Gitnux/Report 2026

Accountancy Industry Statistics

The global accounting services market reached $688.2 billion in 2025, explore the figures behind its 2026–2033 8.1% CAGR, companies and trends.
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November 11, 2026Updated
Accountancy Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

An editor sets the topic, the inclusion criteria, and the evaluation framework before research starts.

02Source Research

AI search agents locate sources and extract each figure together with the document it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The accountancy industry at a glance

The global accounting services market was estimated at $688.2 billion in 2025, with demand shifting toward cloud-based delivery, outsourced finance, advisory work and technology-enabled compliance.

$688.2B[86]
Global market size, 2025
8.1%[86]
Forecast CAGR, 2026–2033
38.0%[86]
North America share, 2025
$278.4B[31]
U.S. accounting receipts, 2024
Market size
Grand View Research estimates the global accounting services market at $688.17 billion in 2025. In the United States, accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services recorded $278.4 billion in receipts for 2024 under the broader NAICS 5412 industry grouping.[86][31]
Forecast & CAGR
The global market is projected to increase from $740.12 billion in 2026 to $1.27584 trillion in 2033, representing an 8.1% compound annual growth rate from 2026 to 2033.[86]
Market share & regions
North America held the largest regional share at 38.0% of global accounting-services revenue in 2025. The U.S. accounted for 29.8% of global accounting market value in 2023, followed by Germany at 18.7% and the United Kingdom at 12.4%.[86][80]
Segmentation
The market is commonly segmented into bookkeeping, payroll services, financial auditing, tax preparation and other services, with delivery divided between traditional and hybrid models. U.S. industry classification separately identifies certified public accountants and other accounting services within NAICS 5412.[86][87]
Key players & concentration
The Big Four networks—Deloitte, PwC, EY and KPMG—remain especially concentrated in listed-company audit. Japan’s audit oversight report states that the Big Four audited 97% of Nikkei 225 companies, while the wider accounting-services market remains fragmented outside large international networks.[88][89]
Pricing
The 2025 National MAP Survey reported a median net hourly billing rate of $170, up 6.9% from $159 two years earlier. Hourly billing remained the most common approach at 63% of surveyed firms, while value billing was used by 30%.[55]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Growth is being supported by finance-and-accounting outsourcing, cloud software adoption, demand for advisory services and expanding reporting requirements. The industry also faces talent shortages, technology investment needs and pressure to automate routine bookkeeping, tax and audit work.[86][80][32]
Consumer behavior & competition
Clients are increasingly seeking predictable, bundled and technology-enabled services rather than standalone compliance work. In a 2025 tax-professionals survey, 81% of respondents at large firms offered flat-fee pricing and 90% offered hourly pricing, indicating competition across multiple pricing models.[3]
M&A
Accounting-services M&A remained active in 2026: Capstone reported that financial acquirers represented 54.8% of activity and that deal volume was up 69.1% year over year in its reported period. The firm attributed activity to consolidation, succession needs and expansion into advisory services.[22]
Regulation
Audit-market concentration remains a regulatory concern: Japan’s audit oversight report recorded a 97% Big Four share among Nikkei 225 companies. In the United States, CPA-firm ownership and professional-practice rules continue to shape the structure of accounting-services acquisitions.[88][22]
Latest news
The most recent industry reporting available in the search period points to continued private-equity-backed consolidation and expansion into adjacent advisory services. Capstone’s July 2026 update forecast that accounting-services M&A growth would continue building on 2025 gains.[22]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Accountancy Industry

The leading companies in the accountancy industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

EY stands out for assurance, tax, consulting and transactions because it reported FY2026 global revenue of US$56.969 billion across its service lines, while Deloitte focuses on audit, tax, advisory and consulting since it reported FY2025 global revenue of US$70.5 billion.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in advisory & consulting

    EY

    GB

    Ranked #1 · 8.9 · Advisory & consulting

    Why we picked it: It serves assurance, tax, consulting and transactions, and reported FY2026 global revenue of US$56.969 billion.

  2. #2 overall

    Deloitte

    US

    Ranked #2 · 8.9 · Advisory & consulting

    Why we picked it: It focuses on global audit, tax, advisory and consulting, with FY2025 global revenue of US$70.5 billion.

  3. #3 overall

    PwC

    GB

    Ranked #3 · 8.7 · Advisory & consulting

    Why we picked it: It runs across audit, tax, assurance and advisory, reporting US$60.2 billion for the year ended June 2026.

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. No other segment places in the top 5, so picks 2 and 3 follow rank.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the accountancy industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

EY

Advisory & consulting · GB

8.9
2

Deloitte

Advisory & consulting · US

8.9
3

PwC

Advisory & consulting · GB

8.7
4

Baker Tilly International

Advisory & consulting · GB

8.6
5

KPMG

Advisory & consulting · NL

8.5
6

Crowe

Global accounting, audit, tax and advisory · US

8.3
7

Grant Thornton

Global assurance, tax and advisory · GB

8.0
8

BDO

Global audit, accounting, tax and advisory · BE

7.8
9

RSM

Global assurance, tax and consulting · GB

7.8
10

PKF Global

Global audit, accounting, tax and advisory · GB

7.4

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Top 10 companies in the accountancy industry. In Accountancy Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/accountancy-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Average annual accountancy-sector revenue per employee by service line (Singapore)

Restructuring & Insolvency leads with 274.2 SGD thousands per employee.

