The billionaires doing the most with their immense wealth
Do you ever wonder how much the richest business people donate to charity? Compare the Market asked themselves the same question.
In their latest study, they looked at just how charitable the world’s billionaires are. The ten most generous billionaires have a combined net worth of $491.2 billion and between them. These ten have also donated at least $109.7 billion in their lifetime so far, claims the report, which you can find here.
| Rank | Billionaire | 2018 Net Worth Billions ($) | Amount Donated Billions ($) | Percentage of Net Wealth (%) |
| 1 | Warren Buffett | $84 | $46.6 | 55.48% |
| 2 | Bill Gates | $90 | $41 | 45.56% |
| 3 | Michael Bloomberg | $50 | $6 | 12% |
| 4 | Phil Knight & Family | $29.6 | $2.9 | 10.10% |
| 5 | Michael Dell | $22.7 | $2 | 8.89% |
| 6 | Carlos Slim Helú & Family | $67.1 | $4 | 5.96% |
| 7 | He Xiangjian | $20.1 | $1.1 | 5.47% |
| 8 | Li Ka-shing | $34.9 | $1.8 | 5.33% |
| 9 | Sergey Brin | $47.5 | $2.2 | 4.63% |
| 10 | Ma Huateng | $45.3 | $2 | 4.43% |
Analyzing their net worth, the amount donated and the percentage of earnings that have been given away over a lifetime, the data showed which billionaire causes the most generous support.
And here are the top three philanthropic female billionaires.
| Rank | Billionaire | 2018 Net Worth Billions ($) | Amount Donated Millions ($) | Percentage of Net Wealth (%) | Inherited? |
| 1 | Denise Coates | $5 | $120 | 2.4% | No |
| 2 | Gina Rinehart | $17.6 | $222.5 | 1.26% | Yes |
| 3 | Françoise Bettencourt Meyers | $42.2 | $500 | 1.18% | Yes |
Compare the Market looked at the percentage of earnings that billionaires donate, but what about the average person?
The average person gives around 2.23 percent of their lifetime earnings to charity. Based on an average salary of $36,646.97, an adult would make $1,721,569.21 over their career. The average person donates around $38,000 in their lifetime, which is 2.23 percent of their salary. 36 out of the Top 50 Charitable Billionaires still donate less than the average person. The average publicly recorded donation for billionaires not signed up to The Giving Pledge amounts to 1.8 percent of their wealth – less as a percentage than most people on average salaries. This goes up to an average of 4.3 percent when Giving Pledge billionaires are included.
