01 Industry overview
The advisory industry at a glance
The global consulting market was valued at $397 billion in 2025 and is forecast to grow at a 6.0% constant-currency CAGR through 2029, driven by demand for AI, cybersecurity and digital engineering.
- $397B[14]
- Global consulting market, 2025
- 6.0%[14]
- Global CAGR through 2029
- 1.91M[32]
- U.S. consulting jobs, 2025
- 38%[70]
- U.S. share of global revenue, 2024
- Market size
- Gartner estimated the worldwide consulting market at $397 billion in 2025. For a broader management-consulting definition, the U.S. International Trade Commission cited IBISWorld’s estimate of $1.0 trillion in global management-consulting revenue in 2024, including related services and providers.[14][70]
- Forecast & CAGR
- The global consulting market is forecast to grow at a 6.0% compound annual growth rate in constant currency over the five years through 2029. Gartner identifies artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and digital product engineering as major growth areas.[14]
- Market share & regions
- The United States accounted for about 38% of global management-consulting revenue in 2024, with U.S. revenue estimated at $392.2 billion. The U.S. share remained approximately 38% throughout 2014–2024.[70]
- Segmentation
- Consulting demand is segmented across strategy, operations, technology, financial, human-resources and risk services. Gartner specifically highlights AI, cybersecurity and digital product engineering as growth segments, while Fortune Business Insights lists operations, financial, technology, strategy and HR advisory as major service categories.[14][71]
- Key players & concentration
- The U.S. market’s four largest players were identified as Deloitte, DiscoverOrg, Accenture and Cognizant. Globally, the leading firms cited were Accenture, KPMG and McKinsey & Company; the available source does not provide a comparable percentage concentration measure.[70]
- Pricing
- A 2025 national survey of CPA firms, a related advisory and professional-services segment, reported a median net hourly billing rate of $170, up 6.9% from $159 two years earlier. Hourly billing was used by 63% of surveyed firms, while 29% used fixed pricing and 30% used value billing.[72]
- Trends, drivers & challenges
- Demand is shifting toward AI, cybersecurity, digital engineering and measurable business outcomes. In the United States, real management-consulting revenue growth slowed to an estimated 1.8% in 2024 from an average of 4.1% in 2019–2023, reflecting tighter client budgets and slower discretionary demand.[14][70]
- Consumer behavior & competition
- Consulting buyers increasingly emphasize measurable business outcomes and specialized capabilities, particularly in AI, cybersecurity and digital engineering. The market combines large diversified firms with smaller specialists; U.S. management-analyst employment is projected to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with especially strong growth expected at specialized consulting companies.[14][32]
- M&A
- Consultancy M&A activity increased slightly in 2025 compared with 2024, with buyers continuing to acquire data, digital and artificial-intelligence capabilities. The 2025 review identified AI capability-building, cybersecurity and industry specialization as recurring acquisition themes.[25]
- Latest news
- The latest available industry research points to continued AI-led restructuring: Gartner’s July 2025 forecast identified AI, cybersecurity and digital product engineering as the principal growth drivers through 2029, while the 2025 M&A review reported continued acquisition of data, digital and AI capabilities.[14][25]
02 Ranking
Top 10 Companies in the Advisory Industry
The leading companies in the advisory industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.
Updated November 11, 2026 · Next review December 11, 2026
Deloitte leads the advisory industry with FY2025 global revenue of $70.5 billion and No. 1 in consulting revenue, while EY stands out with $16.4 billion in FY2025 consulting and $6.2 billion in strategy and transactions revenue.
Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓
Editor's top 3 picks
Where to start, by need.
#1 Overall · Leader in advisory & consulting
Deloitte
US
Ranked #1 · 9.2 · Advisory & consulting
Why we picked it: It operates across audit, consulting, tax and advisory worldwide, with $70.5 billion FY2025 global revenue and 5.7% growth.
#2 overall
EY
GB
Ranked #2 · 9.1 · Advisory & consulting
Why we picked it: It sells consulting, strategy and transactions globally, reporting 7% revenue growth in FY2025.
#3 overall
Accenture
IE
Ranked #3 · 9.1 · Advisory & consulting
Why we picked it: It spans consulting, technology and managed services, reporting 6.5% revenue growth and 15.4% operating margin.
Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. No other segment places in the top 5, so picks 2 and 3 follow rank.