Restructuring & Insolvency274.2 SGD thousands per employee
Tax Advisory243.6 SGD thousands per employee
Corporate Finance & Deal Advisory228.9 SGD thousands per employee
IT Advisory200.9 SGD thousands per employee
Tax Compliance189.8 SGD thousands per employee
Other Advisory Services157.5 SGD thousands per employee
source-verifiedacra.gov.sg

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Technology adoption is measurable in audit-adjacent workflows: 62% of U.S. finance leaders used AI for cash-flow or earnings forecasts reviewed by external auditors in 2026.

AI in the accountancy industry

  • 62% of U.S. finance leaders used AI for cash-flow or earnings forecasts reviewed by external auditors in 2026.[1]
  • 93% of U.S. accountants used AI to support strategic business advisory work for clients in 2025.[2]
  • 55% of U.S. finance leaders used AI for tax provisions or deferred-tax calculations reviewed by external auditors in 2026.[1]
  • 47% of U.S. finance leaders were piloting or deploying agentic AI in the finance function in 2026.[1]
  • 30% of U.S. accounting professionals said AI was embedded as the default in their day-to-day work in 2026.[2]
  • 81% of U.S. accountants reported that AI improved their productivity in 2025.[2]

Automation in the accountancy industry

  • 22% of tax and accounting firms automated 26% to 50% of their tax processes in 2024.[3]
  • 47% of U.S. accounting professionals used automation for payroll processing in 2025.[2]
  • 95% of U.S. accountants said automation saved staff time in 2025.[2]
  • 98% of U.S. accountants said automation improved data accuracy in 2025.[2]
  • 95% of U.S. accounting professionals said their firms had adopted automation in 2025.[2]
  • 16% of tax and accounting firms reported no tax-process automation in 2024.[3]

Digital Transformation in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 55% of business-services CEOs identified keeping pace with technology and AI transformation as their greatest concern in PwC’s 2025 global CEO survey.[4]
  • 35.51% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to business-administration or management processes in 2025.[5]
  • 51% of U.S. technology executives reported no increase in performance or profitability from digital-transformation investments during the previous two years.[6]
  • 40.4% of EU enterprises in professional, scientific and technical activities used at least one AI technology in 2025.[5]

Technology Adoption in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 27.33% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to production processes in 2025.[5]
  • 18.55% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to ICT security in 2025.[5]
  • 30.87% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to accounting, controlling or finance management in 2025.[5]
  • 22.32% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to research and development or innovation activities in 2025.[5]

Cloud Computing in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 90.7% of Australian professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2022.[7]
  • 80.4% of Danish professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2023.[7]
  • 91.2% of Finnish professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2023.[7]
  • 77.7% of Dutch professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2023.[7]

Big Data in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 45.4% of Finnish professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[7]
  • 46.8% of Swedish professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[7]
  • 47.5% of German professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[7]
  • 57.5% of Dutch professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[7]

Blockchain in the accountancy industry

  • 67% of surveyed accounting professionals in Nigeria said blockchain improved operational efficiency in 2024.[8]
  • 44.3% of surveyed accounting professionals in Nigeria agreed blockchain increased job satisfaction in 2024.[8]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Analytics usage spans descriptive, predictive and visualization. Data governance and integration remain friction points: 50% of organizations identified data-quality issues as the biggest challenge affecting data-integration projects in 2024.

Business intelligence in the accountancy industry

  • 19.5% of surveyed management accountants used Oracle Business Information Analysis extensively; survey geography was not specified.[9]
  • 21.6% of surveyed management accountants used Microsoft ActPack extensively; survey geography was not specified.[9]
  • 23.8% of surveyed management accountants used Microsoft SQL Visual Studio extensively; survey geography was not specified.[9]
  • 20.5% of surveyed management accountants used SAP Analytics extensively; survey geography was not specified.[9]
  • 34.6% of surveyed management accountants used Google Cloud Platform extensively; survey geography was not specified.[9]
  • 68.1% of surveyed management accountants used advanced Microsoft Excel Power tools extensively; survey geography was not specified.[9]

Data analytics in the accountancy industry

  • 49.0% of surveyed management accountants currently used prescriptive analytics; survey geography was not specified.[9]
  • 93% of Australian accounting and finance professionals used data-analytics and visualisation software in 2025.[10]
  • 48.8% of surveyed management accountants currently used predictive analytics; survey geography was not specified.[9]
  • 61.1% of surveyed management accountants currently used descriptive analytics in their work; survey geography was not specified.[9]
  • 64.9% of surveyed management accountants currently used basic data visualisation; survey geography was not specified.[9]
  • 52.1% of surveyed management accountants currently used advanced data visualisation; survey geography was not specified.[9]

