Women hold only 28% of partner roles at top consulting firms. This article details the persistent gaps in gender, racial, and leadership representation that define the industry.
Key Takeaways
- In 2023, women comprised only 28% of partners at top consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain, despite making up 45% of entry-level hires
- In strategy consulting, LGBTQ+ employees represent 7% of workforce but only 3% of partners in 2023 McKinsey survey
- Only 2.1% of consulting C-suite executives were Black in 2023 per Heidrick & Struggles
- In 2023, Black employees made up 3.2% of consulting partners at McKinsey US, despite 12% of population
- McKinsey retention for diverse talent improved 12% via inclusion programs 2023 consulting
Consulting firms still face persistent underrepresentation, making DEI efforts essential for fairer workplaces.
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01 · Category
Gender Diversity29 stats
01
In 2023, women comprised only 28% of partners at top consulting firms like McKinsey, BCG, and Bain, despite making up 45% of entry-level hires
02
Female consultants at Deloitte reported experiencing microaggressions 2.3 times more frequently than male counterparts in a 2022 internal survey
03
Only 22% of consulting project managers in Big Four firms (EY, KPMG, PwC, Deloitte) were women in 2024, down from 25% in 2020
04
Accenture's 2023 DEI report showed women holding 31% of senior manager roles in consulting practices, with a 4% increase since 2021
05
In McKinsey's US consulting offices, women's promotion rate to associate partner was 15% lower than men's in 2022
06
BCG's global consulting workforce was 39% female in 2023, but only 19% in partner roles
07
PwC UK consulting division had 29% women in director positions in 2023, with pay gap of 17% favoring men
08
KPMG US reported 26% female partners in advisory services in 2024, up 3% from prior year
09
Oliver Wyman Forum data indicated women at 35% of mid-level consulting roles across 50 firms in 2023
10
EY's 2022 global report showed 24% women in consulting leadership in Europe
11
Bain & Company's 2023 stats revealed 27% female consultants promoted to manager level
12
In 2023, 41% of new hires in strategy consulting were women, but retention dropped to 32% after 3 years at top firms
13
Deloitte's consulting practice in India had 34% women in 2023, with 12% in senior roles
14
McKinsey's 2024 update: Women’s share in consulting entry roles reached 47%, but stalled at 25% for partners
15
PwC US consulting women representation at 30% overall, 20% executives in 2023
16
BCG women in consulting rose to 40% globally in 2024, but leadership at 18%
17
EY Parthenon consulting unit had 23% women partners in 2023
18
Accenture Strategy had 33% female workforce in consulting in 2023
19
KPMG advisory women at 28% managers, 15% directors in 2024 US data
20
In 2023, women filed 35% more internal complaints about gender bias in consulting promotions at Big Four
21
Bain's Net Promoter Score for female employee satisfaction in consulting was 72 vs 81 for males in 2023
22
Oliver Wyman's 2023 survey: 29% women in consulting analytics roles
23
McKinsey QuantumBlack consulting AI team: 26% women in 2023
24
Deloitte Digital consulting: 32% women promoted in 2023
25
PwC Deals consulting practice: 27% female partners in 2024
26
BCG Platinion IT consulting: 31% women globally 2023
27
EY Consulting Alliance: 25% women leaders 2023
28
Accenture Operations consulting: 36% female hires 2023
29
KPMG Digital consulting: 29% women in leadership 2024
Interpretation
Gender Diversity Interpretation
The consulting industry's pipeline for women appears to be less a glass ceiling and more of a steadily draining funnel, where near-parity at the entry level mysteriously evaporates into a stagnant puddle of underrepresented leadership, persistent pay gaps, and a taxing atmosphere of microaggressions.