Full ranking
| # | Company | Overall ↓ | Impact | Performance | Momentum | Innovation | Company snapshot |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Deloitte Advisory & consulting · US | 9.2 | 9.8 | 8.1 | 8.5 | 9.9 | |
Company snapshot · Deloitte · Data as of November 11, 2026 Deloitte reported FY2025 global revenue of $70.5 billion and ranked No. 1 in consulting revenue.[61]
| |||||||
| 2 | EY Advisory & consulting · GB | 9.1 | 9.8 | 8.2 | 8.9 | 8.9 | |
Company snapshot · EY · Data as of November 11, 2026 EY reported $16.4 billion in consulting and $6.2 billion in Strategy and Transactions revenue for FY2025.[21]
| |||||||
| 3 | Accenture Advisory & consulting · IE | 9.1 | 9.9 | 8.2 | 8.5 | 8.9 | |
Company snapshot · Accenture · Data as of November 11, 2026 Accenture delivered $69.7 billion of FY2025 revenue across consulting, technology and managed services.[22]
| |||||||
| 4 | PwC Advisory & consulting · GB | 9.1 | 9.8 | 8.1 | 8.5 | 8.9 | |
Company snapshot · PwC · Data as of November 11, 2026 PwC firms recorded $60.2 billion in global revenue for the year ended June 30, 2026.[7]
| |||||||
| 5 | Bain & Company Advisory & consulting · US | 8.9 | 8.6 | 9.5 | 9.0 | 8.0 | |
Company snapshot · Bain & Company · Data as of November 11, 2026 Bain advises management teams on strategy, operations, technology, mergers and acquisitions, and organization.[73]
| |||||||
| 6 | Alvarez & Marsal Restructuring, performance and transaction advisory · US | 8.7 | 7.9 | 9.9 | 9.9 | 7.0 | |
Company snapshot · Alvarez & Marsal · Data as of November 11, 2026 Alvarez & Marsal reports more than 13,500 employees across 100 offices in over 40 countries.[74]
| |||||||
| 7 | Grant Thornton International Mid-market audit, tax and advisory network · GB | 8.4 | 8.8 | 8.1 | 8.5 | 7.0 | |
Company snapshot · Grant Thornton International · Data as of November 11, 2026 Grant Thornton reported $3.0 billion in global Advisory revenue for 2025.[75]
| |||||||
| 8 | Oliver Wyman Strategy, risk and transformation consulting · US | 8.4 | 7.8 | 8.1 | 8.5 | 8.9 | |
Company snapshot · Oliver Wyman · Data as of November 11, 2026 Oliver Wyman describes itself as a global leader in management consulting with 7,000 colleagues.[76]
| |||||||
| 9 | FTI Consulting Crisis, disputes and corporate finance advisory · US | 8.0 | 8.3 | 7.7 | 8.0 | 7.0 | |
Company snapshot · FTI Consulting · Data as of November 11, 2026 FTI Consulting generated $3.789 billion in 2025 revenue and serves organizations facing crisis and transformation.[68]
| |||||||
| 10 | Booz Allen Hamilton Government, defense and technology consulting · US | 8.0 | 8.1 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.9 | |
Company snapshot · Booz Allen Hamilton · Data as of November 11, 2026 Booz Allen reported approximately 33,400 employees as of June 30, 2025.[77]
| |||||||
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 11, 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 11). Top 10 companies in the advisory industry. In Advisory Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/advisory-industry-statistics/#top-companies
U.S. management consulting services revenue, employer firms
U.S. management consulting services revenue, employer firms grew from $224.2B in 2018 to $307.3B in 2022.
03 Trends & forecasts
Top 10 Advisory Industry Trends & Forecasts 2027
What is changing in the advisory industry, with the evidence behind each trend and a forecast for 2027.
Forecasts were generated by an AI model from the cited evidence. They are estimates, not guarantees.
01AI advisory demand accelerates
High confidenceGartner estimated the global consulting market at $397 billion in 2025 and forecast a 6.0% constant-currency CAGR through 2029, identifying artificial intelligence as a principal growth driver. Clients are increasingly seeking help moving from experimentation to measurable AI-enabled business outcomes.[14]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, AI strategy, implementation and operating-model work should remain the fastest-growing major advisory category. Demand will shift toward deployment, integration, governance and quantified productivity gains rather than standalone experimentation.
02Cybersecurity advisory expands
High confidenceGartner identified cybersecurity as one of the main growth areas for consulting through 2029. The SEC’s cybersecurity disclosure rules require public companies to describe cybersecurity risk management, governance and material incidents, increasing the need for external assessment and reporting support.[14][78]
Forecast 2027: Cybersecurity advisory revenue should grow faster than general consulting in 2027, with demand concentrated in resilience, incident readiness, third-party risk, identity, cloud security and board-level reporting.
03Digital engineering gains share
High confidenceGartner named digital product engineering a principal consulting growth driver through 2029. Technology-service-provider M&A research also identifies data infrastructure, cloud spending, cybersecurity and product-led services as major strategic priorities.[14][28]
Forecast 2027: By 2027, advisory firms will increasingly combine strategy with engineering, product management, cloud modernization and AI-enabled software delivery. Standalone strategy work will face more pressure to connect directly to implementation.
