How big is the forex market?
| $9.6T | Average daily forex turnover in April 2025.Source: BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey 2025 |
| 28% | Growth in daily turnover from 2022 to 2025.Source: BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey 2025 |
| $7.5T | Average daily turnover in April 2022, up from $6.6 trillion in 2019.Source: BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey 2022 |
| $3T | Daily spot forex turnover in April 2025, about 31% of all trading.Source: BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey 2025 |
| 42% | Growth in spot turnover from 2022 to 2025.Source: BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey 2025 |
| $4T | Daily FX swap turnover in April 2025, 42% of the market, down from 51% in 2022.Source: BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey 2025 |
Which currencies trade the most?
| 89.2% | Share of all forex trades with the US dollar on one side (2025).Source: BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey 2025 |
| 28.9% | Euro share of trades in 2025, down from 30.6% in 2022.Source: BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey 2025 |
| 16.8% | Japanese yen share of trades in 2025.Source: BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey 2025 |
| 10.2% | British pound share in 2025, down from 12.9% in 2022.Source: BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey 2025 |
| 8.5% | Chinese renminbi share of trades in 2025.Source: BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey 2025 |
Where does forex trading happen?
| 38% | Share of global forex trading done in the United Kingdom (2025).Source: BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey 2025 |
| 19% | Share done in the United States (2025).Source: BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey 2025 |
What happens to retail traders?
| 74% to 89% | Share of retail CFD accounts that typically lose money, per EU national regulators.Source: ESMA |
| €1,600 to €29,000 | Average loss per retail client found in those EU reviews.Source: ESMA |
| 30:1 | Top leverage allowed for retail clients on major currency pairs in the EU.Source: ESMA |
| 20:1 | Leverage cap on non major pairs, gold and major indices.Source: ESMA |
| 50% | Margin level where providers must close out a retail client's positions.Source: ESMA |
| 2019 | Year the UK made its CFD limits permanent (from 1 August 2019), with leverage caps of 30:1 down to 2:1.Source: UK Financial Conduct Authority |
Results vary, trading has risk.
How much forex is traded per day?
About $9.6 trillion a day on average in April 2025, according to the BIS Triennial Survey.
What is the most traded currency?
The US dollar. It was on one side of 89.2% of all trades in 2025, per the BIS.
What % of forex traders lose money?
EU regulators found 74% to 89% of retail CFD accounts typically lose money, as reported by ESMA. Brokers in the EU and UK must show their own loss rate.
Where is most forex traded?
The United Kingdom, with about 38% of global trading in 2025, followed by the United States at about 19%.
How often are these numbers updated?
The BIS survey runs every three years. We check sources and update this page when new data comes out.
Trading has real risk, and these numbers show it. If you want a hands free option, see how you can let AI trade for you, or size your trades with the lot size calculator. Results vary, trading has risk.
Sources
- BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey 2025
- BIS Triennial Central Bank Survey 2022
- ESMA
- UK Financial Conduct Authority
Last updated October 2026. Every number on this page comes from the linked source.