The management consulting market in France

Eurostat counts 242,401 management consultancy firms in France in 2024, up from 180,481 in 2021. They employ 276,239 people, of whom 179,271 are employees: nearly 97,000 people therefore work without being employees (calculated from Eurostat). Management consulting in France is thus highly fragmented, with fewer than one employee per firm on average, most structures being solo consultants or very small firms.

According to the French Senate committee of inquiry into the influence of private consulting firms (report of March 2022), State consulting spending exceeded one billion euros in 2021 and more than doubled since 2018. Ministries’ consulting spending in the broad sense reached €893.9 million in 2021, including €445.6 million for the most strategic services. This work put public-sector consulting at the centre of the debate on the management consulting market in France.

The management consulting market in France combines international networks, mid-sized French firms and specialist practices. According to Le Journal des entreprises (July 2023), the Nantes-based firm Quaternaire employed 70 people and generated €11.3 million in turnover in 2022. In executive coaching, Éric Albert’s firm Uside has 40 consultants and works with CAC 40 groups, according to Le Point (September 2026).

Recruitment is a central issue for management consulting in France. According to Le Journal des entreprises (July 2023), the average consultant turnover rate in the profession reaches 30%, whereas Quaternaire kept it to 10% in 2022. To hire 23 staff in 2023, Quaternaire set up an in-house team of three people and opened its criteria to profiles from outside consulting, while reorganising its activity into three units.

According to Eurostat, management consultancy turnover in France rose from €37.7 billion in 2021 to €48.2 billion in 2024, and the number of firms from 180,481 to 242,401. This growth, faster in the number of firms than in employee headcount, reflects the rise of independent consultants and steady demand from companies in France for projects in organisation, human resources, data and performance management.

A PDF report in French, 2026 edition, organised in six chapters: definition and scope of management consulting, market size and dynamics, demand from companies and the public sector, the offer and the firms, regulation and operating conditions, market outlook.

Eurostat and Insee statistics, French Senate work on consulting firms, firms’ publications and trade press articles from the IndexPresse database. Every figure comes with its source and period.

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