Gitnux/Report 2026

Audit Industry Statistics

Despite hiring pressure, pay and remote work are reshaping the audit talent pipeline. In 2023 alone the global audit workforce topped 1.2 million and average turnover hit 18.5 percent while women made up 62 percent of staff but only 25 percent of partners, alongside audit tech spend that rose to $5.6 billion and is already changing how audits get done.
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November 10, 2026Updated
Audit Industry Statistics
Karl BeckerWritten by Karl Becker·Edited by Timothy Grant·Fact-checked by Olivia Thornton
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

Before any source is gathered, an editor locks the question, what qualifies, and how the piece will be judged.

02Source Research

Search agents collect the source set and pull each data point out with its provenance attached.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 39 days

01 Industry overview

The audit industry at a glance

The global auditing services market was valued at $233.95 billion in 2025 and is forecast to expand steadily as regulation, digital reporting and risk complexity sustain demand.

$233.95B[72]
Global market size, 2025
$144.4B[73]
U.S. CPA office revenue, 2024
34%[74]
Top four global revenue share, 2024
1.60M[25]
U.S. accountants and auditors, 2025
Market size
The global auditing services market was valued at $233.95 billion in 2025. In the United States, offices of certified public accountants generated $144.38 billion in revenue in 2024.[72][73]
Forecast & CAGR
The global market is projected to grow from $243.90 billion in 2026 to $338.28 billion in 2034, representing a 4.20% compound annual growth rate over the forecast period.[72]
Market share & regions
The United States exported $4.2 billion of accounting and auditing services in 2023 and imported $8.4 billion. India was the largest source of U.S. imports at $1.8 billion, followed by the United Kingdom at $1.3 billion.[74]
Segmentation
The market is commonly segmented by internal and external audit, and by service type including operational audits, financial audits, advisory and consulting, and other services. End-user segments include banking and financial services, government, manufacturing, healthcare, retail and consumer, and information technology and communications.[72]
Key players & concentration
Deloitte generated $67.2 billion in 2024 revenue, followed by PwC at $55.4 billion, EY at $51.2 billion and KPMG at $38.4 billion. Collectively, the Big Four accounted for nearly 34% of global accounting-services revenue and audited approximately 89.5% of U.S. large accelerated filers in 2024.[74][63]
Pricing
The average U.S. public company paid $3.36 million in total auditor fees in fiscal 2025, up from $3.14 million in 2024. In fiscal 2024, audit fees averaged $606 per $1 million of client revenue.[56][63]
Trends, drivers & challenges
Demand is being supported by regulatory complexity, cybersecurity and technology risks, and the expansion of AI and cloud-based systems. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 5% employment growth for accountants and auditors from 2025 to 2035, while automation is expected to shift work toward advisory and analytical tasks rather than eliminate overall demand.[25][72]
Consumer behavior & competition
Audit buyers are primarily companies, public-sector entities and regulated organizations rather than household consumers. Competition is strongest among the Big Four for large public-company mandates, while mid-tier and smaller firms have greater presence among smaller registrants; the Big Four audited about 89.5% of U.S. large accelerated filers in 2024.[63][56]
M&A
Grant Thornton Advisors agreed in 2026 to acquire CBIZ in an all-cash transaction with an enterprise value of $5 billion. The transaction was described as the largest of its kind in more than 25 years and is intended to create the fifth-largest U.S. professional-services, tax and advisory provider.[53]
Regulation
The PCAOB adopted amendments to QC 1000 on September 9, 2026, including changes to quality-deficiency definitions, annual evaluation timing and documentation retention. The amended requirements were approved by the SEC on November 2, 2026, with an effective date of December 15, 2026.[75][51]
Latest news
In November 2026, the SEC reported fiscal-year enforcement actions involving an audit engagement partner, EisnerAmper and a New Jersey CPA, covering alleged violations of accounting, PCAOB auditing and auditor-independence requirements. The PCAOB’s amended QC 1000 framework is the sector’s major current regulatory development.[76][75]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Audit Industry

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

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

Verdict

EY leads Gitnux's 2026 audit ranking with an Overall score of 9.0, with FY2025 Assurance revenue of US$17.9 billion. Deloitte is the runner-up at 8.9, with FY2026 global revenue of US$74.5 billion.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in external audit services

    EY

    GB

    Ranked #1 · 9.0 · External audit services

    Why we picked it: It reports US$17.9 billion in FY2025 assurance revenue within a global audit-and-assurance segment.

    See in ranking ↓Visit ey.com ↗

  2. #2 overall

    Deloitte

    GB

    Ranked #2 · 8.9 · External audit services

    Why we picked it: It operates a major Audit & Assurance practice alongside global multidisciplinary delivery.

    See in ranking ↓Visit deloitte.com ↗

  3. Leader in professional services networks

    Baker Tilly

    GB

    Ranked #3 · 8.9 · Professional services networks

    Why we picked it: It spans 147 territories and reports US$6.8 billion in 2025 audit, assurance, tax and advisory revenue.

