Mukesh Ambani and Gautam Adani
According to the Edelgive Hurun India Philanthropy List 2025, India’s most generous individuals have donated a total of Rs 10,380 crore in the year 2025. This list includes 191 charitable people, in which 12 new names have also been added. Donations have seen a growth of 85% in the last three years, which shows the strength of the growing philanthropy culture in the country. HCL Technologies founder Shiv Nadar and his family have become the country’s biggest donors for the fourth consecutive time with an annual donation of Rs 2,708 crore. In this matter, he has left behind the country’s richest man Mukesh Ambani and businessman Gautam Adani. Shiv Nagar’s daily donation is approximately equal to Rs 7.4 crore and shows a growth of 26% on an annual basis.
The top 10 donors in this list have together donated Rs 5,834 crore, which is 26% more than last year and constitutes 56% of the total donation. This year, the Hinduja family, Sudhir and Sameer Mehta, and Cyrus and Adar Poonawala have entered the top 10 for the first time. Along with this, 68-year-old Mukesh Ambani and his family stood second with a contribution of Rs 626 crore. His philanthropy through the Reliance Foundation spans education, rural development, healthcare, women empowerment and heritage conservation. The Bajaj family has retained the third position by donating Rs 446 crore, which is an increase of 27% compared to last year. His foundations are continuously working on social and economic development in rural India.
These are also included in the list
Kumar Mangalam Birla and his family, ranked fourth, have donated Rs 440 crore this year, of which about 20% came from their personal wealth. Their philanthropic activities advance education, healthcare, women empowerment and sports. Nandan Nilekani ranked sixth with an annual donation of Rs 365 crore, which is 19% more than last year. His contributions through Nilekani Philanthropies support public goods, systems development and innovation. Similarly, the Hinduja family ranked seventh with Rs 298 crore, and their foundation focuses on health, education and sustainable livelihood programs.
This year, 66-year-old Rohini Nilekani emerged as the most generous female philanthropist. She stood eighth with a donation of Rs 204 crore and continues to promote education and social development as the co-founder of EkStep and chairperson of Rohini Nilekani Philanthropies. Sudhir and Sameer Mehta entered the top 10 for the first time by donating Rs 189 crore, while Cyrus S. Poonawalla and Adar Poonawalla contributed Rs 173 crore to education and healthcare through Villoo Poonawalla Foundation and made their place in the top 10.
increased scope of donations
The scope of philanthropy in India is continuously increasing. The top 25 philanthropists alone have contributed Rs 50,000 crore in the last five years, an average of Rs 46 crore per day. The minimum limit to enter the top 25 has increased by 180% since 2014, while the entry limit of the top 10 has doubled from Rs 74 crore in 2020 to Rs 173 crore. The average donation per person has also increased from Rs 43 crore in 2024 to Rs 54 crore in 2025. There has also been a rise in high-value donations. The number of people donating Rs 100 crore annually was only 2 in 2018, which has now increased to 18. Similarly, 33 philanthropists donate more than Rs 50 crore, and 70 people fall in the category above Rs 20 crore.
The report also states that Manipal Group Chairman Ranjan Pai’s personal donations have reached Rs 160 crore and he has become one of the top 5 biggest individual philanthropists in India. Harish and Bina Shah’s donations saw an increase of 77% and their total contribution this year was Rs 137 crore. Infosys Family. Which includes Nandan Nilekani, Rohini Nilekani, Chris Gopalakrishnan, K. Dinesh and Kumari Shibulal are included. They have collectively donated more than Rs 850 crore this year, which is the largest collective contribution by a single corporate group.