequests
20
75% of family foundation donors are couples
21
Tech workers donate 4x national average
22
Retirees give 11% of income avg
23
30% of donors motivated by tax benefits
24
Single donors give to more orgs (avg 5 vs 3)
25
Educators donate 65% rate
26
Healthcare workers: 70% donated post-COVID
27
52% of US donors under 40 prefer monthly giving
Interpretation
Donor Demographics Interpretation
In Donor Demographics, the biggest takeaway is that although Boomers average age 68 and control 70% of US charitable dollars, Millennials still drive real momentum with 21M donors and an average $342 gift.
03 · Category
Global Giving Statistics30 stats
01
In 2022, global charitable giving reached $1.5 trillion, marking a 5.2% increase from 2021 adjusted for inflation
02
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
03
Indonesia led the World Giving Index 2023 with 90% of respondents helping a stranger, donating money, or volunteering
04
Philanthropy from ultra-high-net-worth individuals worldwide totaled $510 billion between 2010-2020
05
Corporate giving globally amounted to $200 billion in 2022, with tech sector contributing 25%
06
In 2023, 63% of global donors used digital platforms for contributions, a 15% rise from 2020
07
Foundations worldwide distributed $650 billion in grants in 2021
08
The UK saw £12.7 billion in charitable donations in 2022/23, up 9% from previous year
09
Australia recorded AUD 13.3 billion in giving for 2022, with household donations at AUD 4.9 billion
10
In Europe, charitable giving grew 4.1% to €138 billion in 2022, led by Germany and France
11
Kenya ranked 2nd in World Giving Index 2023 with 86% participation rate in giving activities
12
Global volunteer hours contributed equated to $1.7 trillion in economic value in 2022
13
Online giving worldwide surged 12% in 2023, totaling $15 billion via platforms like GoFundMe
14
HNWIs donated 4.7% of wealth on average globally in 2022
15
Asia-Pacific philanthropy hit $60 billion in 2022, driven by China and India
16
Latin America saw 8% growth in donations to $25 billion in 2022
17
Middle East charitable giving reached $70 billion zakat and sadaqah in 2023
18
48% of global Gen Z donated in 2023, highest among generations
19
Pandemic recovery boosted global giving by 7% in 2022 per CAF data
20
Corporate volunteering globally: 70% of companies, averaging 24 hours per employee
21
International aid from DAC countries: $204 billion in 2022
22
25% of global giving was to international causes in 2022
23
Digital wallets accounted for 40% of global donations in 2023
24
Faith-based giving worldwide: $400 billion annually
25
Africa’s giving grew 10% to $15 billion in 2022
26
57% of world’s population engaged in some giving act monthly in 2023
27
Global crowdfunding raised $1.1 billion for charity in 2023
28
Employee giving programs globally matched $10 billion in 2022
29
35% increase in global planned giving since 2019
30
Total global philanthropy market valued at $1.2 trillion in 2023 excluding aid
Interpretation
Global Giving Statistics Interpretation
Global Giving Statistics show charitable giving is expanding alongside digital adoption, with global giving reaching $1.5 trillion in 2022 and 63% of donors using digital platforms in 2023, rising 15% from 2020.
More related reading
04 · Category
Trends And Future Projections27 stats
01
US giving expected to grow 4.1% in 2023 to $524B
02
DAF grants projected to hit $100B annually by 2025
03
Online giving to rise 10% yearly through 2027 to $25B in US
04
Gen Z/Millennial giving to surpass Boomers by 2030
05
Corporate ESG giving up 15% annually to 2030
06
AI-driven personalized giving platforms to double by 2025
07
Impact investing to reach $1T philanthropic capital by 2025
08
Crypto donations projected $5B by 2025, up from $500M
09
Post-recession giving to stabilize at 2% GDP share
10
Volunteerism rebound to pre-pandemic levels by 2025, 30% digital
11
Family philanthropy to grow 50% by 2030 via next-gen
12
Climate giving to triple to $50B by 2030
13
Recurring donations to be 50% of online giving by 2025
14
Global giving to hit $2T by 2030, 6% CAGR
15
US bequests to rise 20% with aging population
16
Micro-donations via apps to $10B US by 2026
17
Equity/diversity giving sustained at $5B+ annually
18
Mental health philanthropy to $10B by 2030
19
Tech-enabled matching gifts to double to $20B
20
International giving from US to grow 5% yearly
21
NFT/charity sales peaked but to stabilize at $1B/year
22
Workplace giving to $15B by 2025 with hybrid work
23
Planned giving societies membership up 25% by 2030
24
Sustainable investing philanthropy $500B by 2030
25
Donor-advised fund minimums dropping, 2M accounts by 2025
26
AI analytics to boost retention 20%
27
Global south philanthropy self-reliance to $100B by 2030
Interpretation
Trends And Future Projections Interpretation
Charitable giving is on a clear growth trajectory with US giving expected to rise 4.1% to $524B in 2023 and online donations growing 10% yearly through 2027 to $25B, signaling a future where trends are increasingly driven by digital channels and emerging donor segments.
05 · Category
Us Giving Statistics29 stats
01
US charitable giving totaled $499.33 billion in 2022, down 3.4% from 2021 adjusted for inflation
02
Individuals contributed $369.58 billion to US charities in 2022, 74% of total giving
03
Foundations gave $103.53 billion in 2022, up 0.6% adjusted
04
Bequests to charity reached $42.88 billion in 2022, up 10.9%
05
Corporations donated $29.48 billion in 2022, down 2.5%
06
Religion received $132.22 billion in 2022, 27% of total US giving
07
50% of US households donated to charity in 2022 per NPTrust
08
Average US household donation: $4,135in 2022
09
US online giving: $13.2 billion in 2022, up 3.7%
10
Fidelity Charitable processed $11.8 billion in 2022, up 9%
11
56% of US donors gave to disaster relief post-2022 events
12
US mega-gifts over $100M: 89 in 2022 totaling $7.5B
13
Vanguard Charitable grants: $2.1 billion in 2022
14
US giving as % of GDP: 2.1% in 2022
15
72% of US companies have giving programs, matching $3B+
16
Schwab Charitable: $3.9B distributed in 2022
17
US volunteer value: $122.9/hour in 2022, total 5.8B hours
18
DAF assets in US: $234B in 2022, up 8%
19
65% of US Boomers donated in 2022 vs 45% Gen Z
20
US education giving: $84.83B in 2022
21
Human services: $74.46B, 15% of total
22
Arts/culture/humanities: $21.39B in 2022
23
24% of US giving from California donors in 2022
24
New York state giving: $60B+ annually
25
US recurring donors: 33% of total, average $1,200/year
26
Post-COVID US giving rebound: 4% growth projected 2023
27
41% of US donors increased giving in 2022
28
US itemizers deducting: 10% of filers, $250B total
29
60% of US households earning under $50K donated in 2022
Interpretation
Us Giving Statistics Interpretation
In the US giving picture, total donations fell to $499.33 billion in 2022, down 3.4% from 2021 after inflation, even as bequests climbed to $42.88 billion up 10.9% and religion remained the largest recipient with $132.22 billion, about 27% of all giving.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Charitable Donations Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/charitable-donations-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Charitable Donations Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/charitable-donations-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Charitable Donations Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/charitable-donations-statistics.
Sources & references
74 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level