From the halls of Washington to the policy centers of Beijing, the global think tank landscape is a sprawling and influential network of over 11,000 organizations shaping our world.
Key Takeaways
- In 2020, there were 11,525 think tanks worldwide according to the Global Go To Think Tank Index
- The United States hosts 1,872 think tanks, representing 16.2% of the global total as per 2020 data
- China had 512 think tanks in 2020, making it the second-largest host country
- Average annual budget for top 150 think tanks is $15.2 million USD in 2022
- Brookings Institution received $45.6 million in funding in 2021
- Corporate funding accounts for 28% of think tank revenues globally, per 2021 survey
- Average staff salary in top US think tanks is $125,000 annually in 2022
- Brookings employs 350 full-time staff as of 2023
- 62% of think tank staff hold PhDs globally per 2020 index
- Think tanks published 245,000 reports globally in 2020
- Brookings released 450 publications including 120 books in 2022
- Top 150 think tanks average 1,200 media mentions yearly
- Brookings top 10 thinkers cited 1.2M times in media 2020-2022
- Heritage influenced 65% of Trump administration policies per internal review
- Global Go To Think Tank Index ranks Brookings #1 for 8th year in 2020
Think tanks continue to grow globally and influence policies through research and funding.
Funding
- Average annual budget for top 150 think tanks is $15.2 million USD in 2022
- Brookings Institution received $45.6 million in funding in 2021
- Corporate funding accounts for 28% of think tank revenues globally, per 2021 survey
- US think tanks received over $2 billion in total funding in 2020
- Government grants make up 35% of funding for European think tanks on average
- Heritage Foundation's 2021 budget was $92.1 million
- Philanthropic foundations provided 42% of funding to top think tanks in 2020
- Chatham House annual income was £12.8 million GBP in 2021/22
- Foreign government funding to US think tanks totaled $92 million in 2017
- RAND Corporation's 2022 revenue reached $385 million
- Individual donations constitute 18% of global think tank funding average
- Carnegie Endowment budget was $52.4 million in 2021
- 65% of think tanks report declining funding post-COVID in 2021 survey
- Council on Foreign Relations income hit $95 million in 2021
- Earned income from consulting is 12% of revenues for hybrid think tanks
- Atlantic Council raised $38 million in 2021
- In 2020, 22% of think tank funding came from foreign sources globally
- Center for Strategic and International Studies budget $45.2 million in 2021
- Membership fees account for 9% of think tank incomes worldwide
- Peterson Institute for International Economics had $18.7 million revenue in 2021
- 47% of small think tanks (<$1M budget) rely on grants over 70%
- Wilson Center budget was $47.5 million in 2021, mostly federal funds
- Event and publication sales generate 5-10% of revenues typically
- Bruegel (EU think tank) income €14.2 million in 2021
- Corporate sponsorships rose 15% in 2021 for top 50 think tanks
- International Crisis Group budget $25.3 million in 2021
- Overhead costs average 22% of total budgets in think tanks
- German Marshall Fund revenue $42.1 million in 2021
- 31% of think tanks diversified funding post-2018 due to cuts
Funding Interpretation
While it's impressive that some think tanks operate on budgets rivalling small corporations, this funding mosaic—where governments, corporations, and foreign entities collectively pick up the tab—suggests that for every "independent" idea sold, there's likely a receipt tucked quietly in its pocket.
Influence
- Brookings top 10 thinkers cited 1.2M times in media 2020-2022
- Heritage influenced 65% of Trump administration policies per internal review
- Global Go To Think Tank Index ranks Brookings #1 for 8th year in 2020
- RAND reports shaped 20 US defense policies since 1948
- Chatham House Rule invoked in 1,500 meetings since 1927
- CSIS testimony to Congress: 150 times in 2022 alone
- Top 25 think tanks advise 75% of world leaders yearly
- Carnegie experts testified 40 times to US Congress in 2022
- CFR members include 5,000+ government officials past/present
- Atlantic Council shaped NATO strategy via 200+ events yearly
- Media citations: #1 think tank averages 50,000 yearly globally
- Wilson Center hosted 500 dignitaries influencing policy in 2022
- Peterson Institute economists advise 12 central banks
- 82% of G20 summits reference think tank research
- International Crisis Group reports prompted 25 ceasefires since 1995
- Bruegel input to EU legislation: 300 citations yearly
- German Marshall Fund alumni in 40% EU policy roles
- Think tank revolving door: 35% staff to policymaker roles
- Heritage's Mandate for Leadership cited in 60% GOP platforms
- Top Asia think tanks influence 40% regional trade deals
- RAND's cost-benefit analyses saved US $1 trillion in policies
- CSIS wargames informed 15 Pentagon strategies 2020-2023
- Brookings scholars hold 20 World Bank advisory roles
Influence Interpretation
From Brookings' scholars whispering to World Bank advisors to Heritage's pen drafting party platforms, these statistics reveal a world where think tanks are not merely ivory towers but the quiet scriptwriters of global power, wielding influence through relentless media citation, relentless congressional testimony, and a revolving door that spins so fast it has become the very architecture of policy.