Data Quality in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 49% of supply management organizations reported that their data quality was good or excellent in 2024, based on a survey of more than 121 respondents.[11]
  • 23% of supply management firms spent at least 21% of their time cleaning data in 2024.[11]
  • 87% of enterprise data leaders said traditional rules-based approaches to data quality did not scale to current needs in 2024.[12]
  • 95% of enterprise companies with at least $1 billion in revenue had experienced a data-quality issue directly affecting business outcomes in 2024.[12]
  • 67% of supply management organizations said their data quality was better or significantly better than two years earlier in 2024.[11]
  • 50% of organizations identified data-quality issues as the biggest challenge affecting their data-integration projects in 2024.[13]

Data Governance in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 18.3% of organizations used a data-governance or catalog solution as part of their governance program in 2024.[14]
  • 33% of North American organizations had a formal data-governance organization in place in 2024.[14]
  • 81% of supply management organizations found their data-governance program useful in 2024.[11]
  • 61% of organizations had a dedicated data-governance function in 2024, according to a survey of more than 121 supply management professionals.[11]
  • 71% of global organizations reported having a data-governance program in 2024, up from 60% in 2023.[13]
  • 32% of organizations in the 2024 governance study had a formal governance organization in place, while 68% had none.[14]

KPIs in the accountancy industry

  • 10.4 professional staff per partner was the leverage ratio for the $622,000-income-per-partner firm in the 2024 Rosenberg MAP Survey example.[15]
  • 20% of surveyed accounting firms tracked the number of client touchpoints in 2025; geography was not specified.[16]
  • $269,000 was the income per partner for a second firm in the 2024 Rosenberg MAP Survey profitability example for U.S. CPA firms.[15]
  • 43% of surveyed accounting firms tracked resolution time for client issues in 2025; geography was not specified.[16]
  • 62% of surveyed accounting firms tracked client-retention rates in 2025; geography was not specified.[16]
  • 58% of surveyed accounting firms tracked response time in 2025; geography was not specified.[16]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Growth plans connect to advisory mix and consolidation. Capstone attributed 54.8% of accounting-services M&A to financial acquirers in its 2026 year-to-date analysis.

Growth in the accountancy industry

  • 4.8% was the 2024 revenue growth reported for Big Four accountancy firms in Singapore.[17]
  • 6.7% was the median increase in U.S. CPA-firm total net client fees in fiscal 2024.[18]
  • 7.5% was Singapore’s accountancy-sector revenue growth in 2024.[17]
  • 13.2% was fee-income growth for UK audit firms outside the Big Four in 2023.[19]
  • 9.8% was fee-income growth for UK audit firms outside the Big Four in 2024.[19]
  • 17% was median growth in U.S. CPA-firm client advisory services revenue in 2024.[20]

Differentiation in the accountancy industry

  • 71% of accountants serving clients with profit growth identified implementing or optimizing accounting technology as the service contributing most to that growth.[2]
  • 98% of surveyed accountants said they had used artificial intelligence for firm operations during the previous 12 months.[2]
  • 67% of surveyed tax and accounting firms targeted small companies with less than $50 million in revenue for decision-support and business consulting.[3]
  • 70% of surveyed tax and accounting firms targeted private individuals and small-to-midsize companies for tax strategy and financial planning.[3]
  • 51% higher median net revenue per client was reported by U.S. accounting firms focused on defined industry verticals.[21]
  • 38% higher median CAS revenue was reported by U.S. accounting firms focused on defined industry verticals than by nonspecialists.[21]

Mergers and acquisitions in the accountancy industry

  • 54.8% of accounting-services M&A was attributed to financial acquirers in Capstone’s 2026 year-to-date analysis.[22]
  • 41.7% was the increase in announced U.S. accounting and tax M&A transactions from 2024 to 2025.[23]
  • 80% of surveyed mid-tier accountancy firms had undertaken acquisitions when the previous year was combined with earlier activity.[24]
  • 92% of surveyed mid-tier accountancy firms said expanding the client base was a reason to consider a merger or acquisition.[24]
  • 3% of surveyed mid-tier accountancy firms reported completing a merger during the previous year.[24]
  • 66% of surveyed mid-tier accountancy firms rated acquiring another firm as attractive or very attractive.[24]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Talent constraints show up alongside remote work patterns. Accounting and finance managers in the United States reported that 85% faced challenges finding skilled talent in the second half of 2024.