    See in ranking ↓Visit bakertilly.global ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Pick 2 is the highest-ranked company in the top 5 that adds a new segment; no further segment places in the top 5, so pick 3 follows rank.

Full ranking

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

EY

External audit services · GB

9.0
2

Deloitte

External audit services · GB

8.9
3

Baker Tilly

Professional services networks · GB

8.9
4

PwC

External audit services · GB

8.8
5

KPMG

External audit services · NL

8.7
6

Grant Thornton

Global audit, assurance, tax and advisory network · GB

8.3
7

HLB

Global audit, assurance, tax and advisory network · GB

8.2
8

RSM

Global audit, assurance, tax and consulting network · GB

8.1
9

PKF Global

Global audit, tax and advisory network · GB

7.6
10

Nexia International

Global audit, tax and advisory network · GB

7.2

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

Karl Becker. (2026, February 13). Top 10 companies in the audit industry. In Audit Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/audit-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Projection

Employment in U.S. offices of certified public accountants, including auditing services (NAICS 541211)

Employment in U.S. offices of certified public accountants, including auditing services (NAICS 541211) grew from 504.7 thousands of jobs in 2020 to 548 thousands of jobs in 2025.

505
Start
+1.66%
CAGR · 5y
548
Projected
20202025
source-verifiedfred.stlouisfed.org2025

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

Technology adoption shows up as AI pilots and automation counts, including 81% internal-audit AI use and 8,531 smart-contract audit reports identified from January 2017 through June 2023.

AI in the audit industry

  • 91% of chief audit executives said they were investing in digital training and development, including analytics, AI and generative AI, in Deloitte’s 2024 global survey.[1]
  • 36% of compliance respondents were piloting or using AI for fraud detection in PwC’s 2025 global study of compliance and control functions.[2]
  • 14% of internal-audit functions had begun generative-AI proof-of-concept work in Deloitte’s 2024 global survey.[1]
  • 46% of compliance respondents were piloting or using AI for data and predictive analytics in PwC’s 2025 global study, which covers compliance and audit-related control functions.[2]
  • 81% of companies surveyed use AI in internal auditing, and 68% report better audit findings, according to KPMG’s 2025/2026 German study.[3]
  • 57% of internal-audit and risk professionals said their team had access to an AI solution at work in a March 2025 KPMG poll.[3]

Automation in the audit industry

  • 8% of organizations using RPA or AI were automating at scale with more than 51 automations in Deloitte’s internal-audit research.[1]
  • 91% of respondents preferred a wholly or partly third-party approach to developing and implementing RegTech solutions in Deloitte Australia’s survey.[1]
  • 12% of organizations using RPA or AI were implementing 11 to 50 automations in Deloitte’s internal-audit research.[1]
  • 2% of respondents said their compliance management was completely automated through RegTech in Deloitte Australia’s survey.[1]
  • More than half of chief audit executives planned to invest in automation over the following one to three years in Deloitte’s 2024 global survey.[1]
  • 38% of organizations using RPA or AI were piloting one to ten automations in Deloitte’s internal-audit research.[1]

Digital Transformation in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 26% of financial services firms reported using agentic AI in 2026, according to a global digital-transformation study.[4]
  • 43% of financial services firms said they will need an entirely new technology stack to succeed in the age of AI.[4]
  • 80% of financial services firms reported active AI use in 2026, up from 31% in 2025.[4]
  • 27% of financial services firms reported financial benefits from AI in 2026, up from 14% in 2025.[4]
  • 84% of financial services firms said integrating front-, middle- and back-office systems into one platform is important in 2026.[4]

Technology Adoption in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 35% of financial institutions adopted or improved generative-AI capabilities during the 12 months covered by the 2024 survey.[5]
  • 59% of finance leaders reported using AI in their finance function in 2025, according to Gartner’s survey of 183 senior finance leaders.[6]
  • About one-third of financial services companies reported using generative AI by January 2025, compared with 21% a year earlier.[7]
  • 61% of financial institutions recently adopted AI or improved their AI capabilities, based on a 2024 survey across 11 markets.[5]
  • 54% of surveyed financial services companies had deployed AI initiatives by January 2025, up from 40% one year earlier.[7]

Cloud Computing in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 82% of financial services firms used a hybrid- or multi-cloud strategy in LSEG’s 2025 global survey.[8]
  • 91% of financial organizations had at least one cloud platform in 2023, up from 37% in 2020.[9]
  • 33% of financial services firms were highly satisfied with cloud-related reductions in operational costs in Capgemini’s 2024 survey.[9]
  • 87% of financial services firms increased cloud investment during the two years preceding LSEG’s 2025 global survey.[8]
  • 43% of banking and financial services organizations were moving toward a cloud-first analytics approach in the WNS-Forrester survey.[10]

Big Data in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 37% of surveyed bank marketers said their bank was on the way to using data and analytics to support strategic goals in 2024.[11]
  • 41% of surveyed bank marketers said their bank was already using data analytics to make decisions and achieve goals in 2024.[11]
  • 18% of finance firms adopted big-data analytics in the OECD’s cross-country comparison; the European data refer to 2019.[12]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Audit analytics usage spans analytics teams and AI use cases, with 57% of internal audit departments using data analytics and 28% of chief audit executives reporting high or advanced data-analytics usage in 2025.

