Prop Trading Statistics 2025

Our latest prop trading stats page dives into key trends shaping the industry, including global search volume surges, trader statistics, and the features driving demand for prop firms.

Search Volumes
Prop Firm Stats
Payout Statistics
Technology

Global Search Volume Trends for Prop Firms

The global demand for proprietary trading firms has seen massive growth in recent years, driven by increasing interest in prop trading as an alternative to traditional retail trading. This surge is reflected in Google search volume data, showing significant rises across various regions, asset classes, and key features of prop firms. Below, we break down this growth by location, asset class, and key features.

Global interest in prop firms has grown by over 600% in the last four years.

As of 2025, the industry is estimated to be worth $20 billion, with over 2,000 firms globally, the majority based in the United States (62%).

This shows how mainstream prop trading has become an alternative to retail brokerage models.

Location

Search volumes for prop firms have risen sharply across various countries, with certain regions leading the charge.

The following key markets demonstrate the geographical spread of prop trading interest:

USA: Search volumes in the United States rose from 7,475 in 2020 to 46,820 in 2024, reflecting a 526% increase over four years. This makes the US the largest market for prop trading searches globally.
UK: Strong growth was seen during the 2020 – 2024 period for the UK too, with search volumes climbing from 3,048 to 12,655, a siginificant 315% increase.
Canada: Although it has lower volume overall, Canada saw searches increase 377% in the same period, rising from 1,020 to 4,871.
Australia: While a much smaller market, Australia experienced a 272% rise in search volumes from 865 to 3,219 in the same period.

Asset Class

The rise in prop trading interest spans various financial markets, with some seeing faster growth than others. The data below highlights the growth in search volumes across key asset classes:

Forex: Forex trading remains the most popular asset class, with searches increasing from 2,525 in 2020 to 24,319 in 2024, a 863% growth over four years. Monthly search volumes in 2024 peaked in January at 31,310, illustrating continued dominance of currencies in prop trading searches.
Futures: Futures trading has shown the fastest growth in search interest. From just 373 searches in 2020, it jumped to 21,095 in 2024, representing an extraordinary 5,556% growth. By August 2024, futures searches reached 31,080 in one month, reflecting the growing focus on futures within the prop trading space.
Crypto: Interest in cryptocurrency trading through prop firms has risen steadily, from 83 searches in 2020 to 4,361 in 2024, a 5,156% increase. Despite the volatility of the crypto markets, traders continue to explore opportunities within prop firms.
Stocks: While traditionally popular in retail trading, stock trading within prop firms has shown consistent growth, with search volumes rising from 80 in 2020 to 3,110 in 2024—a 3,788% increase.

Despite this explosive growth, trader success remains elusive. According to 2025 data, less than 15% of traders in prop firms generate consistent profits over a full year, and the average trader profit sits around 8%.

More than 85% of prop traders will never achieve consistent profits over a full year.

This shows how important it is to stay disciplined, have solid trading strategies, and strong risk controls in place that suit your tolerance.

Key Features

In addition to asset classes, specific features of prop firms have driven search interest. Traders are increasingly focused on finding firms with instant access to capital, affordability, and funded account options.

Searches for instant funding increased by 13,070% from 2020 to 2024, while interest in cheap prop firms grew by 15,805% and Expert Advisors (EAs) by 382% during the same period.

Here’s a breakdown of search growth by key features:

Instant Funding: One of the most sought-after features of prop firms, “Instant Funding” search volumes exploded from 0 in 2020 to 13,070 in 2024. In August 2024, search volumes hit 13,880, highlighting the continued interest in firms offering quick access to trading capital.
Funded Accounts: The term “Funded” gained significant traction as more traders sought prop firms offering access to funded trading accounts. Searches increased from 91 in 2021 to 6,406 in 2024, with a peak of 14,840 searches in July 2024, indicating heightened demand.
Cheap Prop Firms: Affordability remains a critical factor for traders. Searches for “cheap” prop firms surged from 60 in 2020 to 9,543 in 2024. This 15,805% increase shows the growing interest in budget-friendly options, particularly as traders seek to minimise upfront costs while maximising opportunities.
Expert Advisors (EAs): Although not as widely searched as funding options, the use of automated trading tools (EAs) in prop firms saw a rise in search interest, with volumes increasing from 447 in 2021 to 2,156 in 2024.

