Facebook fundraisers have raised over £1.6 billion for charities over a period of four years, the social media giant has announced.

Figures show more than 45 million people worldwide have donated to or created a fundraiser on Facebook since the launch of the Facebook fundraising tools in 2015 – double the amount reported in November last year.

The data has highlighted a growing trend for philanthropic gift-giving, as people take to social media to help raise awareness and make an impact in their communities.

Facebook said among those to have raised the most money for charity are chef Gordon Ramsay, who raised £26,000 for Great Ormond Street Hospital for his birthday last year, and Manchester United star Paul Drogba, who initiated a clean water fundraising drive with Charity Water raising £7,360 for his birthday in March.

Some of the most well-known UK charities to have benefited from birthday fundraisers and donations on Facebook include Breast Cancer Care, which has raised over £1.8m since launching on birthdays, and Alzheimer’s Society, which has raised over £1.2m since launching on the platform.

Among other charities to have benefited from Facebook’s fundraising tools are Cancer Research UK, which has raised almost £6m; Help Refugees, which raised over £2.7m and Movember, which raised over £2.5m.

“It’s incredible to see our community mobilise around the causes they care about and raise billions for important projects worldwide,” Facebook’s head of impact partnerships, Anita Yuen said.

“Birthday donations now sit at the very heart of that activity and it’s heartening to see a growing trend for celebrating in a more meaningful way. Over the past few years, Facebook has become a really powerful tool for fundraising, helping charities cross borders and reach supporters no matter where they are in the world.”

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