Business intelligence in the audit industry

  • 57% of internal audit departments surveyed globally used data analytics for some audits in 2024.[13]
  • 32% of audit departments surveyed globally used AI for risk assessment in 2024.[14]
  • 10% of audit departments surveyed globally used AI for decision-support systems in 2024.[14]
  • 38% of audit departments surveyed globally used AI for identifying anomalies or irregularities in 2024.[14]
  • 29% of audit departments surveyed globally used AI for predictive analytics in 2024.[14]
  • 17% of audit departments surveyed globally used AI for predictive modeling in 2024.[14]

Data analytics in the audit industry

  • 34% of internal audit survey respondents had a dedicated internal-audit data-analytics team in 2022.[15]
  • 94% of internal audit survey respondents had dedicated analytics staff or provided analytics training when needed in 2022.[15]
  • 27% of internal audit survey respondents provided analytics training to staff when needed in 2022.[15]
  • 28% of chief audit executives said their internal audit functions had high or advanced data-analytics usage in 2025.[16]
  • 92% of chief audit executives identified data analytics as the most important technology skill for the future in the IIA survey.[16]
  • 6% of internal audit survey respondents reported having no staff with data-analytics skills in 2022.[15]

Data Quality in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across banks supervised by the European Central Bank, 28% reported that all data used by critical functions came from golden sources in 2023.[17]
  • Across U.S. banking and capital markets, 94% of respondents named data accuracy and reliability as a priority in 2024.[1]
  • Across global financial services, 34% of organizations rated their data excellent for accuracy and integrity in 2024.[18]
  • Across global financial services, 36% of organizations rated their data excellent for quantity and completeness in 2024.[18]
  • Across significant European banking institutions, 32% did not apply data-quality-management principles to end-user computing in 2023.[17]
  • Across U.S. banking and capital markets, 86% of respondents named data access and usability as a top concern in 2024.[1]

Data Governance in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • Across 35 surveyed banks, insurers, and financial-services firms in 38 countries, 54% had adopted a semantic layer for organization-wide data governance in 2025.[19]
  • Across global financial services, 54% of companies rated data governance at one of the two highest maturity levels in 2024.[3]
  • Across financial-services organizations surveyed globally, 57.1% identified BI-content testing as the top future investment in analytics governance in 2025.[20]
  • Across financial-services organizations surveyed globally, 43.7% lacked a standardized certification process for analytics content in 2025.[20]
  • Across financial-services organizations surveyed globally, 82.9% had implemented governance policies specifically applying to business intelligence and analytics in 2025.[20]

KPIs in the audit industry

  • 75% of internal-audit time was spent on assurance engagements globally, while 25% was spent on advisory engagements in the IIA Vision 2035 survey.[15]
  • 66% of internal audit functions surveyed globally provided governance audit services in the past year.[15]
  • 82% of internal audit functions surveyed globally provided compliance audit services in the past year.[15]
  • 41% of internal-audit time is expected to be devoted to advisory services in the future, according to the IIA Vision 2035 survey.[15]
  • 87% of internal audit functions surveyed globally provided audit services covering operations and processes in the past year.[15]
  • 59% of internal audit functions surveyed globally provided information-technology audit services in the past year.[15]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Firm strategy ties to assurance scale and investment; PwC reported US$60.2 billion gross revenue for the 12 months ended June 30, 2026 and invested US$1 billion in its Next Generation Audit platform in FY2025.

Growth in the audit industry

  • KPMG global revenue reached US$39.8 billion in FY2025 on a continued-operations basis, up 5.1% in local currency.[3]
  • EY assurance revenue was US$17.9 billion in FY2025, up 3.5% in local currency.[21]
  • PwC invested US$1 billion in its Next Generation Audit platform in FY2025.[2]
  • PwC global gross revenue reached US$60.2 billion for the 12 months ended June 30, 2026, up 5.7% in US dollars.[2]
  • PwC assurance revenue rose 0.7% to US$20.5 billion in FY2026, or 2.6% after adjusting for business-structure changes.[2]
  • KPMG audit revenue reached US$14.1 billion in FY2025, up 6.0% in local currency.[3]

