Ordinary Indians Charity

India's philanthropy story is usually told from the top down.

It features corporate social responsibility (CSR) budgets, billionaire pledges and splashy foundations. But a new report argues that the real engine of Indian generosity is far more prosaic - and vastly larger.

The How India Gives 2025 report, produced by the Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy (CSIP) at Ashoka University, challenges the conventional narrative that organised, institutional money dominates the country's giving landscape. Instead, it points to a quieter colossus: households.

According to the report, India's total household giving is estimated at 540bn rupees ($6bn) annually, including cash, in-kind contributions and volunteering.

About 68% of respondents report giving in some form. Of this, 48% is in kind - such as food, clothing or other household goods - followed by cash donations (44%) and volunteering (30%) with non-profits, religious institutions or community groups.

Much of the food given goes to communal free kitchens. Volunteering most commonly takes the form of service at religious institutions, including activities such as disaster relief organised by them.

"India is a very generous country. Our findings suggest that ordinary households play a much larger role than is commonly acknowledged. Generosity appears widespread and culturally embedded," Jinny Uppal, head of Centre for Social Impact and Philanthropy at Ashoka University, told the BBC.

The headline insight: Indian philanthropy is not elite-led but mass, local and relational - driven by faith, face-to-face appeals and everyday obligation, cutting across income levels.

- Author: Soutik Biswas, BBC

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