There were more than 230,000 certified financial planner professionals around the world at the end of 2024, an increase of 6,878, or 3.1%, in the past year
The exact total was 230,648 CFP professionals practicing in 28 territories globally as of Dec. 31 , according to the Financial Planning Standards Board.
“With more than 230,000 CFP professionals in our global community across 28 territories, the CFP designation continues to be internationally recognized as the global symbol of excellence in financial planning,” FPSB CEO Dante De Gori said in a news release. “The continued global growth of CFP certification supports the rising demand for financial planners who commit to the delivery of competent and ethical financial planning advice.”
Highlights include:
- The United States and Brazil experienced the largest net increase, 4,218 in the U.S. and 1,255 in Brazil.
- Four countries had double-digit growth in the number of CFPs: Thailand (18.5%), India (17.7%), Brazil (13.4%) and Switzerland (12.2%).
- Italy, the newest nation to welcome CFPs, launched in 2023 and ended 2024 with 72.
- In the United States, the CFP Board exceeded 100,000 CFP professionals
- In Brazil, Planejar – Associação Brasileira de Planejamento Financeiro exceeded 10,000 CFP professionals
- In South Africa, Financial Planning Institute of Southern Africa exceeded 5,000 CFP professionals
- In India, FPSB India surpassed 3,000 CFP professionals
- In Ireland FPSB Ireland topped 1,000 CFP professionals
The five countries with the most CFP professionals at the end of 2024 are:
- United States: 103,093
- People’s Republic of China: 34,535
- Japan: 26,981
- Canada: 17,457
- Brazil: 10,634
“As FPSB and its network celebrate 20 years of leading the global financial planning profession with CFP certification its symbol of excellence, we are pleased to see a growing number of CFP professionals worldwide to help positively impact and transform lives,” De Gori said. “According to our global consumer research, clients who work with CFP professionals experience a better quality of life, greater financial confidence and resilience, along with higher satisfaction in their financial situations. In fact, 98% of clients trust their CFP professional to act in the client’s best interests—a testament to the profound value and trust CFP professionals bring to their clients’ lives.”