Without reinforcement, people forget 80% of new information within a day. At the same time, 42% of employees say workplace information is difficult to locate. These statistics reveal the dual challenge of modern training.
Key Takeaways
- 42% of employees say information is hard to find at work
- 80% of what people learn is forgotten within 24 hours without reinforcement (Ebbinghaus forgetting curve)
- 63% of information is retained after 20 minutes when no effort is made to retain it (Ebbinghaus forgetting curve relationship, widely cited)
- A meta-analysis found that retrieval practice improves long-term retention with an average effect size of g≈0.78
- The global corporate learning management system (LMS) market was valued at $21.2 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $44.3 billion by 2030
- The global knowledge management software market is projected to grow from $12.3 billion in 2024 to $23.4 billion by 2030
- The global e-learning market is expected to reach $404.1 billion by 2026 (from $180.0 billion in 2020)
- On average, employees retain 25% to 60% more material when training is delivered via e-learning rather than traditional methods
- Companies using learning and development platforms report 10% higher employee productivity on average (vendor research survey result)
- A 2016 meta-analysis found that workplace training programs produce average effect sizes corresponding to meaningful improvements in job performance
- The WHO estimates that over 10% of the world’s population has a hearing loss in one ear (hearing impairment affects training comprehension and retention for a subset of workers)
- The WEF estimates that 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted by 2022 (impacts retention needs as knowledge refresh cycles accelerate)
- McKinsey reports that 30% of US work activities could be automated with current technology (increasing the need for retention of changing task knowledge)
- 56% of organizations report using learning analytics (e.g., tracking engagement and assessment results) to evaluate training effectiveness
- 1.5x average improvement in assessment scores after implementing spaced and retrieval-based study methods (compared with traditional approaches) in a 2022 workplace training evaluation study
Retrieval and spaced learning beat forgetting, boosting long term retention and productivity for teams.
Related reading
01 · Category
Workforce Behavior1 stats
01
42% of employees say information is hard to find at work
Interpretation
Workforce Behavior Interpretation
Within workforce behavior, 42% of employees say information is hard to find at work, suggesting that everyday access to knowledge is a major friction point that can slow decisions and reduce productivity.
02 · Category
Learning & Memory12 stats
01
80% of what people learn is forgotten within 24 hours without reinforcement (Ebbinghaus forgetting curve)
02
63% of information is retained after 20 minutes when no effort is made to retain it (Ebbinghaus forgetting curve relationship, widely cited)
03
A meta-analysis found that retrieval practice improves long-term retention with an average effect size of g≈0.78
04
Spacing practice produces better retention than massed practice, with a typical benefit captured as effect sizes across studies in the range of small-to-moderate (reported in a review)
05
Interleaving practice improves learning outcomes compared with blocked practice in multiple domains, as shown in a review
06
The testing effect (retrieval practice) has been observed to improve performance by approximately 10–30% in many classroom learning experiments (reviewed evidence)
07
Recognition memory is typically higher than recall; in one classic study, recall performance is lower than recognition across delays
08
Working memory capacity predicts learning outcomes; in a meta-analysis, working memory relates to fluid intelligence with r≈0.60
09
Sleep improves memory consolidation; a meta-analysis reported that sleep-related memory benefits are significant with an overall effect (Hedges g) reported in the study
10
Dual coding (combining words and images) increases recall; a review reports improved learning outcomes for dual coding relative to verbal-only conditions
11
Elaboration (explaining and linking new information to existing knowledge) improves retention, as supported by educational psychology meta-analyses (effect sizes summarized in the review)
12
In a randomized trial, adding retrieval practice improved retention compared with restudy-only control over a 1-week delay
Interpretation
Learning & Memory Interpretation
In Learning and Memory, people forget quickly without reinforcement, with about 80% gone after 24 hours, but strategies like retrieval practice can sharply improve long-term retention, producing roughly a g≈0.78 effect size and boosting classroom performance by about 10–30%.
03 · Category
Market Size8 stats
01
The global corporate learning management system (LMS) market was valued at $21.2 billion in 2023 and is projected to reach $44.3 billion by 2030
02
The global knowledge management software market is projected to grow from $12.3 billion in 2024 to $23.4 billion by 2030
03
The global e-learning market is expected to reach $404.1 billion by 2026 (from $180.0 billion in 2020)
04
The global HR software market is projected to reach $77.9 billion by 2028
05
The global talent management software market was $8.5 billion in 2023 and is forecast to reach $16.1 billion by 2028
06
The global corporate training outsourcing market was valued at $333.1 billion in 2023
07
The global enterprise content management market size is forecast to reach $52.4 billion by 2028
08
The global business process management (BPM) software market is forecast to reach $9.8 billion by 2028
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
Market size signals rapid expansion for tools and services tied to knowledge retention, with the global corporate LMS market projected to grow from $21.2 billion in 2023 to $44.3 billion and the global e learning market expected to rise to $404.1 billion by 2026 from $180.0 billion in 2020.
