Executive summary: Estimates that Muslims give $500 billion to $1 trillion in annual zakat donations are widely cited but poorly sourced, though some back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest the true figure could plausibly be in that range.
Key points:
The $500B-$1T estimate for annual global zakat comes from an unsubstantiated quote in an anonymous web article, yet is widely cited without proper sourcing.
Rough estimates based on Muslim population, wealth distribution, and zakat obligations suggest the $500B-$1T range is plausible.
However, limited data on formal zakat donations from the US, UK and Saudi Arabia imply the global total is likely much lower than $500B.
Since most zakat is informal and unreported, the true figure is highly uncertain. The author’s 90% confidence interval is $350B-$1.2T.
The author seeks additional ideas and evidence to refine or challenge the existing estimates.
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Executive summary: Estimates that Muslims give $500 billion to $1 trillion in annual zakat donations are widely cited but poorly sourced, though some back-of-the-envelope calculations suggest the true figure could plausibly be in that range.
Key points:
The $500B-$1T estimate for annual global zakat comes from an unsubstantiated quote in an anonymous web article, yet is widely cited without proper sourcing.
Rough estimates based on Muslim population, wealth distribution, and zakat obligations suggest the $500B-$1T range is plausible.
However, limited data on formal zakat donations from the US, UK and Saudi Arabia imply the global total is likely much lower than $500B.
Since most zakat is informal and unreported, the true figure is highly uncertain. The author’s 90% confidence interval is $350B-$1.2T.
The author seeks additional ideas and evidence to refine or challenge the existing estimates.
This comment was auto-generated by the EA Forum Team. Feel free to point out issues with this summary by replying to the comment, and contact us if you have feedback.