04Outcome-based pricing spreads
Medium confidenceA 2025 professional-services survey found that nearly half of firms reported using outcome-based pricing, while consulting-market research reported that more than 62% of respondents saw clients increasingly requesting outcome-based pricing. A separate CPA-firm survey found median net hourly billing rates rose 6.9% over two years to $170 in 2025.[79][80][51]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, fixed-fee, subscription and performance-linked components should take a larger share of advisory contracts. Hourly billing will remain common for complex or open-ended work, but clients will increasingly demand explicit value metrics and milestone accountability.
05Client budgets remain selective
Medium confidenceU.S. management-consulting revenue growth was estimated at 1.8% in 2024, below the 4.1% average reported for 2019–2023. Consulting-market research also found that 50% of respondents were seeing clients bring more work in-house, indicating continued scrutiny of discretionary external spending.[80][14]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, demand should be healthier for transformation, risk and productivity programs than for broad strategy studies. Buyers will favor shorter diagnostic phases, clearer implementation road maps and projects tied to cost reduction or revenue growth.
06Specialist boutiques gain relevance
High confidenceThe U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects management-analyst employment to grow 10% from 2025 to 2035, with consulting companies among the principal employers. The same outlook notes that organizations commonly seek proposals from specialized consultants and consulting firms.[32]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, specialist firms should continue winning work in AI, cybersecurity, regulated industries, sustainability, healthcare and advanced analytics. Large firms will retain advantages in scale, but buyers will increasingly use boutiques for scarce expertise and rapid delivery.
07Large providers widen AI lead
High confidenceGartner’s 2025 market-share analysis said top consulting providers widened their competitive advantage by rapidly scaling AI and cybersecurity capabilities. This favors firms with large delivery workforces, proprietary assets, partnerships and the capital to acquire specialist capabilities.[14]
Forecast 2027: By 2027, the largest firms should capture a disproportionate share of enterprise AI-transformation programs. Competitive differentiation will depend less on generic advisory brands and more on reusable platforms, implementation capacity, sector data and proven outcomes.
08Consulting M&A targets AI capabilities
High confidenceA 2025 review of consultancy M&A reported continued acquisitions of data, digital and AI capabilities, with AI capability-building, cybersecurity and industry specialization recurring themes. Forrester found acquisitions by 24 major technology-service providers rose from 63 in 2023 to 74 in 2024, with AI-service purchases continuing in 2025.[25][26]
Forecast 2027: M&A should remain a principal route to capability expansion in 2027, particularly for AI engineering, cybersecurity, data platforms and vertical expertise. Deal volume may remain selective, but strategic assets with recurring revenue and differentiated technology should command attention.
09AI governance becomes billable work
High confidenceThe EU AI Act has phased requirements continuing into 2027, including obligations for certain high-risk AI systems. NIST has also published a Generative AI Profile for its AI Risk Management Framework, providing a structured basis for risk identification, measurement and controls.[81][82]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, AI assurance, model inventories, impact assessments, documentation, testing and control design should become established advisory offerings. Regulatory work will increasingly be bundled with implementation rather than sold as a separate legal-compliance exercise.
10Cyber disclosure raises board demand
High confidenceThe SEC requires public companies to disclose material cybersecurity incidents and describe cybersecurity risk-management and governance practices. The SEC states that compliance may require coordination among chief information security officers, cybersecurity experts, technologists, disclosure committees and securities-law advisers.[78]
Forecast 2027: In 2027, advisory firms should see sustained demand for board reporting, cyber-materiality assessments, disclosure controls and incident-response exercises. This will strengthen the link between technical cybersecurity consulting, enterprise risk and financial reporting.
04 Statistics
Technology & Innovation
Generative AI adoption moved from 12% in 2024 to 22% in 2025 across professional-services organizations, with 80% using it often or very often in the U.S.
