Trends & Themes

Trends & Themes

What is Covered in the 2026 Global Philanthropy Tracker (GPT)?

The GPT aims to address the lack of knowledge on the scope of cross-border giving in a world with an increasing need for philanthropy. It measures cross-border philanthropic flows and compares it to three additional externally tracked flows: official development assistance (ODA), remittances, and private capital investment. The 2026 GPT, the 12th edition of the index, provides updated estimates based on data from 2023 or the most recent year with available data.

Changes in philanthropic outflows and other cross-border resource flows between 2020 and 2023

  • From 2020 to 2023, the total amount of the four cross-border resource flows grew substantially by 50% (or 28% after adjusting for inflation).
  • Philanthropic outflows rose by 16% compared to 2020 and 19% compared to 2018; however, this growth did not keep pace with the high global inflation. As a result, the inflation-adjusted philanthropic outflows in 2023 were 1% lower than that in 2020 and about 2% lower than that in 2018.
  • In 2023, official development assistance (ODA) increased both in current dollars and after adjustment for inflation, up by 34% (or 14% adjusted for inflation) since 2020, and 37% (or 13% adjusted for inflation) since 2018. Remittances showed a similar pattern with a growth of nearly 30% from 2020 in current dollars and 9% in inflation-adjusted values.
  • After dropping to near zero during the pandemic, private capital investment (PCI) had the most significant increase between 2020 and 2023 in both current dollar values and after inflation adjustment. In 2023, as it bounced back to the pre-pandemic levels, PCI was 14% higher than that in 2018, yet it still reflected a modest 6% decline in inflation-adjusted values.

Philanthropic Outflows by Donor Countries’ Income Level in 2023

  • High-income countries tended to have a larger philanthropic outflow, with USD 2.7 billion on average and a median of USD 335 million in 2023. Upper-middle income countries contributed USD 47 million on average and a median of nearly USD 6 million. The average amount of philanthropic outflows from lower-middle income and low-income countries was about USD 8 million in 2023, with a median of USD 3 million. The 11 emerging economies donated USD 159 million on average, with a median of USD 47 million.
  • Estimates on philanthropic contributions were available from three low-income countries (Ethiopia, Rwanda, and Uganda) and four lower-middle income countries (India, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania). Among these seven countries, Kenya had the largest philanthropic outflows by a substantial margin, both in terms of dollar value (USD 30 million) and proportion of GNI (0.028%).
  • Estimates were available for 10 upper-middle income countries. Philanthropic outflows from these countries amounted to USD 471 million in 2023. Türkiye gave far more than the other countries in this group, contributing USD 367 million, compared to USD 105 million contributed by the other nine countries combined.
  • Thirty high-income countries had data on philanthropic outflows in 2023, contributing USD 81 billion. The United States had the largest contribution, both in absolute terms (USD 60 billion) and as a percentage of GNI (0.22%).