The world’s most generous people
Forbes has ranked the biggest philanthropic personalities in the world, based on the amount they donated in 2012.
According to Forbes, the top 50 biggest givers in the world donated a total of $10 billion – with the top 10 contributing 71%, or $7.121 billion, alone.
Microsoft founder and chairman – and richest man in the world – Bill Gates along with his wife, Melinda Gates, are the biggest givers in the world, having donated $1.9 billion in 2012 (2.3% of their wealth), with a total lifetime giving of $28 billion.
The tech pioneer’s foundation – The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation – have taken on the battle to eliminate polio and malaria, while donating to organizations such as the World Health Organization and Medicines for Malaria.
The second biggest giver, according to Forbes’ findings, is investor Warren Buffett, who donated 3.2% of his wealth in 2012, giving $1.87 billion in the year, including a $1.5 billion payment to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
Buffett has totaled $25 billion in donations in his lifetime.
Other big givers include Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg (4th) – who donated just over $500 million in 2012, which was directed mainly at the Silicon Valley Community Foundation.
The biggest giver in proportion to his wealth is Duty Free Ships co-founder, Chuck Feeney, who quietly donated close to 16% of his wealth in 2012 – $313 million – adding to his lifetime donations of $6.3 billion.
According to Forbes, 40 of the 50 listed philanthropists are also featured on the company’s billionaires list.
The figures listed are not pledges made, but actual cash delivered to charities in the year.
Top 10 biggest givers
| # | Name | Total donated |
2012 Donations |
% of wealth |
| 1 | Bill and Melinda Gates | $28 billion | $1.9 billion | 2.6% |
| 2 | Warren Buffet | $25 billion | $1.87 billion | 3.2% |
| 3 | George Soros | $10 billion | $763 million | 3.8% |
| 4 | Mark Zuckerberg | $549 million | $519 million | 2.2% |
| 5 | Walton family | $4.6 billion | $432 million | 0.3% |
| 6 | Eli and Edythe Broad | $3.5 billion | $376 million | 5.5% |
| 7 | Michael Bloomberg | $2.4 billion | $370 million | 1.2% |
| 8 | Paul Allen | $2 billion | $327.7 million | 2.1% |
| 9 | Chuck Feeney | $6.3 billion | $313 million | 15.65% |
| 10 | ordon and Betty Moor | $2.3 billion | $250.5 million | 5.1% |
The full list can be found on Forbes.
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