AI in the advisory industry
- 22% of professional-services organizations used generative AI in 2025, up from 12% in 2024, globally.[1]
- 80% of professional-services respondents use generative-AI tools often or very often to consult internal documents, in the United States in 2024.[2]
- 38% of professional-services respondents deploy generative-AI tools, while another 19% have firm access but do not use them, in the United States in 2024.[2]
Automation in the advisory industry
- 63% of U.S. accounting firms considered advisory a key service in 2025, up from 52% in the prior year as routine work became increasingly automated.[3]
- 94% of U.S. accounting firms offered consulting or advisory services in 2025, as automation reduced time spent on data entry, reconciliation and basic preparation.[3]
- 4% of executives said agentic AI had already replaced or significantly augmented human-led consulting, globally in 2025.[4]
Digital Transformation in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 51% of U.S. technology executives reported no increase in performance or profitability from digital-transformation investments during the previous two years.[5]
- 40.4% of EU enterprises in professional, scientific and technical activities used at least one AI technology in 2025.[6]
- 55% of business-services CEOs identified keeping pace with technology and AI transformation as their greatest concern in PwC’s 2025 global CEO survey.[7]
- 35.51% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to business-administration or management processes in 2025.[6]
Technology Adoption in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 18.55% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to ICT security in 2025.[6]
- 27.33% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to production processes in 2025.[6]
- 30.87% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to accounting, controlling or finance management in 2025.[6]
- 22.32% of EU professional, scientific and technical enterprises using AI applied it to research and development or innovation activities in 2025.[6]
Cloud Computing in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 77.7% of Dutch professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2023.[8]
- 90.7% of Australian professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2022.[8]
- 80.4% of Danish professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2023.[8]
- 91.2% of Finnish professional, scientific and technical enterprises used cloud computing services in 2023.[8]
Big Data in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 46.8% of Swedish professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[8]
- 45.4% of Finnish professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[8]
- 57.5% of Dutch professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[8]
- 47.5% of German professional, scientific and technical enterprises conducted big-data analysis in 2023.[8]
Blockchain in the advisory industry
- 70% of top U.S. financial advisors reportedly held cryptocurrency in 2024, compared with 10%–20% two years earlier.[9]
- 19% of financial advisors who asked clients about crypto said more than half of their clients owned digital assets in the United States in 2024.[10]
- 14% of regional advisory firms were represented in a 2025 survey of the U.S. advisory landscape covering digital-asset adoption.[11]
- More than half of financial advisors said they did not expect to use or ask about cryptocurrency with clients in the United States in 2024.[12]
IoT in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 36.3% of Irish professional, scientific and technical enterprises used Internet-of-Things technologies in 2021.[8]
- 35.6% of Swedish professional, scientific and technical enterprises used Internet-of-Things technologies in 2021.[8]
- 52.0% of South Korean professional, scientific and technical enterprises used Internet-of-Things technologies in 2022.[8]
- 42.6% of Austrian professional, scientific and technical enterprises used Internet-of-Things technologies in 2021.[8]
05 Statistics
Data & Analytics
Data governance scale remains a constraint: 87% of enterprise data leaders said rules-based data quality did not scale, while 50% cited data-quality issues as the biggest challenge to data-integration projects.
Business intelligence in the advisory industry
- Fewer than 20% of companies were making extensive use of generative AI across their organizations, according to a technology-consulting market study.[13]
- $397 billion was the worldwide consulting-services market in 2024, with growth primarily driven by demand for traditional AI, generative AI and cybersecurity services.[14]
- 40% of companies reported seeking consulting skills in advanced technologies and data analytics, according to Source Global Research’s technology-consulting market analysis.[13]
Data analytics in the advisory industry
- $397 billion was the worldwide consulting-services market in 2024, supported by increased demand for AI and analytics-related services.[14]
- 38% of consulting firms identified data visualization as a research or analytics capability in an industry consultancy benchmark.[15]
- 77% of consulting firms reported using R or Python-related data-science tools in the consultancy benchmark report.[15]
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.[16]
- 50% of organizations identified data-quality issues as the biggest challenge affecting their data-integration projects in 2024.[17]
- 23% of supply management firms spent at least 21% of their time cleaning data in 2024.[16]
- 67% of supply management organizations said their data quality was better or significantly better than two years earlier in 2024.[16]
- 87% of enterprise data leaders said traditional rules-based approaches to data quality did not scale to current needs in 2024.[18]
- 95% of enterprise companies with at least $1 billion in revenue had experienced a data-quality issue directly affecting business outcomes in 2024.[18]
Data Governance in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 61% of organizations had a dedicated data-governance function in 2024, according to a survey of more than 121 supply management professionals.[16]
- 18.3% of organizations used a data-governance or catalog solution as part of their governance program in 2024.[19]
- 33% of North American organizations had a formal data-governance organization in place in 2024.[19]
- 32% of organizations in the 2024 governance study had a formal governance organization in place, while 68% had none.[19]
- 81% of supply management organizations found their data-governance program useful in 2024.[16]
- 71% of global organizations reported having a data-governance program in 2024, up from 60% in 2023.[17]
KPIs in the advisory industry
- 51% higher net revenue per client was reported by client-advisory-services practices where more than half of revenue came from defined industry niches.[20]
- 61% was the increase in median reported client-advisory-services revenue compared with 2022 among surveyed U.S. firms.[20]
- 17% was the median growth rate reported by U.S. accounting firms’ client-advisory-services practices for calendar year 2023.[20]
- 38% higher median client-advisory-services revenue was reported by practices where more than half of revenue came from defined industry niches.[20]
06 Statistics
Strategy & Growth
Acquirers kept buying capabilities: 137 consultancy acquisition deals were recorded in 2025 versus 112 in 2024, with 27 acquisitions by Accenture in 2025.
