Despite a rather challenging year for the international development sector, marked by shrinking aid budgets, donor pullbacks, and the widely felt consequences of the dismantling of USAID, the market for individual consultants in 2025 proved to be more resilient than many had anticipated.
Exclusive data available on the DevelopmentAid platform shows that tenders intended for independent consultants remained open across a broad range of sectors, which, in fact, illustrates that demand for specialized, flexible expertise remains a cornerstone of how development projects are designed and implemented.
Tenders for individual consultants are official short-term contracts whereby organizations seek bids from qualified professionals who are able to carry out certain time-sensitive activities.
Short-term opportunities (published under the Jobs menu) are contracts for employment that an organization offers to potential employees willing to work on a temporary basis.
Consulting market at a glance
The trajectory of the global consulting market looks promising.
In Europe alone, Mordor Intelligence reports that the value of the consulting services market in 2025 was US$106 billion and is projected to reach US$148 billion by 2031, indicating a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of approximately 5.7%.
Its main drivers are sustainability reporting mandates, generative AI adoption, and EU-backed digitalization programs.
Throughout the industry, climate is the area that PwC’s U.S. advisory leader, Tyson Cornell, defines as experiencing “selective acceleration” meaning that instead of investing broadly, clients are choosing to focus their funds on initiatives with clear, observable results.
Despite tighter aid budgets, the demand for specialized independent expertise has held steady, and the numbers reflect this.
What does the latest data regarding tenders for individual consultants show?
An analysis of the exclusive data available on the DevelopmentAid platform, the world’s leading information service provider for international development aid and economic and humanitarian assistance stakeholders, revealed that 21,482 tenders for individual consultants were opened across all sectors in 2025.
Of the 53 sectors tracked on the platform, the following 10 accounted for the vast majority of opportunities:
| Rank | Sector | Nr of tenders |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Environment and climate | 3,262 |
| 2 | Education, training, and capacity building | 2,257 |
| 3 | ICT and telecommunications | 2,078 |
| 4 | Financial services and audit | 1,809 |
| 5 | Social development | 1,682 |
| 6 | Marketing and media | 1,555 |
| 7 | Monitoring and evaluations | 1,525 |
| 8 | Macro-economy and public finance | 1,475 |
| 9 | Gender and human rights | 1,294 |
| 10 | Agriculture and rural development | 1,221 |
| Total tenders for individuals among all sectors: | 21,482 | |
*Some tenders listed by sector may be double-counted, as many assignments are cross-listed under two or more relevant sectors.
The top 10 sectors by number of tenders for individual consultants in 2025
1. Environment and Climate – Number of tenders: 3,262
In 2025, the Environment and Climate sector was by far the largest on the DevelopmentAid platform in terms of the tenders available for individual consultants.
This sector covers a wide spectrum of areas:
Environment:
- Biotic factors (living organisms): plants, animals, forests, etc.
- Abiotic factors: water, air, soil, sunlight, and climate
- Land resources
- Water resources: wetlands, waterways, groundwater
- Biodiversity conservation and ecosystem management
Climate:
- Climate change adaptation and mitigation
- Renewable energy transition
- Environmental policy and legislation
- Pollution control and natural resource management
Some of the positions that organizations sought included technical advisors, evaluation specialists for project completion reports, climate and disaster risk management experts, and urban planning and environmental landscaping engineers.
Key funding agencies active in this space included the Asian Development Bank, UNDP, the World Bank, and the Inter-American Development Bank.
Environment and climate tenders broken down by region:
Browse Environment and Climate tenders for individual consultants on DevelopmentAid →
2. Education, Training, and Capacity Building – Number of tenders: 2,257
Ranking second, this sector reflects continued investment in human capital as a long-term development priority. It brings together three closely linked areas:
- Education – formal and non-formal systems from pre-primary to higher education
- Training – developing skills and knowledge related to certain competencies to boost capability and performance
- Capacity building – improving the skills and knowledge of people, companies, and communities
For individual consultants, this sector offers a steady stream of assignments in curriculum design, training facilitation, skills assessment, and advisory support to ministries and international programs alike.
