Overseas Chinese are willingly donating money to their motherland, a report on overseas Chinese study found.

The annual report on overseas Chinese study was released on Wednesday in Beijing by Huaqiao University, the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council and the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

The report covered a wide range of perspectives on overseas Chinese, including their role in China's diplomatic relationships, Chinese education, overseas Chinese identity recognition and public diplomacy.

The report found that overseas Chinese donations are an important part of Chinese charity business concerns.

In 2013, overseas Chinese donated 7.17 billion yuan ($1.1 billion), about 7.25 percent of China's total donation in 2013.

The report also found that overseas donations increased sharply when a disaster occurred.

The study suggested improving the public trust of private charity organizations to further encourage more donations.

The report is the fifth annual bluebook to study overseas Chinese.