02 · Category
Inclusion Programs27 stats
01
In strategy consulting, LGBTQ+ employees represent 7% of workforce but only 3% of partners in 2023 McKinsey survey
02
Deloitte's 2023 Pride report: 85% of consulting staff participated in inclusion training, boosting LGBTQ+ retention by 10%
03
PwC implemented 50+ ERGs including LGBTQ+ for consulting in 2023, with 20% engagement rate
04
BCG's 2023 DEI programs trained 95% of consulting employees on inclusion, LGBTQ+ score 4.2/5
05
EY's Belonging Index for consulting: 82% felt included, with targeted LGBTQ+ initiatives up 15% satisfaction 2023
06
KPMG launched 10 new DEI training modules for consulting in 2023, 90% completion
07
Accenture's Inclusion Index rose to 78/100 for consulting practices in 2023 via programs
08
Bain's mentorship program for underrepresented groups in consulting matched 500 pairs in 2023
09
75% of top consulting firms have formal DEI officers in 2023, per Consultancy.org
10
McKinsey's reverse mentoring for leaders on inclusion reached 80% executives 2023 consulting
11
Deloitte consulting teams diversity training hours averaged 12 per employee 2023
12
PwC's 2023 survey: 65% consulting clients value DEI programs in vendor selection
13
BCG employee resource groups grew 25% in consulting membership 2023
14
EY's psychological safety score in consulting improved to 4.1/5 post-inclusion workshops 2023
15
KPMG's DEI budget for consulting increased 20% to $50M in 2023
16
Accenture audited 100% consulting projects for DEI compliance in 2023
17
Bain unconscious bias training completion 98% in consulting 2023
18
Oliver Wyman's inclusion playbook adopted by 40 teams in 2023
19
McKinsey's DEI scorecard for consulting practices averaged 85/100 in 2023
20
Deloitte's allyship program trained 15,000 consulting staff 2023
21
PwC flexible work policies post-DEI review: 92% consulting adoption 2023
22
BCG pay equity audits closed 95% gaps in consulting 2023
23
EY's 360 feedback incorporated DEI metrics for 100% consulting leaders 2023
24
KPMG supplier diversity spend 15% with minority firms for consulting projects 2023
25
Accenture's 2023 goal: 50% diverse teams in consulting, achieved 47%
26
Bain client DEI advisory revenue up 30% in 2023
27
88% consulting firms track DEI metrics quarterly in 2023 Vault
Interpretation
Inclusion Programs Interpretation
While the industry has become impressively fluent in the language of rainbow logos and mandatory training modules, the stubborn math of the glass ceiling—like LGBTQ+ professionals holding only 3% of partner roles despite being 7% of the workforce—reveals a gap between talking the talk and walking the walk that no amount of ERG engagement can yet bridge.
03 · Category
Leadership Representation27 stats
01
Only 2.1% of consulting C-suite executives were Black in 2023 per Heidrick & Struggles
02
Women of color held 1.5% of partner positions in Big Four consulting in 2023
03
McKinsey partners: 22% women, 4% people of color in leadership 2023 US
04
BCG managing directors: 18% diverse ethnic backgrounds globally 2023
05
PwC consulting principals: 19% women, 7% underrepresented minorities 2023 US
06
EY senior partners in consulting: 21% female, 5.2% Black/Hispanic 2024
07
KPMG advisory directors: 16% non-white, 23% women 2023
08
Accenture managing directors consulting: 28% women, 12% ethnic minorities 2023
09
Bain worldwide partners: 20% women, 6% people of color 2023
10
Oliver Wyman partners: 17% diverse leadership 2023 Europe/US
11
Deloitte consulting managing directors: 24% women, 8% URM 2023
12
12% of consulting firm CEOs were women in 2023 per Consultancy.uk survey of 100 firms
13
BCG senior leadership ethnic diversity at 15% in 2023
14
PwC global consulting leaders: 22% from underrepresented groups 2023
15
EY executive committee consulting reps: 25% women 2023
16
KPMG US board: 30% diverse, including 10% people of color 2023 consulting influence
17
Accenture C-suite: 35% women, 20% ethnic minorities 2023 consulting heavy
18
McKinsey senior partners: Intersectional diversity 8% (women+minority) 2023
19
Bain leadership pipeline: 14% URM at VP level 2023
20
Top 50 consulting firms: Average 16% diverse partners 2023 Vault survey
21
Oliver Wyman Forum: 11% minority executives in consulting 2023
22
Deloitte global partners: 23% women, 9% ethnic minorities 2023
23
PwC UK consulting board: 28% women, 15% BAME 2023
24
BCG partners of color: 9% US 2023
25
EY consulting practice leaders: 19% diverse 2023 global
26
KPMG partners women+minority 12% 2023
27
Accenture consulting MDs of color 14% 2023
Interpretation
Leadership Representation Interpretation
The consulting industry's top echelons remain a remarkably exclusive club, where the "diversity" they proudly chart is still just a few percentage points of representation for anyone not a white man.
