Asian Coaching Industry Clocks a stunning 86% Growth

The International Coaching Federation (ICF) released its 2023 Global Coaching Study on April 13, sharing that coaching now surpasses the milestone of 100,000 practitioners worldwide. According to the press release , “This increase in coaching practitioners indicates a 54% growth worldwide. This expansion is also reflected in total annual revenue for the industry, which grew to $4.564 billion (USD) — a 60% increase since ICF’s 2020 study.

The survey, conducted by PricewaterhouseCoopers, engaged over 14,500 participants in 157 countries. PwC's methodology included survey fieldwork phase that commenced in 2022 with a six-week run.

Growth was especially strong in Asia (+86%), the Middle East and Africa (+74%), and Eastern Europe (+59%).“

Top areas of demand for coaching

Respondents indicated that top areas of specialization for coaching included leadership coaching, followed by executive coaching, and coaching in business and organizations. The overwhelming majority of respondents (80%) expressed that their clients in these areas expect coaches to be certified or credentialed.

Gen X top demographic to become coaches

As the profession grows, Generation X leads the way, representing almost half of all coach practitioners (48%). North America and Oceania are the only regions where Baby Boomers outnumber Generation X coaches while Millennials account for one in 10 coach practitioners globally, ranging from 21% in Eastern Europe to 8% in North America and 7% in Oceania.

Women steadily entering coaching practitioners market

At a time when women left the workplace in droves due to the pandemic and associated challenges, coaching saw woman enter the field at even higher rates than previous years. Women represent a steadily growing majority of coach practitioners, encompassing 72% of coach practitioners overall with the greatest increases in emerging regions. The majority of coaching clients (58%) are also female.

ICF focused on regular research

The 2023 study represents the fifth of ICF's major research efforts to evaluate the size and scope of the coaching profession. The inaugural study was published in 2007 with follow-up studies in 2012, 2016, and 2020.

The explosive growth of the professional coaching industry, in Asia and other parts of the world is a clear signal that people are looking for answers, and the questions that coaches are asking, seem to be working.