The report highlights that according to the ASIC FAR, there are a total of 15,151 advisers across Australia as of January 2026. This is down from the October 2025 number by 295 (15,446), a decrease of 1.91 per cent.
This trend continues over to the number of practices, with a 2.06 per cent decrease in the same period (5.933 to 5,811). The number of licensees also decreased in this time by 1.55 per cent (1,872 to 1,843).
The report also includes a general snapshot of the state of the advice sector.
The profession still remains heavily male dominated according to the report, with 78 per cent of advisers male and 22 per cent female, however this is a steady improvement.
The vast majority of advisers working now have 10-29 years of experience, with the largest segment having 10-19 years of experiences. The two lowest segments are advisers with 1-4 years of experience and those with 30 plus years.
While this does show that the industry is currently blessed with a wealth experienced advisers, a large number will be approaching retirement age. In June 2024, the average adviser was reported to be 52 years old, and with the general lack of fresh graduates choosing advice due to the difficulty of gaining the right qualifications, this uneven spread of experience could pose significant future problems.
Most advisers and practices are unsurprisingly distributed heavily on the East Coast population centres (New South Wales, Victoria and Queensland), with Western Australia also having a moderately high concentration.
The majority of practices (roughly 60 per cent) have just one adviser, with roughly a third of all firms having $50-$100 million worth of funds under management. Most advisers are dealing with 50-150 clients individually, with most practices dealing with 100 plus clients.
Finally, the report also confirms advisers are an educated bunch, with 21 per cent holding a bachelor’s degree, 49 per cent having an honours degree or graduate certificate/diploma, and 18 per cent having a masters.