Differentiation in the audit industry

  • PwC assurance revenue grew 1.7% to US$19.8 billion in FY2025.[2]
  • Deloitte had 473,050 people and 97,390 new hires in FY2025, supporting its global multidisciplinary delivery model.[1]
  • 74% of PwC assurance revenue came from audit services in FY2025.[2]
  • EY AI-related revenue increased 30% year on year in FY2025.[21]
  • EY assurance employed 130,898 people in FY2025, up 2.6% from FY2024.[21]
  • PwC’s FY2025 assurance workforce numbered 126,562 people globally.[2]

Mergers and acquisitions in the audit industry

  • PwC was established in 1998 when Price Waterhouse and Coopers & Lybrand merged.[2]
  • EY-Parthenon revenue was flat in local currency in FY2025 compared with FY2024.[21]
  • KPMG’s FY2025 revenue figures excluded businesses sold or exited during the year, including RYDGE Conseil in France.[3]
  • EY-Parthenon generated US$6.2 billion in FY2025, representing the firm’s strategy and transactions business.[21]

Strategic partnerships in the audit industry

  • EY formed 20 new alliances in FY2024 and maintained an ecosystem of more than 100 alliance partners.[21]
  • EY had 119 active ecosystem relationships and alliances in FY2026, including 29 newly formed alliances.[21]
  • EY alliance-partner revenue grew at a 31% compound annual rate over the five years to FY2024.[21]
  • Deloitte reported a network of more than 150 strategic alliances in 2026.[1]
  • EY ecosystem relationships and alliances contributed 23% of overall EY revenue in FY2026, up from 20% in FY2025.[21]
  • PwC’s FY2025 global annual review identified strategic collaborations with Microsoft, Google and Icertis as alliance investments.[2]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce indicators point to tech-skill needs alongside hiring constraints, including a 11.8% accounting-firm turnover rate for 2025 and 67% concern over the breadth and depth of technology capabilities within teams.

Hiring in the audit industry

  • 47% of finance and accounting leaders said they could staff open roles but that hiring was taking longer than expected.[22]
  • 49% of audit-survey respondents said their firms were looking to hire talent with technical audit and regulatory-compliance knowledge in 2024.[14]
  • 58% of UK audit-survey respondents said their firms were looking to hire talent with technical audit and regulatory-compliance knowledge in 2024.[14]
  • 15% of finance and accounting leaders described their staffing shortage as critical, with multiple open roles they could not fill.[22]
  • 40% of US audit-survey respondents said their firms were looking to hire talent with technical audit and regulatory-compliance knowledge in 2024.[14]

Employee retention in the audit industry

  • 11.8% was the accounting-firm turnover rate reported for 2025 in Inside Public Accounting’s trends data.[23]
  • 84% of KPMG UK audit colleagues said they felt proud to work for the firm in the 2025 Global People Survey.[3]
  • 21% of chief accounting officers cited compensation as a primary retention strategy in 2025, down from 57% in 2024.[3]
  • 59% of chief accounting officers cited turnover of qualified or experienced staff as a challenge in KPMG’s 2025 survey.[3]
  • 41% of accounting-pipeline survey respondents said turnover was highest after three to five years of employment.[24]

Remote Work in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 87% of U.S. financial services employees said remote work helped them balance home and work responsibilities in 2025.[3]
  • 52.5% of workers in U.S. financial activities teleworked in June 2026, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.[25]
  • 68% of U.S. financial services workers said they would consider seeking new employment if remote and hybrid flexibility were reduced in 2023.[26]
  • Across U.S. financial services, 82% of companies offered some form of work-location flexibility in 2025.[27]

Hybrid Work in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 52% of financial services companies used a structured hybrid model in early 2024, up from 41% in March 2023.[28]
  • 54% of U.S. employees with remote-capable jobs worked in a hybrid arrangement in 2025.[29]
  • 28.7% of U.S. finance and insurance workers were in hybrid work arrangements as of September 24, 2024.[30]
  • 82% of U.S. financial services firms offered some form of work-location flexibility in July 2025.[27]
  • 42.2% of remotely workable finance and insurance jobs were hybrid in July 2025 in the United States.[27]

Upskilling in the audit industry

  • 67% of chief audit executives were most concerned about the breadth and depth of technology capabilities within their teams in Deloitte’s 2024 survey.[1]
  • 38% of organizations in KPMG’s 2026 global AI-in-finance survey were upskilling existing finance and internal-audit teams to address data-quality challenges.[3]
  • 65% of global business leaders said upskilling and reskilling was their top strategy for meeting the needs of an AI-enabled workforce in KPMG’s second-quarter 2026 survey.[3]
  • 28% of organizations in KPMG’s 2026 global AI-in-finance survey were hiring for new skills to address data-quality challenges.[3]
  • 54% of employees received upskilling training in TalentLMS’s 2024 learning-and-development research.[31]

Employee Engagement in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 12% of employees in Europe were engaged at work in 2025.[29]
  • 31% of employees in the United States and Canada were engaged at work in 2025.[29]
  • 20% of employees worldwide were engaged at work in 2025, according to Gallup’s World Poll.[29]
  • 16% of employees worldwide were actively disengaged at work in 2025.[29]

DEI in the audit industry

  • 66% of audit-partner appointments at UK firms were men in the 2025 Firm Metrics data published by the Financial Reporting Council.[32]
  • 11% of SEC audit partners were from racial or ethnic minority groups in 2023, according to research using public-company audit-partner data.[33]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Client retention and reporting behavior show measurement focus, including 38% tracking resolution time for client issues in 2025 and a 71.6% average annual audit-client retention rate among firms in the research sample.

