BEIJING, May 12 (Xinhua) -- Digital technologies are facilitating the growth of China's philanthropy sector as the rapid development of digital infrastructure increases individuals' access to charities, a report showed.
Philanthropy in China has grown rapidly over the past three decades in tandem with the development of the economy as a whole, while the country's overall culture of philanthropy is still emerging as individual awareness and participation increase, according to a report from global management consulting firm Bain&Company.
Total charitable donations in China reached 156 billion yuan (22.94 billion U.S. dollars) in 2017, having grown at a compound annual rate of 11 percent from 2011 to 2016, according to Bain.
Although China has the fourth-largest number of individual donors in the world, this represents only about 7 percent of the Chinese population, suggesting significant room for growth, the report said.
Bain expected digital approaches and especially digital fundraising will transform China's philanthropy sector, bringing both unparalleled access and transparency.
By making philanthropy increasingly accessible, digital technologies have activated giving by individuals, which represents more than 60 percent of online donations in the past three years, versus about 20 percent of donations overall.
Online donations come primarily from younger donors who have a growing interest in philanthropy and the ability to donate. Health, poverty alleviation and education are the most popular themes of online projects, the report showed.
