IDP Education has just published its financial report for the year ending June 2023. Some highlights:
- IDP delivered 1.93 million IELTS tests during the year. That’s up 1% from 1.91 million tests last year.
- Revenue from testing is up 7%. Revenue growth is up mostly because the average cost of taking the IELTS increased by six percent during the year.
- IELTS revenue in India is down 5%. No word on the decline in testing volume, but it must be more than 5%, given price increases. I guess the other companies are successfully chipping away at IDP’s dominance in this market. Good for them.
- IELTS revenue is up a big 18% outside of India. Testing volumes are up 22% outside of India.
- These figures do not include IELTS tests administered by the British Council. Remember that IELTS is a two-headed beast, and that test takers can opt to get the test from IDP or BC (though not in every market). Those figures will be available later this year.
It is fascinating to see a test like the Pearson PTE grow by 50% in a year, while the IELTS grows by only about 1%. We are certainly witnessing a sea change in the way language testing is done. I predict a more consumer-friendly environment moving forward (but I fear consolidation).