Emotional Intelligence: Statistics, Facts and Trends Guide for 2025

Emotional intelligence (EI) refers to the ability to understand, manage, and express one’s own emotions, while also recognizing and responding appropriately to the emotions of others.

It’s the skill of being aware of your own feelings and the feelings of those around you, and using that awareness to navigate social interactions effectively.

Is emotional intelligence universal?

What percentage of the population are deficient in emotional intelligence? How to improve this valuable skill?

Is it even possible to improve it?

My UPDATED emotional intelligence statistics guide for 2025 has everything you need to know.

Use this jump link to quickly jump to the KEY STATS section.

All the references and resources I used in crafting my guide are listed at the bottom of the page.

Jump here: Key Emotional Intelligence Statistics, Facts and Trends for This Year| Emotional Intelligence Statistics, Facts and Trends for This Year (Detailed Info)

Key Emotional Intelligence Statistics, Facts and Trends for This Year

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Emotional Intelligence Statistics, Facts and Trends for This Year (Detailed Info)

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What is the Current Market Value and Growth Projection for the Emotional Intelligence Industry?

The Emotional Intelligence market was valued at $868 million in 2021 and is projected to grow at 25.2% CAGR between 2022-2032. (Source)

EQ skills demand is expected to grow 6x in the next 3-5 years. (Source)

What Percentage of the Global Population is Emotionally Intelligent?

Only 36% of people worldwide are emotionally intelligent. The other 64% still have some EQ capabilities, but far less than what’s necessary to feel true empathy and other people’s feelings. (Source)

Also worth noting is that while 95% of people think they are self-aware, only 10-15% actually are. (Source)

Does IQ or EQ Influence Job Success?

Both IQ and EQ influence how successful someone is on a job.

Job success is only 20% dependent on IQ and 80% dependent on EQ (note: 80-90% of job competencies distinguishing top performers are EQ-related, and not related to general intelligence). (Source)

Furthermore, 59% of employers won’t hire someone with high IQ but low EQ and 95% of entrepreneurs stated EQ in leadership is more important than IQ (note: leaders with empathy perform 40% higher in coaching, decision-making, and communication). (Source)

A recent survey (I link to it in the footer of this stats page) showed that 75% of HR respondents value EQ over IQ when hiring new employees. (Source)

The same study showed that HR industry professionals have the highest average EQ score of 76. These people know the value of high EQ for team culture and collaboration and are picking the new employees accordingly. (Source)

What Percentage of Growth and Achievement is Influenced by Emotional Intelligence?

EQ accounts for over 60% of personal and professional achievements. In fact, employees with high EQ earn $29,000 more annually than those with low EQ (Source)

Companies prioritizing EQ are 22x more likely to perform better, especially since 60% of employees are emotionally detached from their work and likely to resign soon (one recent study showed that EQ interventions can reduce employee turnover by 63%). (Source)

36% of business executives believe EQ training will become mandatory in the next decade and 75% of Fortune 500 companies already use EQ training tools to help their employees develop and improve empathy. (Source)

How Many Millennials are Influenced by Their Leaders’ EQ?

87% of Millennials in their workplace are motivated by their leaders’ EQ. And 80% of millennials believe coaching/classroom training is most effective for developing EQ and becoming more like the leaders they adore. (Source)

Emotional Intelligence Statistics, Facts and Trends for 2025 (FAQ)

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What is Emotional Intelligence (Definition and Meaning?

Definition: emotional intelligence (EI) is the ability to understand, manage, and express one’s own emotions, while also recognizing and responding appropriately to the emotions of others.

It’s the skill of being aware of your own feelings and the feelings of those around you, and using that awareness to navigate social interactions effectively.

A strictly psychological definition of emotional intelligence is that emotional intelligence is the ability to perceive, understand, manage, and utilize one’s own emotions, as well as the emotions of others, effectively applying this knowledge to guide thoughts and behaviors

Why is Emotional Intelligence Important?

Emotional intelligence is important because it allows individuals to understand and manage their own emotions, as well as empathize with others.

Stronger mutual empathy leads to better communication, stronger relationships, effective conflict resolution, and improved decision-making in both personal and professional life, especially in stressful situations where sound judgment is often lacking.

Emotional intelligence enables people to respond appropriately to their own feelings and the emotions of those around them making life better all around.

Is Emotional Intelligence More Important than IQ?

Emotional intelligence is more important than IQ because emotional intelligence opens many more doors than pure raw IQ.

Having high IQ often makes you anxious, lonely and even depressed. While  people with high EQ tend to have better general health, quality of life, relationship quality, and personal effectiveness.

High EQ also translates to more success on the job as a recent survey showed that job success is only 20% dependent on IQ and 80% dependent on EQ.

That’s quite a difference in emotional intelligence’s favor.

What are Some Questions to ask to Assess Emotional Intelligence in a Child or Adult?

