Architecture adds more than 400,000 firms in a decade as small studios prove most productive
On World Architecture Day, CompanyData.com publishes new figures showing the rapid global growth of the architecture sector. In 2015 there were just over 540,000 firms worldwide. By 2025 that number has risen to 943,000, an increase of more than 400,000 firms in a decade.
A major global employer
Architecture firms now employ more than 7.2 million people worldwide and generate 550 billion US dollars in revenue each year.
Productivity by firm size
Smaller studios outperform large firms in productivity per employee. Firms with 50 or fewer staff generate about 86,000 dollars per employee, compared to 57,000 dollars for those with more than 100 staff.
Revenue concentration
Although large firms represent only 0.6 percent of all companies, they employ nearly 30 percent of staff. The top 1 percent of firms earn 34 percent of global revenue, and the top 5 percent control 46 percent.
Ten years of growth
From 540,000 firms in 2015 to 943,000 firms in 2025, the architecture sector has expanded by 74 percent in a decade. The United States has the largest number of architecture firms at about 90,000. There are also large professional communities in India, China, and Brazil.
About CompanyData.com
CompanyData.com is a global company data provider headquartered in the Netherlands, with offices in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Dubai. Since 2013, we’ve supported over 5,000 clients in 81 countries with verified, structured company data. We specialize in custom-built datasets with legal entity data, contact data and B2B email data. Our mission is to make global company data simple, transparent and truly useful.
Note to the editor
Editors are welcome to reference this data in their reporting. Please credit CompanyData.com with a link to the source page. This report is derived from CompanyData.com’s global company database. The foundation of the database is official national trade registers, complemented by trusted sources such as the GLEIF, LEI Repository, chambers of commerce, and local commercial registries. From these verified records, CompanyData.com compiles worldwide data on the number of architecture firms, their size, revenue, and employment.