Customer experience in the audit industry

  • 38% was the 2024 Net Promoter Score for the accounting industry, based on client likelihood to recommend their firm, in the United States.[34]
  • 43% of accounting firms reported tracking resolution time for client issues in 2025.[35]
  • 18% of accounting firms reported tracking client satisfaction scores, while 58% monitored response time, in a 2025 industry survey.[35]
  • 20% of accounting firms reported tracking the number of client touchpoints in 2025.[35]

Customer retention in the audit industry

  • 92.3% was the average client-retention rate when retiring partners left accounting firms in 2022.[36]
  • 91% to 95% was the reported client-retention range when partners left accounting firms in the 2021 survey period.[37]
  • 71.6% was the average annual audit-client retention rate among accounting firms studied in the research sample.[38]
  • 62% of accounting firms reported tracking client-retention rates in a 2025 industry survey.[35]

Customer acquisition in the audit industry

  • 58% of business decision-makers said a referral was the primary way they found their current accountant in the 2025 survey.[39]
  • 14% of surveyed accounting firms identified referrals and word-of-mouth recommendations as their strongest client-acquisition driver.[40]
  • 29% of high-growth accounting firms rated their digital presence very or extremely effective for expanding their client base.[41]

Customer loyalty in the audit industry

  • 14% of surveyed organizations reported switching auditing firms within the previous two years.[42]
  • 71% of surveyed organizations reported maintaining their relationship with their auditing firm beyond the initial five-year period.[42]
  • 71% of accounting-firm respondents said seamless technology-enabled client interactions are key to client retention.[40]
  • 76% of accounting firms placed high importance on building personal relationships as a client-retention strategy.[40]

Lead generation in the audit industry

  • 11% of firms offering client accounting services cited influencer or social-media marketing as a chief source of new business.[43]
  • 48% of firms offering client accounting services cited their website as a chief source of new business.[43]
  • 62% of high-growth accounting firms used websites as a marketing channel for client acquisition.[41]
  • 48% of firms offering client accounting services cited proactively seeking referrals as a chief source of new business.[43]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Brand and acquisition signals include Deloitte’s 32.6% share of global accounting-firm searches in the 11 months ending September 2026 and a 38% social-media usage share among high-growth accounting firms.

Marketing in the audit industry

  • 89% of CPA-firm marketing professionals assisted with researching new-business prospects in the survey.[44]
  • 78% of CPA-firm marketing professionals assisted partners and managers with strategy for new-business prospects.[44]
  • 74% of CPA-firm marketing professionals assisted with identifying new-business prospects.[44]
  • 78% of CPA-firm marketing professionals helped edit new-business proposals.[44]

Digital marketing in the audit industry

  • 62% of high-growth accounting firms used websites for marketing and client acquisition.[41]
  • 44% of high-growth accounting firms used social media for marketing and client acquisition.[41]
  • 59.4% of accounting and financial-services firms identified their firm website as a marketing or business-development technique in the 2021 survey.[45]

Branding in the audit industry

  • 32.6% was Deloitte’s share of global accounting-firm searches in the 11 months ending September 2026.[46]
  • £21.4 billion was EY’s 2023 brand value, ranking it second among global professional-services brands.[47]
  • 21.7% was KPMG’s share of global accounting-firm searches in the 11 months ending September 2026.[46]
  • Three of the four UK Big Four accounting firms appeared in Brand Finance’s 2023 global top-ten professional-services brand ranking.[47]

Social media in the audit industry

  • 4% of firms in the 2025 accounting marketing benchmark identified social media as a growth channel in the reported channel mix.[48]
  • 44% of high-growth accounting firms used social media as a marketing channel for client acquisition.[41]
  • 10% of business decision-makers said social media was the primary method by which they found their current accountant.[39]

Influencer Marketing in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • 5% of financial-services marketers reported dedicated but shrinking budgets for creator or influencer marketing in 2026.[49]
  • 60% of financial-services marketers reported dedicated and growing budgets for creator or influencer marketing in 2026.[49]
  • 7% of financial-services marketers reported folding creator or influencer marketing into other channels rather than maintaining a dedicated budget in 2026.[49]
  • 37% of banking executives in a survey of 102 finance respondents recognized influencer marketing as a potent tool for authentic consumer connections in 2023.[50]
  • 23% of financial-services marketers reported dedicated but flat budgets for creator or influencer marketing in 2026.[49]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Execution metrics include hiring and coverage scale, such as 160,000 audit engagements globally covered by EY’s assurance technology capabilities and 130,898 people in EY assurance in FY2025.

