CFAs are in high demand as major investment houses prefer to hire CFA charterholders in their asset management and research divisions.
But how many CFAs are there in the world? What do they do? Let’s take a look.
Latest Number of CFA Charterholders and Members
As of March 2017:
- Number of members: >142,000
- Number of CFA charterholders: ~95% of total members
- Countries with members: 159
- Countries with societies: 73
In the June 2016 exam, the countries with the most number of CFA exam takers were:
- United States (31,501 candidates)
- China (26,758)
- India (12,117)
The total number of exam takers was 137,790.
CFA Institute Members by Geographic Location
| Total CFA Members by Region | CFA Program Candidates by Region |
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North America still represents the region with the most members. The second region is Europe at 16%, follow closely by Asia at 15%. Asia is experiencing the highest growth (44% of CFA candidates are from Asian countries) and therefore it is expected to become the number 2 regions in the near future.
Number of CFA Charterholders Awarded
We have detailed statistics up to 2013. During that year, 9,275 charters were awarded, compared to the all-time high of 10,903 in 2012. Despite the 15% drop, 2013 is still the year with third highest number of newly awarded charters.
The US had 3,358 new charter holders, representing 36% of total. UK came second with 932 (10%), closely followed by Canada (9.5%), China (6.4%) and Hong Kong (5.3%). If China and Hong Kong was combined, it would be the country with the 2nd highest number of charters representing 11.7% of total.
Top 10 Countries with the Highest Number of Newly Awarded Charters in 2013
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Reference: CFA Institute