Warren Buffett has donated more than 56% of his shares in Berkshire Hathaway over the years, a figure revealed through Berkshire Hathaway's shareholder letters and official charitable organization reports.

Buffett began his large-scale donations in 2006, primarily transferring Berkshire shares to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and four family-related charitable organizations, distributing the shares annually instead of transferring them all at once.

Based on Berkshire Hathaway's recent market value, the value of the shares Buffett has donated exceeds $600 billion today, meaning his net personal wealth would have surpassed multiple times the currently disclosed amount if he had kept them.

This places Buffett's donated wealth within the same numerical range as the largest recorded fortunes ever, illustrating how long-term stock ownership, accumulation, and deliberate dilution of stakes can drastically alter comparisons of historical wealth.