Just one Asian organization is among the top 20 largest donors in the world, as the region’s philanthropy lags the U.S.

(Credit: Lo Chun Kit—Getty Images)

Asia is full of billionaires. The Asia-Pacific region has over 1,000 self-made billionaires, together holding about $3.7 trillion in combined wealth, according to a December 2023 survey by UBS. Yet much of that wealth has not been channeled toward philanthropic projects, with the region’s largest donors giving at levels far below those of the world’s biggest philanthropic organizations. 

Just one Asian organization—the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust—ranked among the world’s top 20 philanthropic organizations, according to a new report from the Bridgespan Group, a nonprofit consultancy that advises NGOs and philanthropic organizations, showing the gap between philanthropy in Asia and countries like the U.S.