Growth in the advisory industry
- 5.7% was PwC’s global gross-revenue growth in US dollars for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026.[7]
- 3.9% was EY’s global revenue growth in local currency in fiscal 2024.[21]
- 6.4% was worldwide consulting-market growth in US dollars in 2023, taking the market to 362.5 billion US dollars.[14]
- 7% was Accenture’s fiscal 2025 revenue growth in both US dollars and local currency.[22]
Differentiation in the advisory industry
- 168,000+ EY participants contributed to initiatives benefiting more than 64 million people in fiscal 2024.[21]
- 3 billion US dollars was invested by PwC across its network in fiscal 2026 to expand AI and technology capabilities.[7]
- 779,000 people worked for Accenture as of August 31, 2025, with skills and specialization identified by the company as a source of competitive differentiation.[23]
- 814,000 employees worked for Accenture at fiscal 2026 year-end, supporting capabilities across strategy, process, operating model, change management, talent, data, technology and AI.[24]
Mergers and acquisitions in the advisory industry
- 137 consultancy acquisition deals were recorded in 2025, compared with 112 in 2024, according to WY Partners’ tracker.[25]
- 74 acquisitions were made by 24 top service providers in 2024, up from 63 in 2023 but below the 164 recorded in 2021.[26]
- 27 acquisitions were made by Accenture in 2025, making it the most active tracked consultancy acquirer in the WY Partners review.[25]
- Approximately 85 acquisitions were made collectively by the top 10 consulting providers in 2023.[14]
Strategic partnerships in the advisory industry
- 195 of Accenture’s top 200 clients had partnerships lasting more than 10 years in fiscal 2025.[23]
- 1.5 billion US dollars was invested by PwC in fiscal 2024 to expand and scale AI capabilities and deepen strategic alliances.[7]
- 3 billion US dollars was invested by PwC in fiscal 2026 across its network to expand capabilities and connect services through PwC One and other platforms.[7]
- 12 acquisitions and strategic investments were made by PwC’s network in fiscal 2025 to expand professional capabilities, particularly in AI, technology, consulting, business strategy and tax.[7]
07 Statistics
People & Workforce
Remote work is common among professional and business-services employees, with 54% reporting at least one paid work-from-home employee in November 2024–January 2025.
Hiring in the advisory industry
- 13% of rookie financial advisors entered the industry as their first career job in the United States, according to data reported in 2024.[12]
- 40% of rookie financial advisors had worked in financial services before becoming advisors in the United States, according to data reported in 2024.[12]
- 51% of U.S. registered investment advisors used personal or professional networks as a recruiting channel in 2024.[27]
- 2,706 financial advisors were added in the United States in 2022, leaving advisor headcount largely unchanged in 2023.[12]
Employee retention in the advisory industry
- 15% of the current U.S. financial-advisor population is female, compared with nearly 60% of the graduate workforce available to enter the industry.[28]
- Female advisors were reported as 20% more likely to exit their firms following misconduct, based on U.S. financial-advisor data from 2008–2018.[29]
- 20% of women financial-planning professionals reported that their firm was composed entirely of women, while 15.4% worked in firms where women were a majority, in a 2024 U.S. study.[30]
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.[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]
- About 45% of U.S. professional and business-services workers worked remotely during October 2023–September 2024, including hybrid and fully remote work.[33]
- 54% of U.S. professional-services firms reported having at least one paid work-from-home employee in November 2024–January 2025.[34]
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.[35]
- Across U.S. professional and business services, 39% of full-time employees worked fully onsite during January–April 2025.[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]
- 27% of U.S. full-time employees worked in a hybrid arrangement in 2025, compared with 12% fully remote and 61% fully on-site.[37]
Employee Engagement in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 32% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2025, while 17% were actively disengaged.[36]
- 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]
- 33% of U.S. employees were engaged at work in 2023, while 16% were actively disengaged.[36]
DEI in the advisory industry
- 858 new racially and ethnically diverse U.S. CFP® professionals were reported in 2024, a 12.6% increase from 2022.[30]
- 18% of financial advisers were women in the United Kingdom in 2025, while 51% of multi-adviser firms had no women in adviser roles.[38]
- 1.4% of U.S. assets under management were managed by women and people of color as of September 2023.[30]
- 23.8% of U.S. CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ professionals were women, totaling 23,484 professionals, in 2024.[30]
Change Management in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 17% of transformation teams identified training and development programs as their primary change-management approach in 2024.[39]
- 75% of global business-services organizations considered change management critical in 2022.[40]
- 22% of transformation teams identified communication plans as their primary change-management approach in 2024.[39]
- 21% of transformation teams identified stakeholder-engagement strategies as their primary change-management approach in 2024.[39]
- 16% of global business-services organizations managed change systemically across their initiatives in 2022.[40]
08 Statistics
Customer & Sales
Client retention stays measurable, with 80% of clients satisfied with their primary financial advisor in the United States in 2024 and 82% classified as promoters in a five-year study through 2025.
