For once, the world's billionaires seem to agree: health is the most important issue they can pour their money into.
Here's another surprise: an activist streak is in vogue among moneyed philanthropists, the majority of whom want to see a company's commitment to social change prioritized above financial returns.
According to the 2015 BNP Paribas Individual Philanthropy Index, which surveyed 400 philanthropists with at least $5 million in investable assets in the United States, Europe, the Middle East and Asia, health issues remain the most-supported cause across all four regions.
The report attributes the philanthropic focus on health to the fact that it is a tangible problem, as well as the "widely noticed progress in the number of the United Nations Millennium Development Goals relating to health."
The Index also found an activist streak growing among billionaires. Around 52% of respondents saw "impact/mission investing" as the most promising trend in philanthropy. Impact investing means pouring money in socially responsible companies to prioritize social and environmental returns, even if it meant lower financial returns --a radical change from previous decades in which financial returns were the main consideration.
The survey opens a window into the issues that most concern charitable donors. In the United States, the environment and education were tied for the next top causes, while the environment and "social change, diversity and inclusion" took the No. 2 and 3 spots, respectively, in Europe and Asia.
In the Middle East, education and religion ranked highest after health.
The following chart, created by statistics portal Statista, breaks down which causes philanthropists are most concerned about, by percentage of respondents. You can download the complete report here.