Process optimization in the audit industry

  • 2,350 audit professionals were hired from US college and university campuses by EY in fiscal 2025.[21]
  • 31% was the increase in applications for entry-level audit jobs at EY US in fiscal 2025, helping the firm meet its fiscal 2026 hiring goal earlier.[21]
  • 1,500 interns attended EY’s Future Leaders Summit for fiscal 2026 audit recruiting and development.[21]
  • 2,450 audit interns worked on EY US audits during fiscal 2025.[21]
  • 160,000 audit engagements globally are covered by EY’s assurance technology capabilities, supported by more than 130,000 EY Assurance professionals in FY2025.[21]

Operational efficiency in the audit industry

  • 5.8% was Deloitte UK’s year-over-year increase in employees and partners in FY2025.[1]
  • 100% of partners and staff completed mandatory assurance training at PwC Isle of Man for the 2024 training year.[2]
  • 13,804 EY US audit professionals comprised 1,443 partners and managing directors, 3,357 managers and senior managers, and 9,004 seniors and staff in fiscal 2025.[21]
  • 276,000-plus partners and employees worked across KPMG member firms in more than 138 countries and territories in FY2025.[3]
  • 126,562 people worked in PwC member-firm assurance practices globally in 2025.[2]

Quality management in the audit industry

  • 39% was the overall PCAOB Part I.A deficiency rate in 2024 inspections, down from 46% in 2023.[51]
  • 18% of inspected public-interest-entity audits had client-risk-assessment, acceptance or continuance findings in IFIAR’s 2024 survey.[52]
  • 16% was PwC’s PCAOB Part I.A deficiency rate in 2024 inspections.[51]
  • 28% was EY’s PCAOB Part I.A deficiency rate in 2024 inspections.[51]
  • 35% of inspected public-interest-entity audits had engagement-performance findings in IFIAR’s 2024 survey.[52]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the financial services sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among significant European banks, outsourcing services accounted for 7.2% of administrative expenses at year-end 2023, up from 6.8%.[17]
  • Across surveyed finance organizations, 64% were implementing or evaluating offshoring or nearshoring for finance operations in 2026, while 36% planned to remain fully U.S.-based.[53]
  • Among U.S. banks surveyed, 57% had considered outsourcing information technology departments in 2024, the highest share among listed departments.[54]
  • Among significant European banks, 27% of critical ICT contracts were outsourced to external providers located outside the European Union in the 2024 analysis.[17]
  • Across surveyed finance organizations, 17% were evaluating nearshore locations for future operations in 2026, compared with 13% evaluating offshore locations.[53]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Pricing and investment are explicit, with US$3.36 million average total audit fee per US public company in fiscal 2025 and US$1 billion PwC planned investment in its Next Generation Audit platform.

Pricing strategy in the audit industry

  • 74% of PwC’s global assurance revenue came from audit services in FY2025.[2]
  • 95 S&P 500 finance, accounting, governance and audit professionals responded to the FEI audit-fee and audit-trends survey.[55]
  • US$3.36 million was the average total audit fee per US public company in fiscal 2025, up from US$3.14 million in fiscal 2024.[56]
  • US$4.1 million was the average audit fee paid by finance-industry companies in the United States in the long-term audit-fee review.[56]
  • 67% of finance executives surveyed were not considering changing audit firms.[55]

Cost reduction in the audit industry

  • 1 financial-statement restatement involving a public-interest-entity audit due to material error was reported by PwC Isle of Man in FY2025.[2]
  • US$1 billion is PwC’s planned investment in its Next Generation Audit platform, intended to transform assurance delivery through AI, automation and cloud-enabled processes.[2]
  • 100% of engagement compliance reviews at PwC Isle of Man were compliant in the most recent review cycle, with eight compliant reviews and none non-compliant.[2]
  • 8,305 hours of professional-exam training were provided by PwC Isle of Man in FY2025.[2]
  • 7,342 hours of training were delivered by PwC Isle of Man in FY2025 for assurance personnel.[2]

Profitability in the audit industry

  • CHF278.4 million was KPMG Switzerland’s audit revenue in financial year 2025, up 4.7%.[57]
  • £1.051 million was Deloitte UK’s average profit per equity partner in FY2025, up 4% year over year.[1]
  • US$17.9 billion was EY’s global assurance revenue in fiscal 2025.[21]
  • US$53.2 billion was EY’s combined global revenue for fiscal 2025.[21]
  • £789 million was Deloitte UK’s distributable profit in FY2025, up 4% year over year.[1]