Customer experience in the advisory industry
- 80% of clients were satisfied with their primary financial advisor, rising to 88% among clients with more than $5 million in investable assets, in the United States in 2024.[41]
- 88% of U.S. financial-advisory clients with more than $5 million in investable assets reported satisfaction with their primary advisor in 2024.[42]
- 82% of clients were classified as promoters in a global investor study covering advisory-firm clients over the five years through 2025.[43]
Customer retention in the advisory industry
Customer acquisition in the advisory industry
- 47% of U.S. advisory firms reported client referrals as a source of new clients in 2024.[45]
- More than 50% of financial advisors identified new-client acquisition as a challenge in a 2024 U.S. advisory-industry survey.[41]
- 29% of U.S. advisory firms required referrals as part of their marketing approach in 2024.[45]
Customer loyalty in the advisory industry
- 82% of advisory-firm clients were classified as promoters in a global investor study covering the five years through 2025.[43]
- 79% of financial-advisory clients under age 45 provided a referral to their advisor during the previous 12 months in 2026.[46]
- 24% of global advisory-firm clients made a referral during the 12 months covered by the 2025 investor study.[43]
Lead generation in the advisory industry
- 47% of U.S. advisory firms reported client referrals as a lead-generation source in 2024.[45]
- 24% of global advisory-firm clients made a referral during the 12 months covered by a 2025 investor study.[43]
- 29% of U.S. advisory firms required a referral as part of their lead-generation approach in 2024.[45]
09 Statistics
Marketing & Brand
Referral channels dominate for many practices: 61% of advisors identified referrals as their highest-converting marketing channel in the United States in 2023.
Marketing in the advisory industry
- 11% of revenue was the average marketing spend among advisory firms in 2023, with 71% of that spend representing staff time or other soft-dollar costs, according to a survey of nearly 1,000 firms.[47]
- 61% of advisors identified referrals as their highest-converting marketing channel in the United States in 2023.[48]
- 47% of advisory firms relied on client referrals for new clients, compared with 29% relying on digital marketing, in the 2024 U.S. advisor benchmarking data.[45]
- 90% of actively growing advisory practices used client referrals as a marketing tactic in 2026.[49]
Digital marketing in the advisory industry
- 28% of high-growth advisory practices maintained online advisor listings in 2026, compared with 16% of other practices.[49]
- 96% of U.S. prospects seeking financial advice intended to research an advisor online before hiring, according to a 2025 survey of 500 households.[49]
- 43% of high-growth advisory practices used search-engine optimization in 2026, compared with 34% of other practices.[49]
- 45% of consumers selecting an advisor said digital marketing influenced their choice, while only 29% of advisory firms relied on digital marketing for new clients in 2024.[45]
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.[50]
- 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.[50]
- 74% of B2B influencers use artificial-intelligence tools to enhance content creation, based on Q1 2026 research.[50]
- 44% of B2B influencer-marketing practitioners say finding the right talent is their single biggest collaboration obstacle, based on Q1 2026 research.[50]
10 Statistics
Operations & Execution
Advisory time allocation varies by experience, with thriving experienced advisors spending 20% of their time on administrative or compliance tasks versus 31% for unwell advisors in 2025.
Operational efficiency in the advisory industry
- The average RIA lead advisor spent 5.4 meeting hours per client annually, compared with 3.7 hours for broker-dealer-based advisors and 3.6 hours for insurance-based advisors.[49]
- Thriving experienced advisors spent 20% of their time on administrative or compliance tasks, compared with 31% for unwell advisors in 2025.[49]
- Thriving experienced advisors generated median revenue of $597,500 per advisor in 2025, compared with $343,929 for unwell advisors in the same study.[49]
Outsourcing / Offshoring in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- 60% of EU business-services enterprises sourcing abroad were in the business-services sector, compared with 40% in industry and construction, during 2021–2023.[6]
- 28.8% of EU enterprises sourcing abroad sourced information and communication technology services internationally during 2021–2023.[6]
- 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.[51]
- 65% of U.S. CPA firms participating in the 2025 National MAP Survey that offshored used India, followed by 33% using the Philippines.[51]
- 39% of EU enterprises sourcing abroad outsourced business functions to external providers during 2021–2023, while 72% used affiliated-group insourcing.[6]
11 Statistics
Finance & Pricing
Asset-based billing is dominant, with 92% of financial advisory firms billing clients based on assets under management in 2024.