Hiring in the accountancy industry

  • Accounting and finance managers in the United States reported that 85% faced challenges finding skilled talent in the second half of 2024.[25]
  • 7% of U.S. sole-practitioner accounting firms expected to hire more than one employee in 2025.[26]
  • 38% of accountants expected their U.S. accounting firm to hire purely remote employees going forward in 2024.[26]
  • 83% of surveyed U.S. accounting firms with at least 11 CPAs said hiring new accounting graduates would likely increase after CPA Evolution alignment.[18]
  • 89% of U.S. accounting firms with 20–99 employees expected to hire more than one employee in 2025.[26]

Employee retention in the accountancy industry

  • 33.5% of U.S. accounting professionals who left said greater value placed on entry- and mid-level employees would have increased their desire to stay.[27]
  • 39% of U.S. accounting and finance professionals aged 18–38 experienced turnover during the previous 24 months.[28]
  • 11.8% was the reported turnover rate across U.S. accounting firms in 2025, the lowest level in more than 20 years of IPA survey data.[29]
  • 78% of Pennsylvania CPAs with three to ten years of experience said their firm offered interesting career opportunities.[27]
  • 39.7% of U.S. accounting professionals who left a firm or the field said higher salaries would have increased their desire to stay.[27]

Remote Work in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 37.21% was the average share of paid workdays performed from home by U.S. professional and business-services employees in January 2025.[30]
  • About 45% of U.S. professional and business-services workers worked remotely during October 2023–September 2024, including hybrid and fully remote work.[31]
  • 62.8% of U.S. professional and business-services employees who could work at home did so during 2024–2025, while 66.0% could work at home.[32]
  • 54% of U.S. professional-services firms reported having at least one paid work-from-home employee in November 2024–January 2025.[33]

Hybrid Work in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across U.S. professional and business services, 38% of full-time employees worked hybrid schedules during January–April 2025.[34]
  • Across U.S. professional and business services, 39% of full-time employees worked fully onsite during January–April 2025.[34]
  • 27% of U.S. full-time employees worked in a hybrid arrangement in 2025, compared with 12% fully remote and 61% fully on-site.[35]
  • 61% of U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs preferred hybrid work in November 2025, compared with 33% preferring fully remote work.[36]
  • 54% of U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs worked in a hybrid arrangement in November 2025.[36]

Upskilling in the accountancy industry

  • 41% of respondents from mid-tier accounting firms reported access to employer-provided AI-upskilling opportunities in 2026.[37]
  • 63% of respondents from mid-tier accounting firms said they regularly used AI technologies in 2026.[37]
  • 50% of respondents from small and medium-sized accounting practices or sole practices said they regularly used AI technologies in 2026.[37]
  • 56% of respondents in mainland China said their organisation provided AI-upskilling opportunities in 2026.[37]
  • 32.2% of accounting firms used training programs to ramp up the skills of existing talent in 2024.[38]

Employee Engagement in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 34% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2022, while 16% were actively disengaged.[36]
  • 32% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2024, while 17% were actively disengaged.[36]
  • 32% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2025, while 17% were actively disengaged.[36]
  • 33% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2023, while 16% were actively disengaged.[36]

DEI in the accountancy industry

  • 44% of professional staff in U.S. CPA firms were women in 2020.[39]
  • 56% of professional staff in U.S. CPA firms were men in 2020.[39]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Client expectations increasingly center on proactive and value-assured delivery. In a 2024 U.S. and Canada benchmark study, 76% of clients said their firm always has a thorough understanding of their needs.

Customer experience in the accountancy industry

  • 67% of accounting-firm clients said their firm’s services are always good value given the cost in the 2024 industry benchmark study, United States and Canada.[40]
  • 76% of accounting-firm clients said their firm always has a thorough understanding of their needs in the 2024 industry benchmark study, United States and Canada.[40]
  • 85% of accounting leaders said they would like to spend more time meeting with clients in 2023, according to a survey of 250 U.S. practice leaders.[41]
  • 55% of accounting leaders’ working time was spent with clients in 2023, with the remainder spent on administrative matters, according to a survey of 250 U.S. practice leaders.[41]
  • 66% of accounting-firm clients said their accounting firm is always proactive in helping them in the 2024 industry benchmark study, United States and Canada.[40]

Customer retention in the accountancy industry

  • 62% of accounting firms reported tracking client retention rates in the 2025 Accounting Industry Report, based on survey responses from accounting firms.[16]
  • 34.8% of surveyed business owners were actively looking to replace their accountant in 2026, according to Sam’s List survey data reported by CPA Practice Advisor.[42]
  • 5% was the reported overall client attrition rate among Client Accounting Advisory Services practices in the 2018 CAS Benchmark Survey.[21]
  • 42.9% of business owners seeking a replacement accountant wanted to switch within one to two weeks in 2026, according to Sam’s List survey data.[42]
  • 30% of accounting firms held their client base flat or experienced a decline in the first half of 2026, according to TaxDome operational data.[43]