To assess emotional intelligence in a child or adult, you can ask questions that probe their ability to identify, understand and manage their own emotions, and also recognize others’ feelings.

Examples of the questions you can ask are:

• How are you feeling right now, and why?
• Can you describe a time when you felt really proud of yourself?
• What is something that usually makes you feel frustrated or upset?
• How do you think this person is feeling in this situation?
• If a friend is sad, what would you do to comfort them?
• Can you describe a time when you had to consider someone else’s perspective to resolve a conflict?
• What do you do when you feel really angry or stressed?
• How do you manage your emotions when things don’t go your way?
• Can you describe a time you had to control your emotions to make a good decision?
• How do you respond when someone disagrees with you?
• Can you share an example of when you had to apologize to someone?
• How do you build positive relationships with others?

Why is Emotional Intelligence Important in Leadership?

Emotional intelligence is important in leadership because it enables leaders to understand and manage their own emotions, as well as the emotions of others.

This allows them to build strong relationships, communicate effectively, navigate complex situations, motivate teams, and ultimately create a positive work environment by fostering empathy and trust with their team members.

Repeated studies also show that employees who work for highly empathetic and compassionate leaders show 76% increase in engagement and 61% increase in creativity in their workplaces.

What’s an Area Where High Emotional Intelligence (EQ) Would Be Most Beneficial?

An area where high emotional intelligence (EQ) would be most beneficial is relationship management. It’s because understanding and managing emotions allows for effective communication, conflict resolution, and building strong interpersonal connections with others.

Relationship management is all about:

• recognizing and sharing the feelings of others, leading to better understanding and support.
• Paying close attention to both verbal and non-verbal visual cues to fully grasp another person’s perspective.
• Calmly navigating disagreements by identifying underlying emotions and finding mutually agreeable solutions.
• Building trust and rapport through genuine communication and positive emotional expression.

Is Emotional Intelligence Real?

Yes, according to research emotional intelligence is considered a real concept, with studies validating its existence and demonstrating its correlation with positive outcomes in social interactions, workplace performance, and personal well-being.

What are the Benefits of Emotional Intelligence?

Emotional intelligence (EI), also known as emotional quotient (EQ), has many benefits, including:

• Improved communication. People with high EI are better able to communicate with others, share ideas, and understand others’ perspectives.
• Better decision making. People with high EI are better able to make informed decisions and avoid basing decisions on emotional biases.
• Improved teamwork. People with high EI are better able to collaborate and work well together.
• Better morale. People with high EI are better able to get along with and respect each other, which can boost morale.
• Better conflict resolution. People with high EI are better able to understand others’ emotions and resolve conflicts.
• Increased empathy. People with high EI are better able to understand and share what others feel, which can help them connect with others.
• Improved self-awareness. People with high EI are better able to identify their own emotions and strengths and weaknesses.
• Improved self-regulation. People with high EI are better able to soothe their nervous system when they’re in an emotional state, which can help them manage their emotions.
• Improved mental health. People with high EI are better able to cope with stress and manage their emotions in positive ways.
• Better leadership. People with high EI are better able to build deeper team connections and they’re effective leaders.

Are There any Disadvantages to Having Emotional Intelligence?

Having high emotional intelligence has downsides, including:

• being overly sensitive to others’ emotions;
• feeling burdened by the need to manage everyone’s feelings;
• being manipulated by someone because they can see you have huge amounts of empathy.
• difficulty making tough decisions due to excessive empathy;
• and potentially hindering creativity by prioritizing harmony over critical thinking.

Essentially, high EQ can be both a gift and a curse depending on the circumstances.

But knowing about these disadvantages will help you avoid them if you’re someone who empathizes a bit  too much at the expense of your own quality of life and well-being.

What are the Four Components of Emotional Intelligence?

The four components of emotional intelligence are:

• Self-awareness. The ability to recognize and understand your own emotions, as well as how your actions and moods affect others. It also involves being aware of your strengths and limitations.
• Self-management. The ability to control your thoughts, feelings, and actions in a flexible way to achieve your goals. This includes being able to remain calm in difficult situations.
• Social awareness. The ability to understand the emotions of others.
• Relationship management. A component of emotional intelligence.

What are the Some Interesting and Fun Facts about Emotional Intelligence?

Here are some interesting and fun facts about emotional intelligence:

• Emotional intelligence was first coined in 1990 by psychologists Peter Salovey and John Mayer.
• Women typically score higher in empathy and social responsibility aspects of EI while men score higher in stress management.
• Your EI can keep developing into your 50s, unlike IQ which stabilizes in adolescence.
• People with higher emotional intelligence earn on average $29,000 more annually than those with lower EI.
• The brain’s amygdala processes emotional reactions before our conscious mind is aware of them.
• School-based EI training programs have been shown to reduce behavioral problems by up to 50%.
• Teams led by emotionally intelligent managers are typically 20% more productive.
• Very high emotional intelligence can sometimes hinder tough decision-making.
• The hospitality industry ranks among the top fields requiring high emotional intelligence.
• Cultural differences significantly impact how emotional intelligence is expressed and interpreted in different societies.

