Even as the cumulative net worth of the four hundred richest Americans on the 2021 Forbes 400 list soared by 40 percent last year, to $4.5 trillion, only eight of those billionaires received the top philanthropy score, down from ten in 2020.

Those who received the top score of 5 this year, meaning they have given away at least 20 percent of their wealth over their lifetimes, included Warren Buffett (net worth: $102 billion; #8 on Forbes 400), who is estimated to have given a total of $44 billion to charity, and George Soros ($8.6 billion; #92), who has donated $16.8 billion, or about two-thirds of his fortune, and is America's biggest giver as a percentage of net worth for the second year in a row. Also assigned a philanthropy score of 5 were Gordon and Betty Moore ($10.8 billion, #66); Julian H. Robertson, Jr. ($4.8 billion; #224); Barr Foundation co-founder Amos Hostetter, Jr. ($3.9 billion; #289); Lynn Schusterman ($3.5 billion; #333); John and Laura Arnold ($3.3 billion; #358); and T. Denny Sanford ($3.4 billion; #340). Those who received the top score in 2020 but not this year are Eli Broad, who died in May, George B. Kaiser, and Ted Turner.

This year's philanthropy scores were lower across the board than in 2020, with eleven billionaires scoring 4 for their lifetime giving of between 10 percent and 19.99 percent of their wealth — including MacKenzie Scott ($58.5 billion; #15), Michael R. Bloomberg ($70 billion; #10), and Melinda French Gates ($6.3 billion; #158) — down from nineteen; forty-four scoring 3 for having given between 5 percent and 9.99 percent — including Pierre and Pam Omidyar ($25.3 billion; #26), Dustin Moskovitz and Cari Tuna ($24.1 billion; #29), and Jim and Marilyn Simons ($24.4 billion; #28) — down from fifty-six; and a hundred and sixteen scoring 2 for having given between 1 percent and 4.99 percent — including Mark Zuckerberg and Priscilla Chan and Phil Knight and family ($59.9 billion; #14) — down from 120. The ranks of those who scored 1 for lifetime giving of less than 1 percent of their fortunes swelled from 127 to 156, which included Jeff Bezos ($201 billion; #1), Elon Musk ($190.5 billion; #2), and Bill Gates ($134 billion; #4).