Customer acquisition in the accountancy industry

  • 60% was the close rate for new Client Accounting Advisory Services prospects reported in the 2018 CAS Benchmark Survey.[21]
  • 47% of accounting firms requiring deposits set one or more deposits at the full price in 2026, according to TaxDome operational data.[43]
  • 20% of Client Accounting Advisory Services practices said their growth was off the charts in the 2018 CAS Benchmark Survey.[21]
  • 25% or more was the client-base growth achieved by the top quarter of accounting firms in the first half of 2026.[43]
  • 82% of accounting practices wanted to expand beyond traditional bookkeeping and tax services in 2023, according to a survey of 250 U.S. practice leaders.[41]

Customer loyalty in the accountancy industry

  • 5.2 times was the likelihood that accounting clients were loyal to their primary contact rather than to the accounting firm itself in the 2023 Accounting Buyer Study.[40]
  • 48% of accounting clients said they would refer their current firm to their networks in the cited ClearlyRated study.[44]
  • 84% of individual clients said they were likely or very likely to recommend their CPA firm in the CPA Client Satisfaction Survey.[45]
  • 27% of accounting clients said their commitment was strong to their primary contact but not to the firm in the 2023 Accounting Buyer Study.[40]
  • 55% was the 2025 Net Promoter Score for accounting firms in ClearlyRated’s accounting client-satisfaction benchmark.[40]

Lead generation in the accountancy industry

  • 2% of business decision-makers selected their current accountant through another method not listed in the 2025 Niche Business Accounting Report.[46]
  • 6% of business decision-makers found their current accountant through a webinar or event in the 2025 Niche Business Accounting Report.[46]
  • 44% of business clients said they learned about their current CPA firm through a professional colleague in the CPA Client Satisfaction Survey.[45]
  • 14% of accounting firms identified referrals and word-of-mouth recommendations as the strongest driver of client acquisition in the 2025 CPA.com and BILL survey.[21]
  • 3% of business decision-makers found their current accountant through an advertisement in the 2025 Niche Business Accounting Report.[46]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Marketing spend and brand signals vary by market and practice size. In 2019, 100 accounting firms reported combined annual revenue of $3 billion in a marketing budget study.

Marketing in the accountancy industry

  • 28% of accounting-firm marketing budgets was spent on marketing-department compensation on average in 2019.[47]
  • 30% more of revenue was spent on marketing by small accounting firms than by large firms in the 2019 study.[47]
  • 100 accounting firms participated in the 2019 marketing budget study, representing $3 billion in combined annual revenue in the United States.[47]
  • 40% more of their marketing budgets was allocated to content creation by high-growth accounting firms than by low-growth firms in 2019.[47]
  • More than 60% of accounting marketers recommended increasing spending on video, internal education and training, and search-engine optimization in 2019.[47]

Digital marketing in the accountancy industry

  • 45% of UK accountancy-firm respondents reported zero annual marketing spend in 2021.[48]
  • 38% of UK accountancy firms identified lack of time as a marketing challenge in 2021.[48]
  • 84% of UK accountancy firms with marketing budgets above £6,000 used a dedicated person or outsourced marketing in 2021.[48]
  • 8% of UK accountancy firms allocated two or more days per week to marketing in 2021.[48]
  • 79% of UK accountancy firms relied on the business owner for marketing activity in 2021.[48]

Branding in the accountancy industry

  • 29% of UK respondents named brand reputation as the single most important factor when appointing an accounting firm in 2024.[49]
  • 88% of UK accountancy-firm clients rated strong customer service as very important when appointing a firm in 2024.[49]
  • 84% was the importance score that clients assigned to brand reputation when appointing an accountancy firm in 2024.[49]
  • 80% of UK accountancy-firm clients rated technical excellence as very important when appointing a firm in 2024.[49]
  • 60% of UK respondents selected PwC among their top three accounting firms to work for in 2024.[49]

Social media in the accountancy industry

  • 3,128 was the average number of Twitter followers for accounting firms in the top 20% of the 2024 Remarkabrand Index.[50]
  • 38% of UK accountancy-firm respondents wanted to learn more about social media in the 2021 ICPA survey.[48]
  • 381 was the average number of Facebook followers for accounting firms in the bottom 50% of the 2024 Remarkabrand Index.[50]
  • 556 was the average number of Instagram followers for accounting firms in the top 20% of the 2024 Remarkabrand Index.[50]
  • 79 was the average number of Instagram followers for accounting firms in the middle 30% of the 2024 Remarkabrand Index.[50]

Influencer Marketing in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 78% of B2B influencer-marketing practitioners identify brand awareness and lead generation as their joint top challenges, based on Q1 2026 research.[51]
  • 74% of B2B influencers use artificial-intelligence tools to enhance content creation, based on Q1 2026 research.[51]
  • 44% of B2B influencer-marketing practitioners say finding the right talent is their single biggest collaboration obstacle, based on Q1 2026 research.[51]
  • 86% of B2B influencer-marketing practitioners and creators prefer co-creating content with brands rather than amplifying finished brand content, based on Q1 2026 research.[51]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Automation coverage is partial and uneven across tax workflows. Globally, 22% of tax and accounting firms automated 26–50% of tax processes in 2024.

