Charitable giving is set to climb to $1.5T globally by 2025, yet 2022 already shows sharp splits in who gives, how they give, and what causes win. In the US, total giving fell to $499.33 billion in 2022 while individuals still accounted for 64% and bequests hit a record $42.88 billion. We unpack the patterns behind these contrasts, from online giving surges to generational and country differences.
Key Takeaways
- Women in the US are 13% more likely to donate than men, per 2022 data.
- Baby Boomers donated $200 billion annually, averaging 3.5% of income to charity.
- Millennials give 69% more to online charities than other generations in 2023 surveys.
- In 2022, total global philanthropic giving amounted to $1.37 trillion USD, representing a 4.2% increase adjusted for inflation from 2021.
- The World Giving Index 2023 ranked Indonesia as the most generous country, with 83% of respondents donating money in the past month.
- Globally, 72% of people helped a stranger in the past month in 2023, up from 68% in 2022.
- Global charitable giving expected to grow 4.5% annually to $1.5T by 2025.
- US giving projected to reach $600 billion by 2025, driven by wealth transfer.
- Online donations to rise 15% yearly, hitting $25B in US by 2025.
- Religion receives 32% of all US donations, highest among charity types.
- Education (K-12 and higher ed) accounted for 14% of US giving at $71 billion in 2022.
- Human services nonprofits received 13.5% of donations, $67.5 billion in 2022.
- In 2022, total US charitable giving reached $499.33 billion, a 3.4% decline from 2021 adjusted for inflation.
- Giving by individuals in the US was $319.04 billion in 2022, comprising 64% of total giving.
- US foundations distributed $103.53 billion in 2022, up 7.5% from prior year.
Global giving is rising and the US hit $499.33 billion in 2022 despite a small inflation adjusted dip.
Related reading
01 · Category
Donor Demographics19 stats
01
Women in the US are 13% more likely to donate than men, per 2022 data.
02
Baby Boomers donated $200 billion annually, averaging 3.5% of income to charity.
03
Millennials give 69% more to online charities than other generations in 2023 surveys.
04
High-net-worth individuals (HNWIs) with $1M+ assets donated 7.2% of income in 2022.
05
72% of US donors aged 55+ cite religious motivations for giving.
06
Gen Z donors prioritize mental health causes, giving 25% more than average to them.
07
Married couples donate 78% more than single individuals annually.
08
Black Americans give 25% more of their income to charity (4%) than white counterparts (3%).
09
85% of women donors prefer recurring gifts compared to 72% of men.
10
Donors under 40 are 2x more likely to support environmental causes.
11
Rural residents donate 10% more time but 5% less money than urban dwellers.
12
College-educated donors give 45% more than those without degrees.
13
Parents with children donate 15% higher amounts to education charities.
14
60% of Hispanic donors in the US support faith-based organizations.
15
Elderly donors (75+) average $5,200annual gifts, highest per capita.
16
Corporate executives donate 4x more to alma maters than non-executives.
17
LGBTQ+ donors prioritize equality causes, contributing 30% above average.
18
Self-employed individuals give 20% more to local community causes.
19
Women-led households donate 12% more to health and human services.
Interpretation
Donor Demographics Interpretation
Across donor demographics, giving is strongly shaped by life stage and identity, with women donating 13% more than men and older groups leading on motivation while Gen Z targets mental health 25% more than average and Millennials give 69% more online.
02 · Category
Global Statistics20 stats
01
In 2022, total global philanthropic giving amounted to $1.37 trillion USD, representing a 4.2% increase adjusted for inflation from 2021.
02
The World Giving Index 2023 ranked Indonesia as the most generous country, with 83% of respondents donating money in the past month.
03
Globally, 72% of people helped a stranger in the past month in 2023, up from 68% in 2022.
04
In 2022, international philanthropy from high-income countries to low- and middle-income countries totaled $89.2 billion.
05
The global fundraising market grew by 7.5% in 2022, reaching €150 billion in total revenue for nonprofits.
06
In 2023, 64% of the world's population donated to charity at least once, compared to 57% pre-pandemic.
