CBOK Report: Lifelong Learning for Internal Auditors

Certification and Training Levels Worldwide

When an internal auditor elects to pursue certification, he or she takes a big step toward establishing a professional reputation that speaks loudly of integrity, dedication, and commitment to both the profession and his or her organization. This commitment is reflected in findings from the CBOK 2015 Global Internal Audit Practitioner Survey. For example:

• Forty-three percent of respondents worldwide say they hold at least one internal audit certification or qualification.
• The primary certification held globally is the Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) (held by 30% of respondents worldwide).
• The most popular internal audit specialty certification is the Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA) (held by 9% of respondents worldwide).
• Non-internal audit certifications are held by 60% of respondents worldwide.
• Forty or more hours per year of internal audit training is achieved by 61% of respondents worldwide.

Survey results also reveal which certifications are most popular in different parts of the world, providing valuable information for internal audit practitioners, aspiring internal auditors, and chief audit executives (CAEs). Other stakeholders such as regulators, executive management, audit committees, and executive recruiters will also find the information useful for purposes related to standards setting, benchmarking, and hiring.

CBOK is the largest ongoing study of internal auditors in the world, with participation from 14,518 practitioners from 166 countries.