Total legacy income for charities fell by £200m between 2024 and 2025, according to latest figures.

The latest Legacy Giving Report from Legacy Futures and Smee & Ford has found that good causes earned £4.4bn from gifts left in wills during 2025, down from £4.6bn the previous year.

The report says the ‘decline was expected and more modest than initially predicted’.

It adds that 2024 ‘was an anomaly’ driven by a high number of estates moving through probate as the HM Courts and Tribunals Service worked through “a substantial backlog”.

During 2025 an estimated 104,000 charitable bequests were made, down 11% on the previous year.

Despite the decline over the last year in legacy income the report has put the estimated long term annual growth rate at 4.3%. The total given is expected to reach £5 billion by 2029 and £10 billion by 2046.

The report adds that charitable estates during 2025 totalled 44,000, the second highest on record.

Also, during 2025 average gift values reached £44,000 overall, with residual gifts averaging £98,000 and pecuniary gifts £6,100.

Health charities remain the largest recipients in 2025, accounting for just over a third of legacy income.

Regionally the South of England and London accounts for 44% of all legacy giving.

Legacy Futures consultancy director Claire Routley said the latest figures show that legacy giving “continues to show remarkable resilience, even as charities face wider economic and societal pressures”.

However, she warned charities that “future growth cannot be taken for granted”.

“Charities need to understand who their supporters are, how motivations are evolving, and how to build lasting relationships that translate into long-term support through gifts in wills,” she added.

The report is being published on Thursday 21 May when webinar will be taking place to look at the findings.

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