According to a study, Jamsetji Tata, founder of India's Tata Group, has emerged as the most philanthropic person in the world over the last 100 years, with cumulative donations of around $102 billion in current value.
The Edel-Give Foundation and Hurun India study, titled 'Philanthropists of the Century,' identify 50 of the world's top philanthropists. According to the list, Jamsetji Tata ranks ahead of others such as Bill Gates and his now-divorced wife Melinda, who have donated $74.6 billion, Warren Buffet ($37.4 billion), George Soros ($34.8 billion), and John D Rockefeller ($26.8 billion).
Wipro's Azim Premji is the other Indian on the list, who has donated nearly his entire $22 billion fortune to charitable causes.
The United States ranks first in the list with 39 people, followed by the United Kingdom with five, China with three, and India with two.
Hurun Research and EdelGive Foundation today released the 2021 EdelGive Hurun Philanthropists of the Century, a ranking of the world’s most generous individuals from the last 100 years.
— HURUN INDIA (@HurunReportInd) June 23, 2021
The father of Indian industry, Jamsetji Tata, tops the list followed by pic.twitter.com/MMBrY0Hkwl
"While American and European philanthropists may have dominated philanthropic thinking over the last century, Jamsetji Tata remains the world's largest philanthropist," stated Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of Hurun Report.
Jamsetji Tata, born in Navsari, Gujarat, in 1839, made his fortune by forming the Central India Spinning Weaving and Manufacturing Company in the 1870s.
He founded the JN Tata Endowment for Higher Education in 1892, which marked the beginning of the Tata Trusts.
According to the research, Jamsetji Tata's overall philanthropic worth is comprised of 66 percent of Tata Sons, which is solely based on the valuation of publicly traded companies.
Tata was able to achieve the highest ranking in giving by donating two-thirds of its ownership to trusts that excel in a variety of fields, including education and healthcare.