Financial planning in the audit industry

  • US$12.7 billion was EY’s global tax and legal revenue in fiscal 2025.[21]
  • US$16.4 billion was EY’s global consulting revenue in fiscal 2025.[21]
  • CHF744.7 million was KPMG Switzerland’s total gross revenue in financial year 2025, up 4.9%.[57]
  • US$19.5 billion was PwC assurance revenue in FY2024, up from US$18.7 billion in FY2023.[2]
  • £1.78 billion was Deloitte UK’s total tax contribution in FY2025, including taxes collected and taxes borne by the firm and its members.[1]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Audit technology considerations show up across the lifecycle, with 46% of audit firms considering software or digital tools during execution and fieldwork in 2024.

Product development in the audit industry

  • 100% of surveyed audit leaders in North America reported using AI for research activities.[58]
  • 43% of U.S. finance leaders said their audit firms used AI strategically for predictive trend analytics in 2025.[59]
  • 93% of U.S. finance leaders said their audit firm’s technology was progressive in 2025, up from 89% in 2024.[59]
  • 50% of U.S. finance leaders said their audit firms used AI strategically for automated data entry in 2025.[59]
  • 61% of U.S. finance leaders said their audit firms used AI strategically for data management and transformation in 2025.[59]

Product lifecycle in the audit industry

  • 24% of audit firms surveyed globally were considering software or digital tools during reporting and wrap-up in 2024.[14]
  • 29% of audit firms surveyed globally, in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, were considering software or digital tools during pre-engagement in 2024.[14]
  • 46% of audit firms surveyed globally were considering software or digital tools during execution and fieldwork in 2024.[14]
  • 56% of U.S. audit firms surveyed were considering software or digital tools during execution and fieldwork in 2024.[14]
  • 32% of audit firms surveyed globally had no plans to add software or digital tools to the audit lifecycle in 2024.[14]

Value proposition in the audit industry

  • 63% of U.S. finance leaders cited more efficient processes and collaboration as a benefit sought from audit technology in 2025.[59]
  • 63% of U.S. finance leaders said advanced audit technology enhanced trust among them and their key stakeholders in 2024.[60]
  • 45.1% of surveyed U.S. businesses said auditors’ use of technology could add more value to the audit.[61]
  • 47% of U.S. finance leaders said audit technology delivered deeper insight into their business in 2025.[59]
  • 87% of U.S. audit clients said they wanted more options around audit pricing.[61]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Ethics and assurance outcomes are tracked alongside energy use, including 97% of audit-firm ESG engagements resulting in limited-assurance reports in 2023.

Sustainability in the audit industry

  • 95% of Deloitte’s purchased electricity came from renewable sources globally in FY2025.[1]
  • 51,701 MWh of electricity was consumed by KPMG U.S. in FY2024.[3]
  • 341,000 MWh of total energy was consumed by EY globally in FY2025.[21]
  • 65% of Deloitte’s vehicle fleet was electric or hybrid electric globally in FY2025.[1]
  • 100% of KPMG U.S. office electricity was covered by renewable-energy certificates in FY2024, compared with 99.7% in FY2023.[3]

ESG in the audit industry

  • 95% of S&P 500 companies obtaining ESG assurance from a public-company auditor in 2022 used the same firm as their financial-statement auditor.[62]
  • 97% of audit-firm ESG engagements resulted in limited-assurance reports in 2023, while 3% resulted in reasonable assurance.[63]
  • 98% of S&P 500 companies reported ESG information for 2022, according to the Center for Audit Quality’s analysis of assurance activity by public-company auditors.[62]
  • 90% of S&P 500 companies obtaining ESG assurance from a public-company auditor used the same financial-statement auditor in 2021.[62]
  • 28% of U.S. sustainability-assurance engagements were provided by audit firms in 2023, compared with 23% in 2022.[63]

Ethics in the audit industry

  • 11% of charges in 47 Canadian auditor-discipline cases from 2004–2013 concerned ethical issues.[38]
  • 12% of PCAOB enforcement actions in 2022 alleged ethics or independence violations.[64]
  • 68% of Canadian auditor-discipline cases examined involved financial-statement audits alone or combined with lower-assurance engagements.[38]
  • Approximately 40% of PCAOB auditing actions in 2024 involved alleged ethics and independence violations.[65]
  • 24% of PCAOB enforcement actions in 2023 alleged ethics or independence violations.[64]

CSR in the audit industry

  • 20 million people were reached by Deloitte’s societal-impact programs during FY2025.[1]
  • $434 million was Deloitte’s cumulative societal investment from FY2018 through FY2025.[1]
  • 101 million lives had been reached by Deloitte’s societal-impact programs from FY2018 through FY2025.[1]
  • 4.9% was Deloitte’s aggregate global revenue growth in FY2025.[1]
  • $70.5 billion was Deloitte’s aggregate global revenue in FY2025, the base used in its global impact reporting.[1]

