In 2023, 55% of donors gave via mobile and 72% researched charities online first, yet the biggest shifts are happening before the click in how often and why people give. US charitable giving totaled $499.33 billion in 2022 with a small overall dip, while younger and older generations reported very different giving patterns, from millennials contributing $120 billion annually to boomers delivering 40% of all donations. Let’s look at where the money flows and how the method is changing.
Key Takeaways
- Households earning under $50K donated 5.5% of income in 2022
- 72% of US donors in 2023 were female
- Millennials donated $120 billion annually in 2022, 25% of total giving
- 55% of donors give via mobile in 2023
- Recurring monthly donations up 25% since 2020 to 30% of donors
- 72% of donors research charities online before giving
- Charity:water reports 100% of donations go to clean water projects, impacting 15M people
- Against Malaria Foundation prevents 0.1 deaths per $1,000 donated via nets
- Direct cash transfers via GiveDirectly increase recipient income 35% long-term
- In 2022, total charitable giving in the United States amounted to $499.33 billion, representing a 0.1% decrease from 2021 in current dollars but a 3.4% decline when adjusted for inflation
- Globally, the World Giving Index 2023 reports that 3.6 billion people donated money to charity in 2022, up from previous years
- UK charitable donations reached £12.7 billion in the 2021/22 tax year, a 9.4% increase from the previous year
- Religion: Religion receives 27% of US donations ($134.9B in 2022)
- Education sector got 14% of donations ($69.7B) in US 2022
- Human services received 13% ($64.9B) of US giving in 2022
In 2022, US and global giving surged as mobile and research drove more donors, funding clean water and health.
Related reading
01 · Category
Donor Profiles27 stats
01
Households earning under $50K donated 5.5% of income in 2022
02
72% of US donors in 2023 were female
03
Millennials donated $120 billion annually in 2022, 25% of total giving
04
Boomers (age 57-75) gave 40% of total US donations in 2022, averaging $4,200 each
05
41% of Gen Z donated in 2023, compared to 51% of Boomers
06
High-net-worth individuals (>$1M assets) donated 7.5% of income in 2022
07
Married donors give 15% more than singles, averaging $3,500 vs $2,900 in 2022
08
55% of donors with children under 18 donate monthly
09
Black Americans donate 25% more of income than average (4.5%)
10
60% of US donors are college-educated, giving 2x more than non-grads
11
Rural donors give 10% higher percentage of income than urban (4.2% vs 3.8%)
12
35% of donors aged 18-24 use mobile apps exclusively for giving
13
Women donors prioritize health causes 20% more than men
14
48% of Hispanic donors give to education, highest among groups
15
Retirees donate 50% more frequently than working adults
16
28% of low-income donors (<$25K) still give annually, averaging $200
17
Corporate employees donate 3x more when matching is offered
18
65% of frequent donors (monthly) are under 50
19
LGBTQ+ donors give 15% higher to advocacy groups
20
Veterans donate 30% more to military causes
21
52% of self-employed donors give vs 45% employed
22
Asian American donors average $5,000annually, highest per capita
23
70% of donors over 70 include charity in estate plans
24
Parents donate 22% more to youth causes
25
39% of non-religious donors still give to faith-based orgs
26
Urban professionals (25-34) donate via payroll 18% of time
27
Religion (humanists) donate 4% of income, similar to religious
Interpretation
Donor Profiles Interpretation
From a donor profiles perspective, giving is strongly shaped by who the donors are, with women making up 72% of US donors in 2023 and Boomers delivering 40% of total donations in 2022 while donating an average of $4,200 each.
