How many employees work at EF Education First?
EF Education First Ltd. has approximately 16,556 total employees worldwide as of March 2026, according to Revelio Labs workforce intelligence data. EF Education First's total headcount has declined 8.9% from 18,171 employees in 2023 to 16,556 in 2026.
Data source: Revelio LabsCoverage: Global workforce, 2023–2026Published July 2026
Is EF Education First hiring right now?
Yes, EF Education First is actively hiring. EF Education First had 843 active job postings in 2026, a 6.5% decline from 2025 — see job openings & hiring trends.
About EF Education First's Workforce
EF Education First Ltd. is a Professional Development Services company that employs 16,556 people worldwide as of March 2026. It is the largest by headcount among its peers. Founded in 1965, the company is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
EF Education First's workforce has declined 8.9% from 2023 to 2026, and is down 5.6% year over year in 2026. It fell to a low of 16,556 in 2026 Q1 before recovering. Its workforce is concentrated most in China (26.4%), followed by the United States (14.1%) and the United Kingdom (6.4%), with South Africa, its fastest-growing location.
EF Education First's largest functional groups are Finance and Operations (46.7%), Engineering (35.2%), and Sales and Marketing (18.1%). Median employee tenure is 4.1 years, and the average salary is $36,798, with a regional spread that includes a median of $51,000 in Northern America and $24,000 in Eastern Asia.
EF Education First's active job postings fell 6.5% in 2026 to 843, with new postings per month cooling from 733 in 2023 to 345 in 2026. Overall employee sentiment is neutral but improving.
Sourced from Revelio Labs workforce data.
As of March 2026
EF Education First
workforce metrics
Headcount
16.6k
5.6% YoY
Avg. Salary
$36.8k
4.7% YoY
Tenure
4.1yr
0.0yr YoY
Growth Rate
-5.6%
3.4pts YoY
Hiring Rate
Attrition Rate
Unlock hiring rate, attrition rate, and 12 additional workforce metrics for EF Education First. Compare to peers, export the dataset, and access the full quarterly history.
- EF Education First had 16,556 employees in 2026, a 5.6% decline (-945) from 2025.
- EF Education First had 16,557 employees in 2025, a 5.2% decline (-882) from 2024.
- EF Education First had 17,439 employees in 2024, a 2.4% decline (-421) from 2023.
- EF Education First had 17,860 employees in 2023, a 5.9% increase (+1,024) from 2022.
EF Education First's total workforce has declined from 18,171 employees in 2023 to 16,556 in 2026. EF Education First's headcount peaked at 18,441 in 2024.
EF Education First Ltd. — quarterly employee count (2023–2026)
| Year | Qtr | Employees | YoY Change | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Q1 | 16,556 | -945 | -5.6% |
| 2025 | Q4 | 16,557 | -882 | -5.2% |
| 2025 | Q3 | 16,666 | -813 | -4.8% |
| 2025 | Q2 | 18,052 | -389 | -2.1% |
| 2025 | Q1 | 17,501 | -386 | -2.2% |
| 2024 | Q4 | 17,439 | -421 | -2.4% |
| 2024 | Q3 | 17,479 | -123 | -0.7% |
| 2024 | Q2 | 18,441 | +270 | +1.5% |
| 2024 | Q1 | 17,887 | +750 | +4.3% |
| 2023 | Q4 | 17,860 | +1,024 | +5.9% |
| 2023 | Q3 | 17,602 | +885 | +5.2% |
| 2023 | Q2 | 18,171 | +540 | +3.0% |
Want to see EF Education First's complete headcount history back to 2008, including quarterly breakdowns?
China accounts for the largest share of EF Education First's global workforce with approximately 26% of total employees, followed by the United States and the United Kingdom.
EF Education First employees by country — 2026
| Country | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 4,348 | 26.4% | -1.9% |
| United States | 2,316 | 14.1% | -8.1% |
| United Kingdom | 1,060 | 6.4% | -27.0% |
| Switzerland | 792 | 4.8% | -13.4% |
| India | 626 | 3.8% | -2.1% |
| South Africa | 485 | 3.0% | +0.3% |
| Spain | 461 | 2.8% | -6.7% |
| France | 430 | 2.6% | -10.8% |
| Brazil | 335 | 2.0% | +0.3% |
| Italy | 327 | 2.0% | -5.4% |
Drill into city-level data, hiring trends by region and historic geographic shifts
EF Education First's largest employee groups are Finance and Operations (46.7%), Engineering (35.2%), and Sales and Marketing (18.1%).
EF Education First employees by department — 2026
| Department | Employees | % of Total | YoY % |
|---|---|---|---|
| Finance and Operations | 7,531 | 46.7% | -5.6% |
| Engineering | 5,674 | 35.2% | -5.3% |
| Sales and Marketing | 2,921 | 18.1% | -7.3% |
Compare EF Education First's department mix to industry peers.
EF Education First's average employee salary is $36,798 globally. Employees in Northern America receive the highest compensation, with median pay approximately 1.4x the global average. Pay is lowest in Eastern Asia, at a median of $24,000.
EF Education First median employee salary by region — 2026 (USD)
| Region | Median Salary |
|---|---|
| Northern America | $51,000 |
| Western Europe | $48,000 |
| Pacific Islands | $39,000 |
| Northern Europe | $36,000 |
| Southern Europe | $25,000 |
| Eastern Asia | $24,000 |
| Eastern Europe | $21,000 |
| Arab States | $21,000 |
| Central and Western Asia | $13,000 |
| Central America and the Caribbean | $12,000 |
| Northern Africa | $8,000 |
| Southern America | $8,000 |
| Sub-Saharan Africa | $7,000 |
| South-Eastern Asia | $5,000 |
| Southern Asia | $4,000 |
Unlock salary by role, level, and city — and compare to EF Education First's industry peers.
- EF Education First had 843 active job postings in 2026, a 6.5% decline (+187) from 2025.
- EF Education First had 656 active job postings in 2025, a 22.9% decline (-170) from 2024.
- EF Education First had 826 active job postings in 2024, a 4.3% increase (+35) from 2023.
- EF Education First had 791 active job postings in 2023, a 0.5% increase from 2022.
- Hiring velocity in 2026: 345 new roles/month, down from 482 in 2025 and 600 in 2024. New metric
EF Education First's hiring is slowing: active job postings fell 6.5% in 2026 to 843, with new postings per month cooling from 733 in 2023 to 345 in 2026.
Track new postings per month, role-level demand, and hiring velocity vs. peers.
Revelio Labs tracks employee sentiment across EF Education First's workforce based on public professional data. Overall sentiment is neutral and has improved year over year in 2026.
Overall
Unlock the full sentiment breakdown by department, tenure, and trend over time.
Similar Professional Development Services Companies by Employee Count
- How fast is EF Education First growing?
- In 2026, EF Education First's headcount shrank 5.6% to 16,556 employees, down from 17,501 in 2025.
- Where are EF Education First employees located?
- Most EF Education First employees are based in China (26.4% of headcount), followed by the United States and the United Kingdom.
- What is the average salary at EF Education First?
- The average employee salary at EF Education First is approximately $36.8k per year.
- How many people does EF Education First hire per year?
- In 2026, EF Education First opened roughly 4,140 new roles — about 345 per month.
- When was EF Education First founded and where is it headquartered?
- EF Education First was founded in 1965 and is headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
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