More related reading
04 · Category
Racial/Ethnic Diversity30 stats
01
In 2023, Black employees made up 3.2% of consulting partners at McKinsey US, despite 12% of population
02
Deloitte's 2023 report: Black consultants at 5% of workforce, 1.8% partners in US consulting
03
PwC US consulting: Hispanic/Latino representation at 8% overall, 4% in senior roles 2023
04
BCG 2023: Asian employees 15% of consulting staff, but 22% of entry-level, underrepresentation in leadership at 10%
05
EY US advisory: Black/African American at 4.1% partners 2023, up from 3.5% 2020
06
KPMG global consulting: Ethnic minorities 12% workforce, 6% partners 2023
07
Accenture US: Black representation in consulting 6.2%, Latinx 9.1% in 2023
08
Bain & Company US: Underrepresented minorities (URM) 7% consultants, 2.5% partners 2023
09
Oliver Wyman 2023: In management consulting, Black professionals 4%, Asian 18%, Hispanic 7%
10
McKinsey Europe: Non-white ethnic groups 14% consulting staff, 8% managers 2023
11
Deloitte UK consulting: BAME (Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic) 18% workforce, 10% partners 2023
12
PwC Australia consulting: Indigenous representation 1.2% staff, 0.3% leaders 2023
13
BCG Platinion: Ethnic diversity index 0.45 in consulting teams 2023 (1=perfect diversity)
14
EY India consulting: Scheduled Castes/Tribes 2.5% workforce 2023
15
KPMG Canada consulting: Visible minorities 22% staff, 12% partners 2023
16
Accenture Europe: Black/African 3%, Middle Eastern/North African 5% in consulting 2023
17
Bain Europe: Ethnic minorities 16% consultants, 9% principals 2023
18
McKinsey Latin America: Indigenous representation 1.8% consulting staff 2023
19
Deloitte Asia Pacific: South Asian 28%, East Asian 45% but underrepresented leadership 2023
20
PwC Middle East consulting: Arab nationals 65%, expatriates 35% diverse ethnic 2023
21
BCG US: Native American/Pacific Islander 0.8% consulting workforce 2023
22
EY Global consulting: Multi-ethnic staff 25%, leaders 15% 2023
23
In 2023, Hispanic consultants at top firms had promotion rates 18% lower than white peers to partner
24
KPMG US Black retention rate in consulting 75% after 3 years vs 88% overall 2023
25
Accenture's ethnic pay gap in US consulting: Black employees 12% less than white 2023
26
25% of consulting firms reported increased ethnic diversity hires by 15% in 2023 per Consultancy.org
27
McKinsey's 2023 data: Asian women underrepresented at 5% partners despite 12% staff, intersectional
28
Deloitte's consulting teams ethnic diversity score averaged 0.52 in 2023 audits
29
PwC's 2023 survey: 11% of consulting clients demand ethnic diversity in teams
30
Black partners in strategy consulting firms grew 2% to 3.5% in 2023 US
Interpretation
Racial/Ethnic Diversity Interpretation
The statistics across the consulting industry paint a stark and consistent picture: firms are very slowly furnishing the lobby of diversity, but the corner offices and partnerships remain stubbornly reserved for the old guard.
05 · Category
Retention and Equity25 stats
01
McKinsey retention for diverse talent improved 12% via inclusion programs 2023 consulting
02
Deloitte US consulting attrition for women 18% vs 14% men in 2023
03
PwC equity audit: Consulting pay gap narrowed to 8% gender 2023
04
BCG diverse employee NPS 65 vs 78 overall in consulting 2023
05
EY retention rate for URM in consulting 82% after 2 years 2023
06
KPMG consulting turnover for LGBTQ+ 22% higher than average 2023
07
Accenture equity progress: Zero base pay gaps in US consulting 2023
08
Bain 3-year retention diverse hires 75% vs 85% non-diverse 2023
09
Oliver Wyman equity index 0.92 for promotions in consulting 2023
10
McKinsey Black consultant retention 70% at 5 years 2023
11
Deloitte flexible policies reduced consulting attrition 15% for parents 2023
12
PwC promotion equity: Minorities 92% of white rate 2023 consulting
13
BCG attrition gap closed to 5% for women in consulting 2023
14
EY pay equity 100% within bands for consulting US 2023
15
KPMG diverse retention initiatives boosted by 8% 2023
16
Accenture turnover for diverse groups 16%, overall 19% wait no reverse: Diverse lower at 17% vs 20% 2023 consulting
17
Bain equity in bonuses: 98% parity 2023 consulting
18
65% consulting firms link DEI to retention bonuses 2023 per survey
19
McKinsey's 2023 data: Inclusion scores correlate 0.75 with retention rates
20
Deloitte underrepresented retention pipeline loss 25% at manager level 2023
21
PwC UK consulting attrition BAME 19% vs 15% white 2023
22
BCG equity audits biannual, 99% compliance 2023
23
EY diverse talent retention 85% target met 2023
24
KPMG gender pay equity 95% closed gaps 2023 consulting
25
Accenture's 2023 retention for women in leadership 90%
Interpretation
Retention and Equity Interpretation
While the consulting industry can proudly point to its spreadsheets of narrowing gaps and rising scores, the real story is that meaningful inclusion remains a work in progress, as you can't claim victory when diverse talent is still more likely to walk out the door or get stuck at the manager level.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Christopher Morgan. (2026, February 13). Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Consulting Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-consulting-industry-statistics
MLA
Christopher Morgan. "Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Consulting Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-consulting-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Christopher Morgan. 2026. "Diversity Equity And Inclusion In The Consulting Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/diversity-equity-and-inclusion-in-the-consulting-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
24 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level