Trends & Themes

The 2022 Global Philanthropy Environment Index (GPEI) reveals that the philanthropic environment showed modest improvement at the global level, but not uniformly so. Country and regional reports suggest that a consistent and enabling regulatory environment, state collaboration, and strong philanthropic traditions and societal values are essential to nurture philanthropy.

In 2018-2020, the world saw large-scale natural disasters, armed conflict, economic shocks, political unrest, various migration crises, and a global pandemic. People responded to these challenges in every country and economy across the globe by helping others—either by giving directly or through formal philanthropic organizations. While the increasing role of philanthropy is recognized, the ecosystem of regulations, politics, economic factors, and cultures needs further attention in order to provide an enabling environment for philanthropy to thrive.

The 2022 GPEI shows that while 62 percent of the 91 countries and economies had a favorable environment for philanthropy in 2018-2020, nearly half of country experts reported a slowdown in economic growth due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, more than one-third of the 91 economies reported a restrictive environment for cross-border philanthropic flows, despite emerging needs and significant funding efforts provided by major philanthropists and philanthropic organizations. Looking ahead, the future of philanthropy is likely to be characterized by collaboration, new technologies, and digitalization of giving across the world.

Three-fifths of economies reported a favorable philanthropic environment

Sixty-two percent of the 91 countries and economies included in the 2022 GPEI reported a favorable philanthropic environment (score of 3.5 or above).

3.63: Global average overall score

The economic environment is one of the most critical challenges facing the philanthropic sector

Economic uncertainty can seriously undermine the work of philanthropic organizations, especially in the Caribbean (2.00), Latin America (2.81), and Sub-Saharan Africa (2.84), where economic uncertainty was particularly acute and scores fell below the global average (3.46).

The overall philanthropic environment improved slightly since the 2018 GPEI

Comparing the 79 economies included in both the 2018 and 2022 GPEI, the global philanthropic environment showed an overall modest improvement from 3.64 in 2014-2017 to 3.67 in 2018-2020. Among the five factors measured in both the 2018 and 2022 GPEI, the political environment improved with the largest score increase across the globe (2.8%), while the environment for cross-border giving experienced a slight decrease, having the largest decline (-1.9%) between 2014-2017 and 2018-2020.

Comparing regions

At the regional level, the Balkan Countries, Northern Europe, Southern and Southeastern Asia, and Sub-Saharan Africa experienced improvements in their environments for philanthropy between 2014-2017 and 2018-2020. Such improvements, however, were balanced with a slight decline witnessed in Canada and the United States, Latin America, the Middle East and Northern Africa, Oceania, and Southern Europe.

Shrinking space for philanthropy in one-third of the 79 economies

Importantly, at the level of each country and economy, one-third of the 79 countries and economies included in both the 2018 and 2022 GPEI reported a decline in their political environment due to various changes such as political instability; state harassment and negative campaigns (especially against human rights and watchdog organizations); and restrictions on foreign funding.