Ultra Wealth and Philanthropy: A Dive Into the Data

 Many of us who work in and around philanthropy, whether we are donors, advisors or social entrepreneurs, haven't really looked deeply at the data on wealth distribution and what this means for philanthropy.

Thanks to detailed ongoing research series from Wealth X and Credit Suisse we actually know quite a bit about the distribution of wealth at the very top end of the spectrum, In this post and the video that goes with it, we'll dig into this data and explore some of the implications for philanthropy.  

Ultra High Net Worth Individuals: the .4% of the 1%

Globally there are just 264,000 people with a net worth of $50M+

Collectively these UHNW individuals have over $30 trillion in wealth 

UHNW individuals are overwhelmingly concentrated in the United States

The number of UHNW individuals and their level of wealth is still increasing despite global downturn

UHNW Individuals are highly concentrated in a handful of leading cities

UHNW individuals are overwhelming male and over age 50

Vast Majority of UHNW individuals are self made 

Implications for Philanthropy

UHNW Individuals account for 1/30,000th of the world’s population
while  providing almost 25% of all giving

UHNW Donors Are Able to Expand Giving More Quickly Than Others

UHNW Donors In U.S. are building wealth faster than they are giving it away

There's lots more to explore, both in this data, and in its implications.  For an even closer look, check out these sources:

Wealth X Global Wealth Report

Credit Suisse Global Wealth Report

Wealth X Ultra High Net Worth Philanthropy Report

Giving USA Annual Report