While many wealthy individuals are significant philanthropists, reasons for not donating (or not donating more) include a lack of trust in how charities use funds, a preference for investing in, rather than handing out money, and a desire to retain control over their assets. Additionally, some fear attracting solicitations, prefer privacy, or believe their wealth is better managed through private, strategic investments.
Many wealthy people work hard for their money and would rather buy luxuries than give money to the poor, some of whom choose not to work. Being obliged to give to the poor can be demotivating e.g. Ronald Reagan had to pay 90% of his filmstar earnings in tax, a reason he gave for turning down some roles.
Put another way, 400,000 people account for more than one-third of the world's charity. It's even more extreme when you look at billionaires. The world's 3,200 billionaires (or 0.00004% of the global population) account for 8% of individual philanthropy.
Bezos, Zuckerberg, Buffett -- Which billionaire gives the least away? Among the top four richest billionaires, Jeff Bezos is the only one who hasn't established a charitable foundation.
Yes, Billie Eilish announced she donated $11.5 million from her "Hit Me Hard and Soft" tour proceeds to The Changemaker Program to support climate justice and food insecurity, revealing the donation at the Wall Street Journal's Innovator Awards in late 2025, where she also publicly challenged billionaires to give their money away.
Taylor Swift gives over $2 million to various charities in holiday donation spree. The American Heart Association, Feeding America, ACM Lifting Lives and MusiCares all thanked the pop superstar for opening her purse strings this Christmas.
While Buffett is number one as measured by total giving, George Soros has given away a larger percentage of his net worth than anyone else on this list: 76% so far. A significant amount of his Open Society Foundations' work over the years has gone to support democracy in places like Central and Eastern Europe.
Elon Musk, World's Richest Person, Doles Out $474 Million In 2024 To Charities, Many Belonging To Him. The Musk Foundation gave record grants last year, mostly benefiting Musk's own charities and American health and educational organizations.
Lewis Hamilton has been named the most generous celebrity in the UK ❤️ The F1 star donated an incredible £20m of his wealth in 2022 - 6.7% of the total - to charitable causes 👏
Other forms: philanthropists. A philanthropist is a person who gives money or gifts to charities, or helps needy people in other ways. Famous examples include Andrew Carnegie and Bill & Melinda Gates. In English, the -ist suffix describes a person who does a particular action. A philanthropist practices philanthropy.
Bill Gates has pledged to give away 99% of his wealth by 2045, with plans to spend down $200 billion over the next 20 years and close the Gates Foundation by that year.
But Brandi Hoffine Barr, spokesperson for the organization, told the Chronicle on Thursday, Oct. 30, that Zuckerberg and Chan pledged to donate 99% of their shares in Meta (Facebook at the time) “to philanthropy over their lifetimes.” Since 2015, the couple has already given away more than $7 billion.
No single group holds exactly 90% of the world's wealth, but extreme concentration exists, with the top 10% of the world's population owning the vast majority, around 75-85% of global wealth, leaving the bottom 90% with a small fraction, while the richest 1% owns a huge chunk of that, sometimes as much as the bottom 90% or more combined, according to reports from the World Inequality Database and Oxfam.
The following are just a few examples of events that, in most cases, would absolutely result in a significant financial reversal or complete financial ruin.
Wealthier countries tend to report higher life satisfaction than poorer ones, but wealth alone does not determine how happy a nation is. Certain low-income countries are remarkably efficient at generating happiness, while certain wealthy countries underperform relative to their resources.
Warren Buffett and Bill Gates consistently rank as the top billionaire donors in terms of total lifetime giving, with Buffett often cited as the largest with over $60 billion (much channeled through the Gates Foundation), followed by Gates and Melinda French Gates with substantial contributions to global health and poverty. MacKenzie Scott has recently emerged as a major force, becoming one of the most generous by focusing on a wide range of causes, while George Soros and Michael Bloomberg also lead in significant lifetime donations, focusing on democracy, climate, and education.
Since stepping down as Amazon's CEO, Bezos has increased his philanthropic efforts and has committed $10 billion to climate change efforts, through an initiative called the Bezos Earth Fund. It remains to be seen how these efforts will evolve, as Bezos appears to be drawing closer to Republican President Donald Trump.
There isn't one single celebrity universally declared as giving the most, as it depends on the timeframe and metrics (total amount vs. percentage of wealth), but major contenders for significant giving include Michael Jackson, with over $500 million to charity, and Oprah Winfrey, who has donated at least $400 million through her foundation. More recently, Lewis Hamilton was noted for donating a significant percentage of his wealth (6.7% or £20m in 2022), while figures like J.K. Rowling, Sir Elton John, and Leonardo DiCaprio are consistently recognized for substantial contributions to various causes.
The IQ of an average millionaire is 117 The IQ of an average billionaire is 133 The IQ of an average deca-billionaire is 151 This shows - you gotta be intelligent to get rich!
Billie Eilish first gained fame with her 2015 song "Ocean Eyes," but she publicly "came out" as attracted to women in a November 2023 Variety interview,https://www.variety.com/2023/music/features/billie-eilish-body-shamers-sexualized-barbie-oscar-buzz-1235787860/ and confirmed it at a December 2023 event, stating she didn't realize it wasn't already obvious. Her breakout music career began with the 2019 release of her debut album, When We All Fall Asleep, Where Do We Go?, which launched her into global stardom.
Billie Eilish has synesthesia, a neurological condition where senses cross-wire, causing her to experience music as colors, shapes, and other sensory perceptions. Billie uses it to her advantage during her creative processes.
Tics typically show up between ages 2 and 15, with the average being around 6 years of age. Males are about three to four times more likely than females to develop Tourette syndrome.
