Invoice Factoring Statistics
Last updated: 2026-10-28 · 9 sourced statistics
Invoice factoring is a form of financing: a business sells unpaid invoices to a factor for cash now, at a discount, and the factor collects from the customer. Measured by volume it is large. FCI, the global factoring association, reports €4.04 trillion of factoring in 2025, about two-thirds of it in Europe. Measured by how many small businesses use it, it is niche: the Federal Reserve's 2026 Small Business Credit Survey found that 3% of US small employer firms use factoring regularly, and only 3% sought it in the prior year, against 38% that sought a loan, line of credit or merchant cash advance. This page collects verified figures from FCI, UK Finance and the Federal Reserve Banks, with what each one does and does not measure.
Key takeaways
- World factoring volume was €4.04 trillion in 2025, up 3.7% from €3.89 trillion in 2024 (FCI).
- Europe accounted for €2.66 trillion, about 66% of the world total; Asia-Pacific for €995 billion (FCI).
- FCI records €156.5 billion of US factoring in 2025, roughly 4% of world volume.
- UK invoice finance and asset-based lending members provide well over £20 billion to client businesses at any one time (UK Finance).
- Only 3% of US small employer firms use factoring regularly and 3% sought it in the past year, versus 38% that sought a loan, line of credit or merchant cash advance (Federal Reserve Banks).
At a glance.
Every figure on this page in one table, each linked to its named source. Scroll down for the full context behind each number.
| Figure | What it measures | Source | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| €4.04T | World factoring volume reached €4,039 billion (about €4.04 trillion) in 2025, according to FCI's country-by-country statistics table. | FCI, Total Factoring Volume by Country in the Last 7 Years (2026 statistics table) | 2025 |
| +3.7% | World factoring volume grew 3.7% in 2025, from €3,895 billion in 2024. | FCI, Total Factoring Volume by Country in the Last 7 Years (2026 statistics table) | 2025 |
| 66% | Europe recorded €2,658 billion of factoring in 2025, about 66% of the world total. | FCI, Total Factoring Volume by Country in the Last 7 Years (2026 statistics table) | 2025 |
| €995B | Asia-Pacific recorded €995 billion of factoring in 2025, about a quarter of world volume; FCI's figure for China (€713 billion) is marked as an FCI estimate. | FCI, Total Factoring Volume by Country in the Last 7 Years (2026 statistics table) | 2025 |
| €156.5B | FCI records €156.5 billion of factoring in the United States in 2025, up 35.5% on its estimate of €115.5 billion for 2024; North America as a whole was €160 billion, about 4% of world volume. | FCI, Total Factoring Volume by Country in the Last 7 Years (2026 statistics table) | 2025 |
| £20B+ | UK Finance's invoice finance and asset-based lending members provide well over £20 billion to tens of thousands of UK client businesses at any one time, around £150 billion of finance a year. | UK Finance, Invoice Finance and Asset-Based Lending | 2024 |
| £315B+ | In 2024 the combined annual turnover of UK businesses supported by invoice finance and asset-based lending was over £315 billion. | UK Finance, Invoice Finance and Asset-Based Lending | 2024 |
| 3% | 3% of US small employer firms use factoring on a regular basis (survey of 6,525 firms with 1 to 499 employees, fielded September to November 2025). | Federal Reserve Banks, Small Business Credit Survey: 2026 Report on Employer Firms | 2026 |
| 3% | 3% of US small employer firms sought factoring in the 12 months before the survey, compared with 38% that sought a loan, line of credit or merchant cash advance. | Federal Reserve Banks, Small Business Credit Survey: 2026 Report on Employer Firms | 2026 |
The statistics
World factoring volume reached €4,039 billion (about €4.04 trillion) in 2025, according to FCI's country-by-country statistics table.
Source:FCI, Total Factoring Volume by Country in the Last 7 Years (2026 statistics table)2025
World factoring volume grew 3.7% in 2025, from €3,895 billion in 2024.
Source:FCI, Total Factoring Volume by Country in the Last 7 Years (2026 statistics table)2025
Europe recorded €2,658 billion of factoring in 2025, about 66% of the world total.
Source:FCI, Total Factoring Volume by Country in the Last 7 Years (2026 statistics table)2025
Asia-Pacific recorded €995 billion of factoring in 2025, about a quarter of world volume; FCI's figure for China (€713 billion) is marked as an FCI estimate.
Source:FCI, Total Factoring Volume by Country in the Last 7 Years (2026 statistics table)2025
FCI records €156.5 billion of factoring in the United States in 2025, up 35.5% on its estimate of €115.5 billion for 2024; North America as a whole was €160 billion, about 4% of world volume.