Consultant profiles in this sector varied widely from training development specialists and SME development trainers to capacity building mentors.
Among the leading funding agencies were the World Bank, the European Commission Directorate-General for International Partnerships, the Asian Development Bank, the African Development Bank, and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit.
Education, training, and capacity building tenders broken down by region:
3. ICT and Telecommunications – Number of tenders: 2,078
The fact that this category ranks third shows just how deeply ingrained digital transformation has become in the development agenda.
This sector spans:
- E-government systems
- Digital infrastructure
- Telecommunications policy
- Cybersecurity
- Data management
- Software development for development programs
- Digital financial services
To give just a few examples, organizations tendered for profiles such as data management consultants, dashboard integration specialists, and national experts in secure communications and cybersecurity.
Some of the most active funding agencies included the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, the International Labour Organization, and the Belgian Development Agency.
ICT and Telecommunications tenders broken down by region:
Browse ICT and Telecommunications tenders for individual consultants on DevelopmentAid →
4. Financial Services and Audit – Number of tenders: 1,809
Financial Services and Audit was the sector with the fourth highest number of tenders for individuals in 2025, even though we still witnessed the tightening of development funds. This is because strong fiscal management and financial accountability continued to represent non-negotiable goals for both implementing agencies and donors.
The sector covers a broad range of activities, including:
- Banking and capital markets
- Insurance
- Microfinance and financial inclusion
- Mobile money services and cash transfer programs
- Accounting and financial reporting
- Audit services, including due diligence, technical audits, and organizational assessments
This sector created a need for a wide range of consultants including financial management experts, international project managers, anti-money laundering and combating financing terrorism specialists, and internal audit advisors.
Key funders active in this sector, among others, included the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, the African Development Bank, the Asian Development Bank, the World Bank, and the Danish International Development Agency.
Financial Services and Audit tenders broken down by region:
Browse Financial Services and Audit tenders for individual consultants on DevelopmentAid →
5. Social Development – Number of tenders: 1,682
Social Development is one of the most interconnected sectors in the development environment. It spans the entire scope of initiatives to develop cohesive, inclusive, and resilient societies.
It covers everything that goes into building fair, inclusive, and resilient societies, including:
- Social protection systems such as cash transfers, pensions, and skills development programs
- Social inclusion and social cohesion initiatives
- Community development and poverty reduction
- Care for elderly people and persons with disabilities
- Building resilience against economic shocks, unemployment, and other life vulnerabilities
Consultant profiles in this sector ranged across many specializations including social risk management officers, project evaluation consultants, and experts in socio-economic analysis of climate risk and vulnerability.
Among the leading funders were UNDP, the International Labour Organization, the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and UNICEF.
Social Development tenders broken down by region:
Browse Social Development tenders for individual consultants on DevelopmentAid →
6. Marketing and Media – Number of tenders: 1,555
Without doubt, we are seeing a growing emphasis on communications, visibility, and knowledge management in development programs. This explains why Marketing and Media is a consistently active sector for independent consultants.
The sector includes a number of processes, such as:
- Market research and analysis
- Brand development and advertising
- Event management
- Strategic, corporate, and public communications
- Social media management
- Writing, editing, and content production
- Photo, video, and documentary production
The range of consultant profiles sought in this sector is broad, spanning videographers and digital design specialists to communication consultants and reporting experts, to name just a few.
Among the numerous funding agencies in this sector on the DevelopmentAid platform were the Asian Development Bank, UNDP, the African Development Bank, the Inter-American Development Bank, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands.
Marketing and Media tenders broken down by region:
Browse Social Development tenders for individual consultants on DevelopmentAid →
7. Monitoring and Evaluation – Number of tenders: 1,525
Donors have intensified their focus on results measurement, which is clearly reflected in the 1,525 tenders for individual Monitoring & Evaluation (M&E) consultants in 2025.
Our platform registered tenders for numerous positions, including individual consultants, evaluation specialists, experts for environmental Improvement investment programs, and survey technical oversight consultants.