Overall, the global search trends for prop firms demonstrate the rapidly increasing interest in the prop trading industry across various locations, asset classes, and key features. With the USA leading the way and financial markets like forex and futures driving the most attention, the data underscores the growing appeal of prop trading as a viable alternative to traditional CFD trading. Features like instant funding and affordable challenge options continue to attract traders, further boosting the popularity of prop firms.

Prop Firm Statistics

Prop trading has rapidly grown into a popular alternative to traditional investing.

Between December 2015 and April 2024, the prop trading industry expanded by 1,264%, far outpacing the 240% growth seen in traditional investing.

This massive increase shows the increasing shift toward more high risk, high reward strategies as prop traders seek larger funded accounts and tailored features. As interest and the market continues to grows, global search trends show huge increases in demand for prop firms, driven by key asset classes (ie. crypto, forex, stocks), geographic regions (USA has the biggest demand), and specific features (loyalty programs, prop competitions, tailored add-ons).

Prop Firm Payout Statistics

The world of prop trading is highly competitive, and success rates provide a sobering glimpse into the challenges traders face.

How many prop traders get a funded account?

Only 22% of prop traders successfully graduate from training to receive a funded account.

In addition, just 35% of traders meet their profit targets during the evaluation phase, highlighting how competitive and difficult it is to pass prop firm challenges and secure capital.

What is the success rate of prop firms?

Research found just 7% of the 300,000 prop trading accounts assessed achieved payouts, with the low success rate showing just how difficult it is to secure a funded account and the importance of fully understanding the prop firms trading rules and requirements. Even those who succeed, average earnings tend to be low compared to CFD trading, with prop traders earning around 4% of their allocated capital. For a $50,000 trading account, that is just $2,000 profit.

In terms of profitability, a survey by PipFarm stated only 40% of traders actually manage to turn a profit, while a 60% of prop firm clients ultimately lose their capital. On average, traders tend to spend $4,270 on challenges before reaching profitability.

Prop trading has a low pass rate with only 7% of prop traders earning payouts and 60% losing their capital.

Key Findings

7% of traders achieve payouts, which typically amount to only around 4% of the account value.
60% of prop firm clients lose their capital.
Most traders attempt three challenges per account.
The average challenge spend is $4,270.

To counter these challenges, many traders diversify their efforts across multiple prop firms. According to research, traders use an average of 2.2 prop firms to improve their chances of success. A study from PipFarm found that 90% of traders engage in challenges across 2–5 different prop firms.

Prop Trader Demographics

Prop trading is 78% male-dominated.
Gen Z and Millennials make up over 60% of clients.

Funded Trader Motivations and Preferences

When selecting a prop firm challenge, traders tend to be motivated by two things. One, clear operating rules and two, quick payouts and withdrawals. According to a Finance Magnates survey, 79% of traders prioritize prop firms with clear rules that outline trading restrictions and conditions, while 75% favor firms that offer fast profit payouts, ensuring they can access their earnings without delay.

However, a portion of traders are also wary of factors that can negatively impact their trading experience, such as:

Trailing drawdowns (54% of traders).
Consistency rules (53%).
Restrictions on news trading (37%).

Investment in Technology

As prop trading firms all compete to remain competitive and relevant, many are making massive investments in tech to accommodate their more experienced traders. These are focused on improving market connectivity, developing advanced algorithmic trading tools, and expanding into new financial markets, with a big influx of crypto prop firms after the demand wasn’t being met.

This technological shift is needed for prop firms looking to stay competitive and cater to the seasoned traders who rely on cutting-edge, advanced trading platforms.

Summary

The quick growth of the prop trading industry is backed up by huge increases in global search volumes, trader engagement, and tech investments. Despite its high risk nature and low number of success stories, prop trading continues to attract a range of traders, particularly from younger generations and emerging markets.

CONTENTS