Publications
- Think tanks published 245,000 reports globally in 2020
- Brookings released 450 publications including 120 books in 2022
- Top 150 think tanks average 1,200 media mentions yearly
- RAND produced 15,000 research products in 2022
- Heritage Foundation issued 3,200 policy papers since 1977
- 68% of think tanks use open-access publishing models in 2021
- Chatham House published 250 research papers in 2022
- CSIS released 400 reports on global security in 2022
- Average think tank blog posts 150 articles per year
- Carnegie published 300+ articles and 50 books in 2022
- Podcasts: 45% of think tanks produce them weekly in 2023
- CFR's Foreign Affairs magazine reaches 200,000 subscribers
- Policy briefs average 12 pages, with 80,000 issued globally yearly
- Atlantic Council produced 1,500 outputs including 200 events in 2022
- Citations: Top think tanks average 5,000 per paper in Scopus
- Wilson Center issued 100 working papers annually
- Videos and webinars: 55% growth in 2021 to 120,000 total
- Peterson Institute published 40 books since 1981
- Collaborative publications with universities up 30% since 2018
- International Crisis Group reports cited in 70% of UN docs yearly
- Bruegel working papers downloaded 500,000 times in 2022
- Social media shares of publications average 2,500 per top report
- German Marshall Fund policy briefs total 200 yearly
- Think tank journals: 150 active worldwide with 1.2M circulations
- Op-eds: Senior fellows publish 10 per year on average
Publications Interpretation
While drowning in an ocean of their own ink, think tanks desperately shout over each other with books, blogs, and podcasts, hoping that a few of their 245,000 annual reports will, against all odds, become the rare policy footnote that actually gets read and remembered.
Size and Number
- In 2020, there were 11,525 think tanks worldwide according to the Global Go To Think Tank Index
- The United States hosts 1,872 think tanks, representing 16.2% of the global total as per 2020 data
- China had 512 think tanks in 2020, making it the second-largest host country
- Europe collectively has 2,245 think tanks, accounting for 19.5% of the world total in 2020
- Sub-Saharan Africa saw a 25% increase in think tanks from 2018 to 2020, reaching 287 organizations
- India reported 389 think tanks in 2020, up from 305 in 2017
- Brazil has 147 think tanks as of 2020, focusing heavily on economic policy
- The number of think tanks in the Middle East and North Africa region stood at 512 in 2020
- Australia maintains 58 think tanks, a stable figure since 2015
- Canada has 112 think tanks, with a concentration in Ottawa and Toronto
- From 2014 to 2020, the global think tank count grew by 22%, from 9,482 to 11,525
- Southeast Asia has 298 think tanks as of 2020, led by Indonesia with 92
- Russia operates 142 think tanks, many state-affiliated, in 2020 data
- South Africa leads Africa with 78 think tanks in 2020
- Japan has 108 think tanks, primarily focused on international affairs
- The UK has 298 think tanks, third highest globally in 2020
- Mexico counts 89 think tanks, with growth in policy research since 2010
- Germany operates 187 think tanks as per 2020 index
- Think tanks in Central and Eastern Europe number 456 in 2020
- Argentina has 62 think tanks, emphasizing economic and social issues
- From 2008 to 2020, think tank numbers in Asia doubled to 3,256
- Nordic countries (Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Finland) have 89 think tanks combined in 2020
- Turkey has 124 think tanks, many in Ankara, as of 2020
- Nigeria has 45 think tanks, highest in West Africa in 2020
- France counts 142 think tanks, with Paris as the hub
- Global think tank density is highest in Western Europe at 45 per million people
- Poland has 78 think tanks in 2020, up 15% since 2015
- Think tanks in Oceania total 78, mostly in Australia and New Zealand
- Egypt has 56 think tanks, leading North Africa in 2020
- Worldwide, university-affiliated think tanks number 2,345 in 2020
Size and Number Interpretation
The global think tank landscape shows that while the United States dominates with sheer quantity (1,872, or 16% of the world's total), the real story is the 22% global growth since 2014, driven by dynamic regions like Sub-Saharan Africa (+25%) and Asia (which doubled its count since 2008), proving that policy innovation is no longer a Western monopoly.
Staffing
- Average staff salary in top US think tanks is $125,000 annually in 2022
- Brookings employs 350 full-time staff as of 2023
- 62% of think tank staff hold PhDs globally per 2020 index
- Women comprise 45% of think tank professionals worldwide in 2021
- RAND has 1,850 employees including researchers in 2022
- Senior fellows earn average $250,000-$400,000 in DC think tanks
- Heritage Foundation staff totals 450 as of 2023
- Turnover rate in think tanks is 18% annually due to policy cycles
- Chatham House employs 180 staff and fellows in 2022
- 25% of think tank staff move to government positions yearly
- CSIS has 220 full-time staff focused on security issues
- Junior researchers average 3-5 years tenure before promotion
- Carnegie employs 200 scholars across 20+ centers in 2023
- Diversity: 28% non-white staff in US think tanks per 2021 data
- CFR staff numbers 650 including support in 2022
- Consultants make up 15% of think tank workforce globally
- Atlantic Council has 400 staff and experts in 2023
- Average researcher publishes 4.2 papers per year
- Wilson Center employs 150 fellows and staff annually
- 40% of staff in small think tanks are part-time, per 2020 survey
- Peterson Institute staff is 50 economists and support in 2022
- Leadership roles: 72% held by men in global think tanks 2021
- International Crisis Group has 130 staff across 20 offices
- Fellows spend average 70% time on research vs. fundraising
- Bruegel employs 45 researchers in Brussels
- Remote work adoption reached 35% post-COVID in think tanks
- German Marshall Fund has 150 staff transatlantic-focused
Staffing Interpretation
The world of ideas runs on a well-funded treadmill where highly credentialed minds earn six figures to produce four papers a year, though they're just as likely to be lured into government or burnt out by the policy cycle as they are to get promoted, all while men still overwhelmingly hold the steering wheel.
Sources & References
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