Pricing strategy in the advisory industry
- 92% of financial advisory firms billed clients based on assets under management in 2024, making AUM pricing the dominant charging model.[49]
- 78.1% of advisers offered asset-based fees together with another fee type in 2024, while 17.4% relied on asset-based fees alone.[52]
- 49.9% of advisers offered a fixed fee or hourly fee, or both, in 2024; that share exceeded 85% among advisers offering financial-planning services.[52]
Profitability in the advisory industry
- 39.2% was the average operating profit margin for financial advisory firms in 2024, up from 36.4% in 2023, according to a study of advisory firms.[42]
- 4.1% was the increase in new assets from new client relationships at financial advisory firms in 2024, while client departures reduced assets by 2.0%.[42]
- $400,000 was the average revenue per advisor among financial advisory firms in 2024, up from $379,360 in 2022.[53]
- 3.1% was the net organic growth rate of financial advisory firms in 2024, excluding market performance.[42]
Financial planning in the advisory industry
- 12.6% of senior advisors with CFP marks devoted time to financial planning in the cited productivity study, compared with 10.6% of senior advisors without the marks.[49]
- 80.6% of SEC-registered independent RIAs offered financial planning as of November 2, 2026, up from 73.8% in November 2018.[54]
- Service advisors with CFP marks spent 2 more hours per week in client meetings than service advisors without CFP marks, equivalent to more than 100 additional meetings annually.[49]
- More than 85% of advisers offering financial-planning services offered fixed or hourly fees, or both, in 2024.[52]
12 Statistics
Product & Service
Product development consulting appears across supplier types, with 48% of data-and-analytics suppliers and 41% of strategic consulting suppliers offering it in 2024.
Product development in the advisory industry
- 48% of data-and-analytics suppliers offered product development or innovation consulting in 2024, according to the global GRIT supplier survey.[55]
- 41% of strategic consulting suppliers offered product development or innovation consulting in 2024, according to the global GRIT supplier survey.[55]
- 64% of full-service research suppliers offered product development or innovation consulting in 2024, according to the global GRIT supplier survey.[55]
13 Statistics
Sustainability & Ethics
Sustainability delivery is quantified in reporting: Deloitte reported 100% of electricity as renewable in FY2024 and 96% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions from its FY2019 baseline.
Sustainability in the advisory industry
- $58.8 billion was the global environment-and-sustainability consulting market in 2024, up 7.9% year on year.[56]
- 8,000 was the average dedicated sustainability-services headcount reported for service providers in the 2024 HFS assessment.[57]
- $54.7 billion was the global environment-and-sustainability consulting market in 2023, representing 20% year-on-year growth.[58]
- $900 million was the average dedicated sustainability-services revenue reported for service providers in the 2024 HFS assessment.[57]
ESG in the advisory industry
- $45 billion was the estimated global sustainability-consulting market in 2022, according to Source Global Research.[59]
- 65% was the share of the global environment-and-sustainability consulting market held by the largest 38 firms in 2024.[56]
- 0.5% was CGI’s ESG-consulting-services revenue as a share of total revenue for the 2024 reporting year.[60]
Carbon footprint in the advisory industry
- 96% was Deloitte’s FY2024 reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions from its FY2019 baseline.[61]
- 62% was Deloitte’s FY2024 reduction in business-travel Scope 3 emissions per full-time equivalent from its FY2019 baseline.[61]
- 100% of Deloitte’s electricity was reported as renewable in FY2024.[61]
- 638,818 metric tons of gross greenhouse-gas emissions were reported by Deloitte for FY2024 across its covered U.S. entities.[61]
14 Statistics
Risk, Compliance & Legal
Cyber risk and privacy controls remain central, with 72% of privacy professionals using data security as an organizational privacy control in 2026.