07
Global corporate giving reached $28 billion in 2022, with a focus on sustainability initiatives.
08
In 2022, remittances from migrants globally exceeded $800 billion, often directed towards charitable causes.
09
The UK donated £12.7 billion to charity in 2022/23, equivalent to £460 per adult.
10
In Australia, charitable giving totaled AUD 13.6 billion in 2022, up 11% from 2021.
11
Kenya led Africa in the 2023 World Giving Index with 83% volunteering rate.
12
Global foundation giving surged to $200 billion in 2021, with projections for continued growth.
13
In 2022, 47% of global respondents volunteered time to charity, highest in Oceania at 54%.
14
India's charitable donations reached INR 25,000 crore in FY2022, driven by HNI contributions.
15
Europe saw €120 billion in donations in 2022, with Germany contributing €14 billion.
16
In 2023, 60% of Libyans donated despite economic challenges, topping Arab region generosity.
17
Global online giving grew 12% in 2022 to $15 billion, led by digital platforms.
18
Singapore's total giving was SGD 2.2 billion in 2022, with 59% household participation.
19
In 2022, philanthropic billionaires donated $510 billion over the last three decades globally.
20
Africa's giving totaled $1.5 billion in individual donations in 2022, per Hagberg research.
Interpretation
Global Statistics Interpretation
From a Global Statistics perspective, charitable engagement is clearly expanding, with total global giving reaching $1.37 trillion in 2022 and 64% of the world donating in 2023, up from 57% before the pandemic.
03 · Category
Trends And Future Projections20 stats
01
Global charitable giving expected to grow 4.5% annually to $1.5T by 2025.
02
US giving projected to reach $600 billion by 2025, driven by wealth transfer.
03
Online donations to rise 15% yearly, hitting $25B in US by 2025.
04
Gen Z and Millennials to drive 50% of giving growth by 2030.
05
Corporate ESG giving to double to $60B globally by 2027.
06
Impact investing in philanthropy to reach $1T by 2025.
07
Post-pandemic, volunteerism down 20% but cash giving up 10% through 2023.
08
Crypto donations to grow 50% annually to $5B by 2025.
09
AI-driven personalized fundraising to boost retention by 30% by 2025.
10
Wealth transfer from Boomers: $84T by 2045, 10% to charity.
11
Global South giving to rise 8% yearly, closing North-South gap.
12
DAF assets to hit $300B in US by 2025, distributing $50B/year.
13
Recurring donations up 25% since 2020, projected 40% of online gifts by 2025.
14
Climate philanthropy to triple to $150B annually by 2030.
15
US individual giving to rebound 5.2% in 2023 after 2022 dip.
16
Mobile giving apps to capture 20% of donations by 2025 globally.
17
Female-led foundations to increase giving by 15% through 2030.
18
Peer-to-peer fundraising growth: 12% annually to 2027.
19
Global volunteering to recover to 2019 levels by 2025.
20
Tax incentives to boost US bequest giving 20% by 2030.
Interpretation
Trends And Future Projections Interpretation
Charity giving is set to accelerate under the Trends And Future Projections lens, with global giving forecast to grow 4.5% per year to $1.5T by 2025 as online donations climb to $25B in the US and impact investing in philanthropy reaches $1T by that same year.
More related reading
04 · Category
Types Of Charities20 stats
01
Religion receives 32% of all US donations, highest among charity types.
02
Education (K-12 and higher ed) accounted for 14% of US giving at $71 billion in 2022.
03
Human services nonprofits received 13.5% of donations, $67.5 billion in 2022.
04
Health organizations got 9% of total giving, $44.8 billion in US 2022.
05
International affairs charities raised $28.6 billion, 6% of US total in 2022.
06
Public-society benefit groups like civil rights got 11%, $55 billion in 2022.
07
Environment/animal causes: 3%, $15 billion; arts: 3%, $15 billion in US 2022.
08
Youth/family services within human services: $12.4 billion in 2022 US giving.
09
Higher education donations: $60 billion, 80% from individuals in 2022.
10
Disaster relief charities raised $4.2 billion post-hurricanes in 2022 US.
