Warren Buffet donates $2.84bn to Bill and Melinda Gates foundation and charities

Buffet is one of the richest men in the world

(Mario Tama/Getty Images)

Warren Buffet has donated $2.84bn to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other charitable causes.

Buffet is the Chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway, one of the largest companies in the world. His latest donation of Berkshire Hathaway Inc stock is his tenth and brings his total charitable contributions to $21.5bn, according to The Guardian.

The investor has an estimated net worth of $64bn, making him the fourth richest man in the world. He pledged to give most of his assets to charity as part of his campaign with the Microsoft founder Bill Gates in 2010.

Buffet's decision to donate a sizable portion of his stock comes days after Saudi Prince Alwaleed bin Talal announced he would be donating his entire $32bn fortune to charities and philanthropic causes.

The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation aims to improve health care, education and reduce extreme poverty globally. It asks the rich to pledge the majority of their wealth to philanthropy and counts Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg and Apple CEO Tim Cook as pledgers.