Carbon footprint in the audit industry

  • 605,000 tonnes of EY’s FY2023 emissions came from Scope 3 sources.[21]
  • 6,000 metric tonnes of carbon offsets were retired by KPMG U.S. in FY2024.[3]
  • 2.4 tonnes of market-based emissions per full-time-equivalent employee were reported by EY for FY2025.[21]
  • 777,000 tonnes of location-based greenhouse-gas emissions were reported by EY globally in FY2023.[21]
  • 35% was Deloitte’s reduction in total greenhouse-gas emissions per full-time equivalent between FY2019 and FY2024.[1]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Delivery footprints stay large, including PwC network operations across 136 countries in FY2025 and EY teams serving more than 150 countries and territories in FY2025.

Globalization in the audit industry

  • More than 150 countries and territories were served by EY teams in FY2025.[21]
  • More than 4,000 EY people participated in international assignments across 1,200 home-and-host city combinations during FY2025.[21]
  • KPMG’s FY2025 global revenue was US$39.8 billion on a continued-operations basis, with US$15.9 billion from the Americas, US$17.7 billion from EMA and US$6.2 billion from Asia Pacific.[3]
  • 136 countries hosted PwC network operations in FY2025, spanning 636 cities worldwide.[2]
  • KPMG’s FY2025 headcount reached 276,030 people, including 158,472 in EMA, 61,942 in the Americas and 55,616 in Asia Pacific.[3]

Cultural adaptation in the audit industry

  • 44% of KPMG Switzerland and Liechtenstein employees were women in 2025.[57]
  • 45 annual training hours per individual were delivered by Deloitte in FY2025.[1]
  • 64 nationalities were represented among KPMG Switzerland and Liechtenstein employees in 2025.[57]
  • 49.3% of KPMG’s 276,030 global employees were women at September 30, 2025, compared with 24.3% of partners.[3]
  • Deloitte delivered 21 million formal training hours to its people in FY2025.[1]

Supplier management in the audit industry

  • Deloitte reduced scope 3 business-travel emissions per full-time equivalent by 53% in FY2025 versus its 2019 base year.[1]
  • 32% of Deloitte suppliers had science-based targets in FY2025, against a stated goal of 67% by 2025.[1]
  • Deloitte purchased 19,140 tonnes of Sustainable Aviation Fuel certificates in FY2025.[1]
  • Deloitte purchased 95% renewable electricity in FY2025.[1]

Stakeholder management in the audit industry

  • 82% of Fortune Global 500 companies were PwC clients in FY2025.[2]
  • Deloitte employees contributed 2.4 million volunteering and pro-bono hours through FY2025.[1]
  • 175,004 clients were served by the PwC network in FY2025.[2]
  • 101 million lives were reached through Deloitte societal programs from FY2018 through FY2025.[1]
  • Deloitte received 7.71 million job applications and made 97,390 new hires in FY2025.[1]

Distribution channels in the audit industry

  • EY teams provided services in more than 150 countries and territories in FY2025.[21]
  • 636 cities across 136 countries formed PwC’s global delivery footprint in FY2025.[2]
  • PwC employed 144,660 people in EMEA, 136,815 in Asia Pacific and 83,307 in the Americas in FY2025.[2]
  • KPMG employed 158,472 people in EMA, 61,942 in the Americas and 55,616 in Asia Pacific at September 30, 2025.[3]
  • KPMG member firms operated in 138 countries and territories in FY2025.[3]

Key questions about the Audit Industry

How large is the global auditing services market in 2025?
The global auditing services market was valued at $233.95 billion in 2025.
What is the expected growth rate for the global auditing services market?
The global market is projected to grow from $243.90 billion in 2026 to $338.28 billion in 2034, at a 4.20% CAGR.
Which companies lead the audit industry?
EY leads Gitnux's 2026 audit ranking with an Overall score of 9.0, with FY2025 Assurance revenue of US$17.9 billion. Deloitte is the runner-up at 8.9, with FY2026 global revenue of US$74.5 billion.
Where are audit technology and analytics usage most visible in 2024?
In 2024, 57% of internal audit departments used data analytics for some audits and 32% used AI for risk assessment.
How concentrated is global accounting-services revenue and audit coverage in the U.S.?
The top four accounted for 34% of global accounting-services revenue in 2024, and Big Four audited approximately 89.5% of U.S. large accelerated filers in 2024.
What regulation and quality-control timelines matter in late 2026?
The PCAOB adopted amendments to QC 1000 on September 9, 2026, approved by the SEC on November 2, 2026, with an effective date of December 15, 2026.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Karl Becker. (2026, February 13). Audit Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/audit-industry-statistics
MLA
Karl Becker. "Audit Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/audit-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Karl Becker. 2026. "Audit Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/audit-industry-statistics.

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