Process optimization in the accountancy industry

  • 18% of tax and accounting firms reported no tax-workflow automation in 2025, globally.[3]
  • 22% of tax and accounting firms reported automating 26–50% of tax processes in 2024, globally.[3]
  • 21% of tax and accounting firms reported automating 26–50% of tax workflows in 2025, globally.[3]
  • 47% of tax and accounting professionals said their firms were interested in leveraging new technology solutions in 2024, globally.[3]
  • 49% of tax and accounting firms reported automating 1–25% of tax workflows in 2025, globally.[3]

Operational efficiency in the accountancy industry

  • $24,000 was the average amount accounting firms planned to invest in accounting or bookkeeping technology during the following 12 months in 2024, primarily in the United States.[2]
  • $25,000 was the average amount accounting firms invested in accounting or bookkeeping technology during the previous 12 months in 2024, primarily in the United States.[2]
  • 81% of tax and audit firm professionals reported regularly using AI in their daily workflows in 2026, across more than 40 countries.[3]
  • 26% of tax and audit firm professionals said they would turn down a role without access to professional-grade AI tools in 2026, globally.[3]
  • More than 2,000 accounting industry professionals from 49 countries participated in Caseware’s survey of firm operations conducted in 2023.[52]

Quality management in the accountancy industry

  • 14% of Deloitte U.S. audits inspected by the PCAOB had Part I.A deficiencies in 2024.[53]
  • 26% was the aggregate Part I.A deficiency rate for six U.S. global network firms in 2024.[54]
  • 26% was the aggregate Part I.A deficiency rate for triennially inspected U.S. global network firms in 2024.[54]
  • 20% was the aggregate Part I.A deficiency rate for the Big Four U.S. firms in 2024.[54]
  • 48% of Grant Thornton U.S. audits inspected by the PCAOB had Part I.A deficiencies in 2024.[53]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 29% of U.S. CPA firms responding to the 2025 National MAP Survey utilized offshoring, rising to 74% among firms with at least $10 million in net client fees.[55]
  • 60% of EU business-services enterprises sourcing abroad were in the business-services sector, compared with 40% in industry and construction, during 2021–2023.[5]
  • 65% of U.S. CPA firms participating in the 2025 National MAP Survey that offshored used India, followed by 33% using the Philippines.[55]
  • 47.5% of EU enterprises sourcing abroad sourced administrative and management functions internationally during 2021–2023.[5]
  • 28.8% of EU enterprises sourcing abroad sourced information and communication technology services internationally during 2021–2023.[5]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Pricing methods shift toward fixed-fee and value-based structures. The 2025 National MAP Survey reported a median net hourly billing rate of $170, up 6.9% from $159 two years earlier.

Pricing strategy in the accountancy industry

  • 18% of tax professionals using hourly pricing were highly confident that their pricing accurately reflected the value of their work in the 2025 survey.[3]
  • 24% of tax and accounting professionals identified project-based pricing as a preferred client pricing model in the 2024 survey.[3]
  • 62% of U.S. accounting firms were culling clients in the 2023 AICPA National Management of an Accounting Practice survey.[20]
  • 84% of client advisory services respondents were shifting to fixed-fee billing payable monthly, quarterly or annually in 2024, according to a U.S. survey.[21]
  • 79% of U.S. accounting firms used fixed-fee or value-based pricing for bookkeeping and accounting services in the 2024 benchmark survey.[42]

Cost reduction in the accountancy industry

  • 66% of accountants frequently felt overwhelmed by the volume and complexity of their firm’s technology in the 2025 survey.[56]
  • 43% of U.S. accounting firms reported that less than 75% of their applications and data had migrated to the cloud in 2024.[57]
  • 44% of U.S. accounting firms identified reducing costs as a top priority for 2024.[58]
  • 54% of accounting professionals planned to invest in automation tools during the next 12 months in the 2024 U.S. technology survey.[59]
  • 98% of accounting professionals had used artificial intelligence for firm operations during the preceding 12 months in the 2024 U.S. technology survey.[59]

Profitability in the accountancy industry

  • 61% of U.S. accounting firms identified increasing revenue as a top priority for 2024.[58]
  • 9.1% was the median growth rate in net revenue reported by 1,117 U.S. accounting firms for fiscal 2022 compared with the previous year.[18]
  • 30% of value-based pricing users were highly confident that their prices reflected the value of their work in 2025, compared with 16% of fixed-fee users.[3]
  • 30% higher median net client revenue was reported by client advisory services practices in the 2024 benchmark compared with the 2022 survey.[20]
  • 63% of accounting professionals reported reduced profitability because of higher interest rates and rising business costs in 2024.[59]

Financial planning in the accountancy industry

  • 29% of accounting-firm advisory respondents identified cash-flow analysis as a client advisory service in the 2023 survey.[26]
  • 28% of accounting-firm advisory respondents identified budgeting and forecasting as a client advisory service in the 2023 survey.[26]
  • 71% of budgeting survey participants focused on strategic and financial planning in the 2025 small-to-midsize business report.[60]
  • 38% of accounting-firm advisory respondents said clients needed tax-planning services in the 2023 survey.[61]
  • 12% of budgeting survey participants focused on revenue forecasting in the 2025 small-to-midsize business report.[60]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Technology investment intent shows continued expansion in bespoke IT and cloud offerings. In 2024, 94% of UK mid-tier firms that invested in bespoke IT solutions planned further investment during the following three years.

