China's 100 most generous charitable donors gave a total of 12.8 billion yuan (1.95 billion U.S. dollars) in 2015, down from 30.4 billion yuan in 2014, new research has found.

Nearly half of the donations went to higher learning institutions, according to a report released by Beijing Normal University's Philanthropy Research Institute on Thursday.

For the first time since the institute started releasing this annual donor ranking in 2011, the list was topped by a woman. He Qiaonv, chair of architecture firm Orient Landscape, promised to donate shares worth 2.93 billion yuan.

Alibaba CEO Jack Ma, who topped last year's list, ranked 10th this time, with a total donation of 234.7 million yuan.

The number of donors who gave 100 million yuan or more in 2015 was 24, the same as last year, and 82 are new to the list.

"The new faces on the list show that China's donation structure is becoming more balanced and diversified," the institute's director, Wang Zhenyao, said.

The list saw a marked drop in donors from the real estate and manufacturing sectors and an increase in those from the computer services and financial industries.

Twenty-one of the 100 are from real estate, down 40 percent from last year.

The institute's assistant director, Zhang Gaorong, said this evolution in where the money is coming from signalled steady economic growth, and a more even spread of wealth as China adjusts its industrial structure.

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