04 · Category
Performance & Roi4 stats
01
On average, employees retain 25% to 60% more material when training is delivered via e-learning rather than traditional methods
02
Companies using learning and development platforms report 10% higher employee productivity on average (vendor research survey result)
03
A 2016 meta-analysis found that workplace training programs produce average effect sizes corresponding to meaningful improvements in job performance
04
In a longitudinal study, effective knowledge management practices are associated with higher organizational performance (reported correlation coefficients in the study)
Interpretation
Performance & Roi Interpretation
For the Performance and ROI category, the data suggests that companies can meaningfully boost results when they invest in digital learning and strong knowledge management practices, including retaining 25% to 60% more material with e-learning and seeing about 10% higher productivity with learning and development platforms.
More related reading
05 · Category
Industry Trends8 stats
01
The WHO estimates that over 10% of the world’s population has a hearing loss in one ear (hearing impairment affects training comprehension and retention for a subset of workers)
02
The WEF estimates that 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted by 2022 (impacts retention needs as knowledge refresh cycles accelerate)
03
McKinsey reports that 30% of US work activities could be automated with current technology (increasing the need for retention of changing task knowledge)
04
Gartner forecasts that by 2024, 75% of large organizations will use AI to assist with business process automation (changing knowledge requirements and tool mastery)
05
NIST’s AI Risk Management Framework (AI RMF 1.0) was released in January 2023 to help organizations manage risks; training content must be retained and applied consistently under new AI governance
06
In the US, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports average tenure is 4.1 years (job changes affect organizational knowledge retention)
07
In 2023, the US quit rate was 2.4% (higher churn can increase knowledge loss risk)
08
61% of organizations report that skills required for their roles change at least annually, increasing the need for ongoing knowledge retention and refresh cycles
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends show knowledge retention is becoming more urgent as rapid change accelerates, with the WHO estimating over 10% of the world’s population has hearing loss and the WEF projecting 44% of workers’ skills will be disrupted by 2022.
06 · Category
Performance Metrics2 stats
01
56% of organizations report using learning analytics (e.g., tracking engagement and assessment results) to evaluate training effectiveness
02
1.5x average improvement in assessment scores after implementing spaced and retrieval-based study methods (compared with traditional approaches) in a 2022 workplace training evaluation study
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
For the performance metrics angle, organizations that use learning analytics and apply spaced and retrieval-based study methods are seeing measurable impact, with 56% tracking training effectiveness and average assessment scores improving by 1.5 times.
07 · Category
Workplace Practices2 stats
01
64% of frontline workers report that hands-on practice and coaching improve their ability to remember safety steps during incidents
02
71% of employees state they prefer short learning bursts they can revisit, supporting repeated exposure strategies that improve retention
Interpretation
Workplace Practices Interpretation
Within workplace practices, the evidence points to repeated reinforcement being key, with 64% of frontline workers saying hands-on practice and coaching boost their memory of safety steps and 71% preferring short learning bursts they can revisit.
report visual · Key figures
Knowledge retention drops fast—then improves with reinforcement and retrieval practice
Retention declines sharply within the first day without reinforcement, while strategies like retrieval practice and supportive learning methods help improve what people retain over time.
80%
80% of what people learn is forgotten within 24 hours without reinforcement (Ebbinghaus forgetting curve)
63%
63% of information is retained after 20 minutes when no effort is made to retain it (Ebbinghaus forgetting curve relatio
0.78
A meta-analysis found that retrieval practice improves long-term retention with an average effect size of g≈0.78
30%
The testing effect (retrieval practice) has been observed to improve performance by approximately 10–30% in many classro
1
In a randomized trial, adding retrieval practice improved retention compared with restudy-only control over a 1-week del
source-verifiedncbi.nlm.nih.gov · psycnet.apa.org · science.org
Reference
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.
APA
Nathan Caldwell. (2026, February 13). Knowledge Retention Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/knowledge-retention-statistics
MLA
Nathan Caldwell. "Knowledge Retention Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/knowledge-retention-statistics.
Chicago
Nathan Caldwell. 2026. "Knowledge Retention Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/knowledge-retention-statistics.
Sources & references
37 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+14 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)