The sector featured a number of processes, including:
- Ongoing oversight of a project’s progress against its planned results
- Spotting challenges, risks, and gaps in implementation
- Working on timely adjustments to maintain the pace of programs’ development
- Midterm reviews to evaluate progress at the halfway point
- Final evaluations to estimate the end results
- Evaluating relevance, effectiveness, impact, and sustainability
The consultant profiles sought in this sector reflected its technical depth, with past tenders calling for impact assessment specialists, M&E and civil society engagement analysts, data analysts, and experts in M&E plan development and implementation.
Some of the most active funders in the sector included the International Labour Organization, the World Bank, UNESCO, the Green Climate Fund, and the French Development Agency.
Monitoring and Evaluation tenders broken down by region:
Browse Monitoring and Evaluation tenders for individual consultants on DevelopmentAid →
8. Macro-Economy and Public Finance – Number of tenders: 1,475
Despite a noted decline in some macro-economic advisory roles at the institutional level, this sector still saw significant demand for consultancy services, with nearly 1,500 tenders for individual consultants in 2025 being available on the DevelopmentAid platform.
This sector brings together two closely related fields:
Macroeconomics:
- Economic policy formulation, including monetary and fiscal policy
- Economic forecasting and trend examination
- Estimating overall economic performance
Public Finance Management:
- Government budget planning and expenditure management
- The management of public debt and the budget
- Efficient allocation of resources
Some of the positions that various organizations sought included tax policy experts, research associates, development and logistics economists, and modeling and policy simulation experts.
Leading funders in this sector included the Asian Development Bank, UNDP, the World Bank, the Slovak Agency for International Development Cooperation, and the Swedish International Development Agency.
Macro-Economy and Public Finance tenders broken down by region:
Browse Macro-Economy and Public Finance tenders for individual consultants on DevelopmentAid →
9. Gender and Human Rights – Number of tenders: 1,294
Although embracing human rights and gender equality has become a common criterion for almost all development programs, there is still a significant need for specialized experts, as evidenced by the 1,292 tenders for individuals in this sector.
The sector combine two interconnected fields
Gender:
- Examining and resolving inequality and prejudice based on gender
- Gender-responsive program and policy development
- Promoting equal roles and opportunities for women, men, girls, and boys
Human Rights:
- Protecting fundamental rights and freedoms
- Legal and policy reform
- Government prevention of human rights violations
The consultant profiles sought in this sector reflect its cross-cutting nature, ranging from program management and coordination experts to financial inclusion consultants and project evaluation specialists.
Among the key funding agencies were the International Labour Organization, the European Commission Directorate-General for International Partnerships, the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development of Germany, and the World Bank.
Gender and Human Rights tenders broken down by region:
Browse Gender and Human Rights tenders for individual consultants on DevelopmentAid →
10. Agriculture and Rural Development – Number of tenders: 1,221
Rounding up the top 10, Agriculture and Rural Development remained a foundational sector for development investment, especially for low-income countries where the majority of the population depends on agriculture for their livelihoods.
It covers two closely linked areas:
Agriculture:
- Crop cultivation
- Livestock rearing for meat, milk, eggs, and other products
- Agricultural productivity and food security
Rural Development:
- Improving standards of living in non-urban and remote communities
- Rural infrastructure development
- Land governance and natural resource management
For independent consultants, opportunities ranged from organizational agriculture economists to development specialists, to good agricultural practices consultants and experts in climate-resilient and sustainable agriculture.
Among the active funders were the Asian Development Bank, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, the World Bank, UNOPS, and the African Development Bank.
Agriculture and Rural Development tenders broken down by region:
Browse Agriculture and Rural Development tenders for individual consultants on DevelopmentAid →
The data behind the rankings
All the figures in this analysis were drawn exclusively from the DevelopmentAid database, which tracked 21,482 tenders for individual consultants across 53 sectors in 2025.
DevelopmentAid aims to provide up-to-date and critically relevant information for donors, agencies, consultancies, non-government organizations, and individual professionals working in the development sector.
The top 10 sectors presented above collectively represent the highest-volume opportunities for independent consultants, and yet thousands of other tenders were registered across various other sectors including civil engineering, health, research and innovation, tourism, and transport.
Register to access the DevelopmentAid platform and stay up to date on the latest tenders for individual consultants.