Compliance in the advisory industry
- 180 countries used EY Fabric, EY’s global client technology platform, in fiscal 2024.[21]
- 150+ countries and territories are covered by Deloitte’s global network, which operates under global principles of business conduct and local governance structures in 2026.[61]
- 3.1 billion US dollars was invested by PwC’s network in fiscal 2025, including investments in consulting, business strategy, AI and technology capabilities.[7]
- 82% of the Fortune Global 500 were clients of PwC’s global network in fiscal 2025.[7]
Risk Management in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- Thirty-nine percent of professional services leaders said their organizations’ risk and compliance programs were advanced or leading in 2026, globally.[62]
- Seventy-seven percent of professional services firms said better analytics and monitoring were needed to improve fraud response in 2026, globally.[62]
- Cybersecurity ranked as the top future risk for professional service firms in Aon’s 2025 global survey.[63]
- Fifty-four percent of professional services leaders reported integrated or enterprise-wide risk management in 2026, globally.[62]
Cybersecurity in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- Fifty-five point nine percent of Asia-Pacific small businesses in professional, scientific and technical services reviewed their cybersecurity during the previous six months in 2024.[64]
- Fifty-six percent of professional services leaders reported high or very high confidence in detecting advanced cyber threats in 2026, globally.[62]
- Thirty-four percent of professional services respondents reported that sensitive content had been breached seven or more times in 2024, globally.[65]
- Forty-three percent of UK businesses experienced a cyber breach or attack during the 12 months covered by the 2025–2026 survey.[66]
Data Privacy in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- Seventy-two percent of privacy professionals reported using data security as an organizational privacy control in 2026, globally.[67]
- Fifty-eight percent of privacy professionals said their organizations always or frequently practiced privacy by design when building applications or services in 2026, globally.[67]
- Forty-one percent of professional services firms identified new U.S. state data privacy laws as a regulatory priority in 2024, globally surveyed respondents.[65]
- Thirty-four percent of professional services firms identified the GDPR as a regulatory priority in 2024, globally surveyed respondents.[65]
Crisis Management in the professional and business services sector (sector benchmark)
- Nearly 40% of surveyed general counsel reported no contingency plan for a cyberattack or supply-chain failure in 2024, globally.[68]
- Thirty-one percent of global leaders expressed extreme confidence in their organization’s ability to manage critical events in late 2025.[69]
- Fifty percent of organizations reported limited or no formal critical-event management strategy in late 2025, globally.[69]
- Twenty-four percent of organizations never tested their business continuity or critical-event management plans in late 2025, globally.[69]
- Sixty-four percent of general counsel in North America reported greater involvement in business continuity and financial contingency planning in 2024.[68]
Governance in the advisory industry
- 364,782 people were part of PwC’s global network in fiscal 2025, supporting governance and delivery across its member firms.[7]
- 636 cities in 136 countries were served by PwC’s global network in fiscal 2025.[7]
- 60 countries were represented in Deloitte’s 2026 survey of board members and C-suite executives on governance and business issues.[61]
- 150+ countries and territories contain Deloitte member firms governed through separate global, member-firm and local management structures in 2026.[61]
15 Statistics
Globalization & Expansion
Global delivery footprints are large, with PwC’s network covering 636 cities in 136 countries in fiscal 2025 and 60 countries in Deloitte’s 2026 board and C-suite survey.
Globalization in the advisory industry
- 51.2 billion US dollars was EY’s combined global revenue for the fiscal year ended June 2024.[21]
- 120+ countries were served by Accenture teams during fiscal 2025, with offices and operations in 52 countries.[23]
- 814,000 employees worked for Accenture at fiscal 2026 year-end across the Americas, EMEA and Asia Pacific.[24]
- 60.2 billion US dollars was PwC’s global gross revenue for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026.[7]
Cultural adaptation in the advisory industry
- 150+ countries and territories were represented in EY’s global organization in fiscal 2024, with teams providing services through local markets.[21]
- 110 Deloitte Switzerland employees received international mobility opportunities during fiscal 2025, broadening professional networks and cultural understanding.[61]
- 3.5% was PwC’s fiscal 2026 global revenue growth in local currency, with growth varying by region from 0.7% in EMEA to 7.7% in Asia Pacific.[7]
- 136 countries and 636 cities were covered by PwC’s network in fiscal 2025, reflecting delivery across diverse local markets.[7]
Stakeholder management in the advisory industry
- 195 of Accenture’s top 200 clients had relationships with the company lasting more than 10 years in fiscal 2025.[23]
- 175,004 clients were served by PwC’s global network in fiscal 2025.[7]
- 82% of Fortune Global 500 companies were PwC clients in fiscal 2025.[7]
- More than 9,000 clients were served by Accenture in fiscal 2026, including approximately three quarters of the Fortune Global 100 and 500.[24]
Distribution channels in the advisory industry
- 35.1 billion US dollars came from Accenture consulting revenue in fiscal 2025, compared with 34.6 billion US dollars from managed services.[22]
- 25.8 billion US dollars was PwC Advisory revenue for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2026.[7]
- 2 million+ unique client users accessed EY Fabric after its deployment across 180 countries in fiscal 2024.[21]
- 9,000+ clients were reached by Accenture through consulting, managed services, proprietary assets, platforms and software in fiscal 2026.[24]
Key questions about the advisory industry
How big is the global consulting market?
What is the expected market growth rate through 2029?
Which companies lead the advisory industry?
What technology shifts are shaping advisory demand?
How is demand typically segmented across services?
What drives pricing models in professional advisory services?
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 11). Advisory Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/advisory-industry-statistics
Samuel Norberg. "Advisory Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 11 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/advisory-industry-statistics.
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Advisory Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/advisory-industry-statistics.
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Social media in the advisory industry