Impact Investing Trends: Evidence of a Growing Industry

Impact Investing Trends: Evidence of a Growing Industry is the GIIN’s first-ever industry-level trends analysis on global impact investor market activity. The GIIN has conducted a rigorous annual survey of the growing community of impact investors since 2011, and this trends report was produced using data from the 2013-2015 Annual Impact Investor Surveys. This includes 62 respondents in the analysis, representing a range of geographies, organization types, and returns philosophies. Additionally, the survey data in the report is complemented by qualitative insights from five impact investors on how the market has changed in recent years and how the market will continue to evolve.

This report provides compelling evidence that the impact investing industry is growing, both in terms of size and maturation. Some key findings include:

  1. Impact investors are demonstrating strong growth, with assets under management growing by 18% compounded annually from 2013 to 2015;
  2. Impact investments are made across the world, in a diverse range of sectors and using various financial instruments, reflecting the wide variety of impact theses and strategies pursued by impact investors;
  3. Impact investors are consistently satisfied with both impact and financial performance;
  4. The industry is making progress against several key indicators of market growth, despite certain barriers remaining to industry development.

The GIIN hopes that insights from this research will further the impact investing industry’s reach and effectiveness, enable data-driven decision-making, and improve transparency of this growing market.

This report was produced using data from the 2013-2015 Annual Impact Investor Surveys and their corresponding reports. All three of these reports were produced with the generous partnership and support of JPMorgan Chase & Co. The 2016 report (using data from 2015) was also funded with UK aid from the UK Government through the Department for International Development’s Impact Programme.

Download the report (pdf)

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