Source:FCI, Total Factoring Volume by Country in the Last 7 Years (2026 statistics table)2025
UK Finance's invoice finance and asset-based lending members provide well over £20 billion to tens of thousands of UK client businesses at any one time, around £150 billion of finance a year.
Source:UK Finance, Invoice Finance and Asset-Based Lending2024
In 2024 the combined annual turnover of UK businesses supported by invoice finance and asset-based lending was over £315 billion.
Source:UK Finance, Invoice Finance and Asset-Based Lending2024
3% of US small employer firms use factoring on a regular basis (survey of 6,525 firms with 1 to 499 employees, fielded September to November 2025).
Source:Federal Reserve Banks, Small Business Credit Survey: 2026 Report on Employer Firms2026
3% of US small employer firms sought factoring in the 12 months before the survey, compared with 38% that sought a loan, line of credit or merchant cash advance.
Source:Federal Reserve Banks, Small Business Credit Survey: 2026 Report on Employer Firms2026
When these numbers don't apply
Aggregate statistics hide a lot. Read these caveats before quoting a figure as if it describes your specific situation.
- FCI's country table mixes reported and estimated figures. Its own colour key marks some countries as FCI estimates and others as carried forward from the prior year, so single-country numbers, including China and parts of Asia-Pacific, are less precise than the world total.
- FCI and UK Finance count factoring and invoice discounting together, and UK Finance also includes asset-based lending. Neither is a pure count of businesses selling individual invoices.
- The US jump from 2024 to 2025 compares a reported 2025 figure with an FCI estimate for 2024, so read the 35.5% growth as indicative.
- The Federal Reserve survey covers US small employer firms (1 to 499 employees) and is a convenience sample weighted to the population. It says nothing about larger companies or about sole traders without employees.
- None of these sources publishes typical factoring fees. Pricing varies by provider, customer credit quality and how long invoices stay open, so compare written quotes rather than market averages.
How we compiled this data
Reviewed 28 October 2026. Every figure was re-read at its publisher: FCI's 2026 country statistics table on fci.nl (volumes in millions of euros, 2019 to 2025), UK Finance's invoice finance and asset-based lending page (read through the Internet Archive capture of 21 October 2026 because the site blocks automated requests), and the Federal Reserve Banks' 2026 Report on Employer Firms (PDF, page 9 for products used and page 13 for products sought). Percentage shares were calculated from FCI's own totals. Earlier figures that could not be traced to a primary page, including a US volume attributed to the International Factoring Association, a 1% to 5% fee range and an effective-APR range, were removed rather than re-dated. On 2026-10-28 the Federal Reserve Banks' credit card usage figure (62% of employer firms) was removed here so it appears only on the business credit card statistics page.
We hand-collected each figure from its original publisher rather than recycling secondary round-ups, cross-checked the headline numbers against the source documents in 2026-10-28, and link every statistic to the report it came from so you can verify it yourself. Where a publisher issues annual updates, we cite the report edition and flag the year inline.
Frequently asked questions
How big is the invoice factoring market?
FCI, the global factoring association, reports world factoring volume of €4.04 trillion in 2025, up 3.7% from €3.89 trillion in 2024. Europe accounted for about 66% of it and Asia-Pacific for €995 billion. The figure counts the value of receivables financed during the year, not the amount outstanding on any one day.
How many small businesses use invoice factoring?
Few. The Federal Reserve Banks' 2026 Report on Employer Firms found that 3% of US small employer firms use factoring regularly and 3% sought it in the prior 12 months. By comparison, 38% sought a loan, line of credit or merchant cash advance. How often small firms use credit cards instead is covered on the business credit card statistics page.
How large is factoring in the United States compared with Europe?
Much smaller. FCI records €156.5 billion of US factoring in 2025, about 4% of world volume, against €2.66 trillion for Europe. The US figure grew 35.5% on FCI's 2024 estimate, but because the 2024 number was an estimate, treat the growth rate with care.
How big is invoice finance in the UK?
UK Finance says its invoice finance and asset-based lending members provide well over £20 billion to tens of thousands of client businesses at any one time, and that the businesses they supported had combined turnover of over £315 billion in 2024. These figures include asset-based lending as well as factoring and invoice discounting.
What does invoice factoring cost?
None of the sources on this page publishes an average fee, and earlier industry ranges could not be traced to a primary source, so this page does not quote one. Ask each provider for the advance rate, the discount fee per period, how the fee grows if a customer pays late, any minimums, and whether you remain liable for unpaid invoices (recourse), then compare the total cost over a realistic collection period.
Put these figures to use
- Payments hub: Guides on payment terms, reminders and getting invoices paid.
- Payment reminder email templates: Free reminder wording in three tones for overdue invoices.
- Late payment statistics: Sourced figures on how late B2B invoices are paid.
- Automatic payment reminders: How scheduled reminders work before and after a due date.
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