02 · Category
Giving Behaviors25 stats
01
55% of donors give via mobile in 2023
02
Recurring monthly donations up 25% since 2020 to 30% of donors
03
72% of donors research charities online before giving
04
Impulse giving accounts for 38% of all donations via digital
05
Employer matching doubles donations for 40% of employees
06
Text-to-give raised $1B in 2022 for US causes
07
65% of donors prefer one-click checkout for giving
08
Year-end giving spikes 40% in December
09
Peer-to-peer fundraising grew 15% to $15B in 2022
10
48% abandon carts due to lack of transparency in giving
11
Stock donations up 20% in 2022 among HNWI
12
DAF grants totaled $54B in 2022 US
13
Social media sharing influences 55% of donations
14
Vehicle donations generated $1.2B for charities 2022
15
35% of donors give to multiple orgs simultaneously
16
Email campaigns drive 29% of online donations
17
62% of Gen Z give spontaneously via apps
18
Legacy giving pledges rose 12% in 2023
19
Corporate volunteerism tied to 25% higher donations
20
70% repeat donate after positive impact story
21
Crypto donations hit $2.5B in 2022
22
45% of donors influenced by celebrity endorsements
23
Micro-donations (<$10) make up 22% of digital giving
24
58% of donors churn after one gift without follow-up
25
Events/fundraisers account for 18% of total giving
Interpretation
Giving Behaviors Interpretation
Giving behaviors are shifting heavily toward digital and research-driven action, with 55% of donors giving via mobile in 2023 and 72% researching charities online before giving, alongside momentum in recurring giving where monthly donations reached 30% of donors.
03 · Category
Impact And Efficiency22 stats
01
Charity:water reports 100% of donations go to clean water projects, impacting 15M people
02
Against Malaria Foundation prevents 0.1 deaths per $1,000donated via nets
03
Direct cash transfers via GiveDirectly increase recipient income 35% long-term
04
AMF distributed 100M+ nets, averting 500K deaths since 2004
05
Top charities cost ~$3,500to save a life (GiveWell estimate 2023)
06
Habitat for Humanity built 1.5M homes, housing 7M people since 1976
07
80% of Charity Navigator 4-star orgs spend <25% on overhead
08
Smile Train performs 1.5M cleft surgeries, 90% volunteer surgeons
09
Effective Altruism funds averted 200K+ deaths via top charities
10
Partners in Health treats 10M patients/year at $50/person cost
11
Cool Earth protects 1 acre rainforest per £6 donated
12
1-800-Charity Cars delivered 250K+ vehicles, 90% to needy families
13
Average charity admin costs 12-15% per ECFA standards
14
Deworm the World treated 100M+ kids, improving schooling 0.65 years
15
Sightsavers prevents blindness in 1M via $50donations each
16
90% of Red Cross disaster relief reaches field within 24hrs
17
Best charities return $12+ impact per $1 donated (GiveWell)
18
Heifer International lifts 25M out of poverty via livestock gifts
19
Operation Smile repairs 400K+ clefts at $600/surgery cost
20
75% of funds to program vs overhead in BBB Wise Giving Alliance
21
Malaria Consortium saves 1 life per 2,500 nets ($5K total)
22
Water.org serves 50M+ with clean water loans at 95% repayment
Interpretation
Impact And Efficiency Interpretation
Across these impact and efficiency examples, many charities convert dollars into measurable outcomes, from Charity: water’s 100% of donations reaching clean water for 15M people to GiveWell’s estimate that about $3,500 can save a life, showing that high-return giving often pairs strong accountability with large-scale results.