Product development in the accountancy industry

  • 82% of U.S. accountants reported proprietary AI systems in use or planned for development in 2025.[2]
  • 45% of U.S. accounting professionals said their firms planned to invest in automation during the following year in 2025.[2]
  • 94% of UK mid-tier firms that had invested in bespoke IT solutions planned further investment during the following three years in 2024.[62]
  • 40% of UK mid-tier accountancy firms included generative AI among their profession’s three most influential macro trends in 2024.[62]
  • 71% of UK mid-tier accountancy firms expected to invest in artificial intelligence during the following three years in 2024.[62]

Product lifecycle in the accountancy industry

  • 29% of UK mid-tier accountancy firms expected clients to require AI self-completing solutions in 2024.[62]
  • 69% of UK mid-tier accountancy firms planned further investment in virtual infrastructure during the following three years in 2024.[62]
  • 79% of UK mid-tier accountancy firms planned to enhance their cloud-based software offering during the following three years in 2024.[62]
  • 58.3% of UK medium accountancy firms reported some increase in technology spending in 2024.[63]
  • 52% of UK mid-tier accountancy firms expected clients to need greater access to current or live data in 2024.[62]

After-sales in the accountancy industry

  • 64% of U.S. accounting firms identified scope creep as a major client-service issue in 2024.[56]
  • Nearly 70% of U.S. accounting firms reported problems collecting client documents on time in 2024.[56]
  • 46% of U.S. accounting firms found it challenging to set clear client expectations at the beginning of engagements in 2024.[56]
  • 95% of U.S. accountants said automation improved the quality of client service in 2025.[2]
  • 97% of U.S. accountants said automation improved overall productivity in 2025.[2]

Value proposition in the accountancy industry

  • 83% of U.S. business owners said in 2021 that it was important for accountants to offer business advice alongside financial and accounting work.[64]
  • 79% of U.S. business owners said in the previous Gusto survey that business advice from accountants was important in 2020.[64]
  • 30% higher was the reported rate at which owners with accountant Business Partners said their businesses became more productive than owners with Financial Expert accountants in 2021.[64]
  • 38% higher median client-advisory-services revenue was reported by U.S. accounting practices with more than half of revenue from defined industry niches in 2023.[21]
  • 44% of U.S. business owners said they would pay more for people-advisory services from accountants in 2021.[64]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Assurance demand extends into sustainability. Globally, 58% of sustainability-assurance engagements were handled by accountancy firms in 2022.

Sustainability in the accountancy industry

  • 87% of Malaysian accountancy respondents considered sustainability important or very important to the profession in 2023.[65]
  • 76% of Malaysian accountancy respondents wanted MIA to provide more sustainability-awareness training in 2023.[65]
  • 34.8% of respondents to Malaysia’s accountancy sustainability survey worked in public practice in 2023.[65]
  • 69% of Malaysian accountancy respondents identified insufficient sustainability knowledge and competency as a challenge in 2023.[65]
  • 46% of Malaysian accountancy respondents identified insufficient ESG data as a sustainability challenge in 2023.[65]

ESG in the accountancy industry

  • 25% of accounting-firm respondents said they were conducting or pursuing ESG client advisory work in 2024.[66]
  • 23% of U.S. accounting firms performed sustainability-assurance work in 2022, up from 16% in the prior comparison year.[67]
  • 24% of mid-tier accountancy-firm respondents expected clients to require more sustainability and ESG reporting focus over the following three years in 2024.[62]
  • 18.4% of accounting-firm respondents said they actively promoted ESG initiatives to stakeholders, clients or prospective employees in 2024.[66]
  • 58% of sustainability-assurance engagements were handled by accountancy firms in 2022, globally.[67]

Ethics in the accountancy industry

  • 94% of surveyed ICAS members agreed that calling out behaviour below ethical standards is part of their role in 2025.[68]
  • 27% of UK and Ireland accountancy-profession respondents said they had been pressured to act unethically during the previous three years in the CCAB survey.[69]
  • 37% of UK and Ireland respondents experiencing ethical pressure said they felt under threat in the CCAB survey.[69]
  • 56% of UK and Ireland respondents who experienced ethical pressure said colleagues or managers applied it in the CCAB survey.[69]
  • 1,178 finance and accountancy professionals from 135 countries participated in ACCA’s 2026 ethics survey.[37]

Carbon footprint in the accountancy industry

  • 13.9% was the increase in ICAS’s total carbon emissions from its 2021 baseline to 2024.[68]
  • 98 tCO2e of ICAS’s 2024 emissions came from business travel.[68]
  • 1,062 tCO2e was the total carbon footprint reported by ICAS for 2024.[68]
  • 89 tCO2e of ICAS’s 2024 emissions came from natural gas consumption.[68]
  • 597% was the increase in ICAS business-travel emissions compared with its Covid-era baseline in 2024.[68]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Large networks translate into market share and cross-border scale. EY’s global revenue share was 8.2% in 2024, while Deloitte’s global revenue was $67.2 billion in 2024.

