This list breaks down some of the most significant examples of charitable donations from the most-followed celebrities on Instagram

As some of the world’s top earners, celebrities are often famed - and blamed - for their extravagant tastes and purchases.

However, many such influencers are also known for devoting their time and money to more charitable causes.

In choosing to donate to charities, celebrities can help maximise the reach and also improve the quality and services of their chosen charities, helping to make a difference in the process.

This list breaks down the most significant charitable donations from the most followed celebrities on Instagram. Some of the information has been obtained from a report published recently, detailing celebrities' net-worth, notable charity donations, and notable expenditure.

Cristiano Ronaldo - 180 million followers

Cristiano Ronaldo is one of the most famous footballers in the world, and the Juventus player was ranked the world's highest-paid athlete by Forbes in 2016 and 2017. He is now the most-followed person on Instagram. In 2017, he auctioned off his Ballon d'Or trophy for £600,000, and donated all of the proceeds to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Ariana Grande - 162 million followers

In May 2017, a concert on the Manchester leg of her Dangerous Womantour was the site of a terrorist attack, but the pop singer raised an enormous £19,672,400 by putting together a benefit concert, One Love Manchester, to support victims.

(picture by Emma Sheehan)

Selena Gomez - 155 million followers

Before Ariana Grande surpassed her earlier this year, Selena Gomez was the most-followed woman on Instagram. In 2008, Selena Gomez helped raise over $1 million for St Judes Children's Research Hospital through a catwalk event, at the hospital's Runway for Life benefit.

(picture by Lisa Bjorheim)

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson - 154 million followers

The former American football player donated $1 million to the University of Miami back in 2007, where the WWE wrestler-turned-actor once played football with the Miami Hurricanes.

(picture by Eva Rinaldi)

Kim Kardashian - 146 million followers

Kim Kardashian, along with the rest of the Kardashian family, donated $500,000 to the victims of hurricane Harvey in 2017, which was one of the largest single donations made toward the cause in the wake of the tropic storm in Houston, Texas.

(picture by Glenn Francis)

Beyoncé - 132 million followers

Beyoncé is known for her philanthropic efforts, and one of the most notable of these is her accumulative donation of $7 million to the Knowles-Temenos Place Apartments, a housing complex that offered living space for 43 displaced individuals as a result of Hurricane Katrina.

(picture by Rocbeyonce)

Lionel Messi - 128 million followers

He was ranked as Forbes'world's highest-paid athlete this year, and is one of the most famous athletes in the world. This year he also donated £182,830 to help fund projects with UNICEF in Kenya.

(picture by Кирилл Венедиктов)

Neymar Jr - 124 million followers

The Brazilian Paris Saint-Germain football player, named as one of the most influential people in the world by Timein 2017, has raised £4,817,730 for Instituto Neymar Jr, an organisation that provides education and health services for children in the community of Praia Grand, São Paulo.

(picture by Antoine Dellenbach)

Taylor Swift - 120 million followers

The Reputationsinger is one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She has taken on various philanthropic projects, the most recent of which was a $113,000 donation to the Tennessee Equality Project, a non-profit organisation that fights anti-LGBT legislation in Tennessee.

(picture by Glenn Francis)