More related reading
04 · Category
Overall Donation Volumes29 stats
01
In 2022, total charitable giving in the United States amounted to $499.33 billion, representing a 0.1% decrease from 2021 in current dollars but a 3.4% decline when adjusted for inflation
02
Globally, the World Giving Index 2023 reports that 3.6 billion people donated money to charity in 2022, up from previous years
03
UK charitable donations reached £12.7 billion in the 2021/22 tax year, a 9.4% increase from the previous year
04
In 2021, Americans gave $484.9 billion to charity, with individuals contributing 67% of the total
05
Canadian charitable donations totaled CAD 11.65 billion in 2021, down 4.5% from 2020
06
The average annual donation per US household in 2022 was $2,978
07
In 2022, global philanthropy from high-net-worth individuals reached $510 billion
08
Australia saw $13.9 billion in charitable giving in 2022, a 7% increase year-over-year
09
India’s charitable donations grew to INR 25,000 crore in FY2022, driven by CSR mandates
10
In 2023, European charitable giving totaled €120 billion, with Germany leading at €22 billion
11
US online giving surged 4.2% in 2022 to $57.7 billion
12
The global crowdfunding market for charity reached $1.8 billion in 2022
13
In 2021, total US foundation giving was $103 billion, up 6.3%
14
Brazil’s charitable sector received BRL 20 billion in donations in 2022
15
Japan’s donations hit ¥1.2 trillion in 2022, with disaster relief prominent
16
South Africa donations totaled ZAR 12 billion in 2022
17
In 2022, 48% of US adults donated to charity, averaging $1,500 per donor
18
Global corporate giving reached $25 billion in 2022
19
New Zealand giving was NZD 2.1 billion in 2022
20
Singapore donations grew 15% to SGD 2 billion in 2022
21
In 2023, US bequests to charity totaled $42.9 billion
22
Mexico charitable giving reached MXN 50 billion in 2022
23
In 2022, 26% of global population donated money monthly
24
US giving as percentage of GDP was 1.93% in 2022
25
China’s public welfare donations hit CNY 200 billion in 2022
26
France donations totaled €10.5 billion in 2022 via tax receipts
27
Total global aid from DAC countries was $204 billion in 2022
28
Indonesia donations reached IDR 20 trillion in 2022
29
In 2022, US itemized deductions for charity totaled $300 billion
Interpretation
Overall Donation Volumes Interpretation
Overall donation volumes stayed broadly steady despite small year to year shifts, with total US giving at $499.33 billion in 2022 only 0.1% lower than 2021 and UK donations rising to £12.7 billion in 2021 to 22, while globally 3.6 billion people gave in 2022.
05 · Category
Sector Specific Giving26 stats
01
Religion: Religion receives 27% of US donations ($134.9B in 2022)
02
Education sector got 14% of donations ($69.7B) in US 2022
03
Human services received 13% ($64.9B) of US giving in 2022
04
Health organizations got 10% ($49.9B) in US 2022 donations
05
Arts/culture/humanities: 5% ($24.9B) of US total in 2022
06
Environment/animals: 3% ($15B) of US donations 2022
07
International affairs: 2% ($10B) in US 2022
08
Public-society benefit: 9% ($44.9B) US 2022
09
Globally, education receives 22% of donations per World Giving Index
10
Disaster relief got $20B globally in 2022 post-events
11
Animal welfare donations up 12% to $8B in US 2022
12
Mental health charities received $5.5B in US 2022
13
Hunger/poverty relief: 15% of global giving
14
Religious giving in UK: 33% of total donations 2022
15
Medical research: $12B in US 2022 (cancer focus)
16
Youth development orgs got $6B US 2022
17
Environmental causes: 8% global rise in 2022 donations
18
Homelessness shelters: $4.2B US 2022
19
LGBTQ+ causes: $1.5B globally 2022
20
Veteran support: $7B US 2022
21
Women/girls empowerment: $10B global 2022
22
Sports/youth athletics: $2.5B US 2022
23
Civil rights/equity: $3.8B US post-2020 rise
24
Refugee aid: $15B international 2022
25
Elderly care: 6% of UK donations 2022
26
Tech/innovation charities: $1.2B US 2022
Interpretation
Sector Specific Giving Interpretation
Within the Sector Specific Giving category in the US 2022, religion dominated with 27% of donations totaling $134.9B while the remaining sectors were far more fragmented, with health at 10% and arts and environment trailing at 5% and 3% respectively.
report visual · Key figures
Charitable giving: recent shifts and channels
Giving participation and engagement are trending upward, with notable differences across channels and years.
0.1%
In 2022, total charitable giving in the United States amounted to $499.33 billion, representing a 0.1% decrease from 202
67%
In 2021, Americans gave $484.9 billion to charity, with individuals contributing 67% of the total
48%
In 2022, 48% of US adults donated to charity, averaging $1,500 per donor
25%
Recurring monthly donations up 25% since 2020 to 30% of donors
40%
Year-end giving spikes 40% in December
55%
55% of donors give via mobile in 2023
Reference
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Marcus Engström. (2026, February 13). Charity Donation Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/charity-donation-statistics
MLA
Marcus Engström. "Charity Donation Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/charity-donation-statistics.
Chicago
Marcus Engström. 2026. "Charity Donation Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/charity-donation-statistics.
Sources & references
86 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level