Globalization in the accountancy industry

  • $67.2 billion was Deloitte’s global revenue in 2024, representing a 10.7% share of the global accounting-services market.[80]
  • $15 billion was BDO’s global revenue in 2024, representing a 2.4% share of the global accounting-services market.[80]
  • $51.2 billion was EY’s global revenue in 2024, representing an 8.2% share of the global accounting-services market.[80]
  • 119,000 professionals worked across BDO’s global network in 2024, operating through 1,800 offices in 166 countries and territories.[81]
  • $55.4 billion was PwC’s global revenue in 2024, representing an 8.8% share of the global accounting-services market.[80]

Cultural adaptation in the accountancy industry

  • 73% of professional accountants said a strong diversity-and-inclusion culture would be a key factor in choosing an employer in 2024.[37]
  • 6,500 audit professionals worldwide contributed to the ACCA and CA ANZ audit-talent study published in 2024.[37]
  • 3,882 KPMG audit colleagues responded to the firm’s 2024 Global People Survey.[6]
  • 46% of CPAs at U.S. accounting firms were women according to the Massachusetts Society of CPAs diversity report.[82]
  • 74,888 people worked in EY’s global entities in fiscal 2024.[83]

Supplier management in the accountancy industry

  • 12% of CPA firms surveyed in 2026 hosted most applications in their accounting vendor’s cloud.[84]
  • 37% of CPA firms with formal IT committees in 2024 met monthly to discuss technology planning and budgeting.[84]
  • 65% of CPA firms surveyed in 2024 used an external cloud provider for most applications and data.[84]
  • 19 firms in the 2026 CPAFMA survey identified cloud-hosting outages as a leading cause of significant downtime.[84]
  • 38% of CPA firms surveyed in 2024 had a formal IT committee responsible for technology governance.[84]

Stakeholder management in the accountancy industry

  • 24% of tax firms had integrated public generative-AI tools into daily work in the 2024 Thomson Reuters technology survey.[3]
  • 9.1% was the median increase in total net client fees reported by CPA firms in the 2023 AICPA survey.[18]
  • Andersen’s ten largest client groups accounted for approximately 5% of revenue in 2024.[85]
  • 74% of Andersen’s 2024 revenue came from client groups that had worked with the firm for more than three years.[85]
  • 10% of tax firms reported client requests for generative artificial intelligence in the 2024 Thomson Reuters technology survey.[3]

Distribution channels in the accountancy industry

  • 18% of CPA firms reported that all of their workstations were laptops in 2026.[84]
  • $24,000 was the average amount accounting professionals planned to invest in accounting and bookkeeping technology during the following 12 months in 2024.[2]
  • 26% of users in CPA firms selected Microsoft Edge as their browser in 2026.[84]
  • 38% of CPA firms reported that 90%–99% of their workstations were laptops in 2026.[84]
  • 22% of CPA firms reported that laptops represented 50%–89% of their workstations in 2026.[84]

Key questions about the accountancy industry

What is the global accounting-services market size in the latest full year?
The global accounting services market was estimated at $688.2 billion in 2025.
How fast is the accounting-services market projected to grow from 2026 to 2033?
The global market is projected to increase from $740.12 billion in 2026 to $1.27584 trillion in 2033, an 8.1% compound annual growth rate from 2026 to 2033.
Which companies lead the accountancy industry?
EY stands out for assurance, tax, consulting and transactions because it reported FY2026 global revenue of US$56.969 billion across its service lines, while Deloitte focuses on audit, tax, advisory and consulting since it reported FY2025 global revenue of US$70.5 billion.
What technology shifts are most visible in accounting operations?
Demand is shifting toward cloud-based delivery, outsourced finance, advisory work and technology-enabled compliance. In 2026, 62% of U.S. finance leaders used AI for cash-flow or earnings forecasts reviewed by external auditors.
How concentrated is audit work in the largest networks?
Japan’s audit oversight report states the Big Four audited 97% of Nikkei 225 companies. The wider accounting-services market remains fragmented outside large international networks.
How are automation and AI changing day-to-day work and delivery metrics?
Automation and AI adoption shows high reported uptake: 95% of U.S. accounting professionals said their firms had adopted automation in 2025, and 95% said automation saved staff time in 2025.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Accountancy Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/accountancy-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Accountancy Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 10 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/accountancy-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Accountancy Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/accountancy-industry-statistics.

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