The discourse around philanthropy tends to focus on giving by High Net-Worth Individuals (HNIs) or companies, through their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arms. However, data tells us that neither has seen a significant rise in India in the last few years, and there are few reasons to expect a dramatic change in trends in the near future.

Currently, India ranks 124th among 144 countries in the World Giving Index.

Perhaps this is an opportunity to shift our focus to smaller-ticket size grants by individual citizens, or retail philanthropy. Currently, India ranks 124th among 144 countries in the World Giving Index. On average, only 22 percent of Indians interviewed 1 reported to have donated money, helped a stranger, volunteered time, or done a combination of the three in the month prior to the interview. By comparison, our South Asian neighbours were ranked much higher than us, with Pakistan at 91, Bangladesh at 74, Nepal at 52, and Sri Lanka at 27.

Read the full article about individual giving in India by Saahil Kejriwal at India Development Review.