11
Animal welfare orgs saw 15% giving increase to $8 billion globally in 2022.
12
Mental health nonprofits received $2.5 billion in new US funding 2022.
13
Food banks and hunger relief: $10 billion US donations amid inflation 2022.
14
Museums and arts orgs: average $500K per org from individuals in 2022.
15
Veteran support groups raised $7.8 billion in US 2022 giving.
16
Global health charities like Gates Foundation focus: $50B annually.
17
Homeless shelters within human services: $5.3 billion US 2022.
18
Religious international aid: 40% of faith-based giving, $50B global.
19
Climate action NGOs: $12 billion from philanthropists in 2022.
20
US higher ed endowments grew giving by 5% to $50B in 2022.
Interpretation
Types Of Charities Interpretation
In US charity giving by type, religion leads with 32% of donations, while every other major category trails well behind, showing that beneficiaries outside faith-based groups split the remaining share despite meaningful allocations like education at 14% and human services at 13.5%.
05 · Category
United States Statistics24 stats
01
In 2022, total US charitable giving reached $499.33 billion, a 3.4% decline from 2021 adjusted for inflation.
02
Giving by individuals in the US was $319.04 billion in 2022, comprising 64% of total giving.
03
US foundations distributed $103.53 billion in 2022, up 7.5% from prior year.
04
Bequests to charity in the US totaled $42.88 billion in 2022, a record high.
05
Corporate giving in the US amounted to $29.48 billion in 2022, including 1.6% of pretax profits.
06
Religion received $132.22 billion in US donations in 2022, 27% of total giving.
07
Education nonprofits in the US got $69.05 billion in 2022, down 7.9% adjusted for inflation.
08
Human services charities received $67.22 billion in the US in 2022, up 4.1%.
09
Grantmaking organizations in the US saw $61.98 billion in contributions in 2022.
10
Arts, culture, and humanities received $17.10 billion in US giving in 2022.
11
In 2022, the top 400 US philanthropists gave $51 billion, led by MacKenzie Scott's $1.7B.
12
Average US household donation was $4,151in 2022, per Giving USA estimates.
13
US online giving hit $13.1 billion in 2022, 12% growth year-over-year.
14
States like Utah led US generosity at 6.6% of income given to charity in 2022.
15
California residents donated $68 billion to charity in 2022, highest statewide total.
16
US megadonors gave $36 billion in 2022, focusing on education and health.
17
Volunteer hours in the US totaled 5.8 billion in 2022, worth $134 billion economically.
18
US giving to international affairs rose to $28.6 billion in 2022, up 7.8%.
19
Public broadcasting received $1.3 billion in US individual gifts in 2022.
20
Environment and animals got $14.12 billion in US donations in 2022.
21
Health organizations received $44.66 billion in the US in 2022.
22
50% of US adults donated to charity in 2022, down from 56% in 2021.
23
Households earning over $100K gave 42% of total US individual contributions in 2022.
24
Boomers (age 59-77) contributed 40% of US itemized deductions in 2022.
Interpretation
United States Statistics Interpretation
In the United States in 2022, total charitable giving fell to $499.33 billion, a 3.4% inflation adjusted drop from 2021, yet bequests hit a record $42.88 billion and foundations continued rising with $103.53 billion distributed, showing how the decline in giving by some groups can be offset by growing legacy and institutional support.
report visual · Key figures
Donating participation and giving are shifting after the pandemic
Across 2021–2023, fewer people donated than during the pre-pandemic period, while global giving participation and helping a stranger increased.
50%
50% of US adults donated to charity in 2022, down from 56% in 2021.
64%
In 2023, 64% of the world's population donated to charity at least once, compared to 57% pre-pandemic.
72%
Globally, 72% of people helped a stranger in the past month in 2023, up from 68% in 2022.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Rachel Svensson. (2026, February 13). Charity Giving Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/charity-giving-statistics
MLA
Rachel Svensson. "Charity Giving Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/charity-giving-statistics.
Chicago
Rachel Svensson. 2026. "Charity Giving Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/charity-giving-statistics.
Sources & references
42 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level