What Does it Mean When Someone is Emotionally-Sensitive Person?

An “emotionally sensitive person” is someone who experiences emotions more intensely than others. This means they feel joy, sadness, anger, or other emotions with greater depth and they readily pick up on subtle emotional cues in their environment.

Emotionally-sensitive persons are often described as a “Highly Sensitive Person” (HSP) with a heightened awareness to social and emotional stimuli.

How is Emotional Intelligence Measured?

Emotional intelligence (EI) is measured using a variety of tools and tests, some of which you can take for free online.

• Emotional Competency Inventory (ECI): A popular test for measuring the Goleman model of EQ
• Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i): A self-report measure that assesses emotional skills related to life and work performance
• Emotional Capital Report: An assessment tool from RocheMartin
• Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT): An assessment tool
  360 EQ: An assessment tool from Talent Smart
• Trait Emotional Intelligence Questionnaire (TEIQue): A questionnaire that measures global trait emotional intelligence

Emotional intelligence tests typically measure responses and calculate an overall score. The score is usually on a scale of 0 to 100, with 50 being the average. A higher score obviously indicates a higher level of emotional intelligence.

I advise you to take several of these tests as there all different and together they’ll paint the full picture of your emotional intelligence.

Does Technology Lowers Emotional Intelligence in Kids? How?

Yes, technology can negatively impact a child’s emotional intelligence:

• Less time with thoughts and feelings. Children spend less time on their own thoughts and feelings when they spend more time on technology. This can make it difficult for them to be self-aware and self-reflective.
• Less face-to-face communication. Children spend more time in digital environments and less time engaging in face-to-face communication. This can make it difficult for them to develop social skills like empathy, emotional regulation, and effective communication.
• Increased impulsivity. Technology dependence can increase impulsivity and lower frustration tolerance. This can make it difficult for children to develop the ability to self-regulate.
• Detachment from others’ feelings. For older children and teens, a heavy reliance on technology to communicate can make it difficult for them to understand and manage their own emotions as well as those of others.
• Parents’ media use. Parents’ own media-related behaviors around their children could have a significant impact on child EI development.

How to Improve and Increase Emotional Intelligence?

To improve your emotional intelligence, focus on developing self-awareness by understanding your own emotions, practicing empathy to recognize others’ feelings, actively listening, managing your emotions effectively, and being open to feedback from others.

Essentially, learn to identify and regulate your emotions while also understanding and responding appropriately to the emotions of those around you.

Emotional intelligence can be learned as you’ll learn right below.

Can Emotional Intelligence Be Learned?

Yes, emotional intelligence (EI) can be learned and developed through conscious effort and practice.

Emotional Intelligence is considered a set of skills that can be honed through self-awareness, reflection, and actively managing your emotions and responses to others.

Essentially, you can treat emotional intelligence as any other skill you can improve upon with dedicated practice. It’s totally opposite to fluid intelligence which is the “score” you’re stuck with as soon as you’re born and for the rest of your life.

Emotional Intelligence Statistics, Facts and Trends for 2025 (Conclusion)

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My updated guide for 2025 lists the best and latest statistics, facts and trends about emotional intelligence and how to best take advantage of it if you’re someone who’s fully empathetic in a work where empathy and basic compassion are often severely lacking.

I hope you enjoyed it because the guide is now over.

Read these resources next:

References:

• 25+ Most Interesting Emotional Intelligence Statistics & Fun Facts- https://passivesecrets.com/emotional-intelligence-statistics/
• The Statistics on Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace- https://www.niagarainstitute.com/blog/emotional-intelligence-statistics
• Why Emotional Intelligence Is Important in Leadership- https://online.hbs.edu/blog/post/emotional-intelligence-in-leadership
• Emotional Intelligence No.1 Leadership Skill For 2025, Says Research- https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachelwells/2024/01/05/emotional-intelligence-no1-leadership-skill-for-2024-says-research/
• Statistics Show a Need for EQ- https://www.td.org/content/atd-blog/statistics-show-a-need-for-eq
• Developing Emotional Intelligence for Workplace Leaders- https://legalconnect.com/developing-emotional-intelligence-workplace-leaders/
• 20 Most Important Statistics on Emotional Intelligence- https://medium.com/@igomuemmanuella18/20-most-important-statistics-on-emotional-intelligence-c638f98058f5
• Emotional Intelligence Impact Statistics: Key Findings- https://zoetalentsolutions.com/emotional-intelligence-impact-statistics-key-findings/
• Emotional Intelligence as a Predictor of Academic and/or Professional Success- https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1636947/
• The 10 Benefits of Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace- https://managemagazine.com/article-bank/emotions-emotional-intelligence/the-10-benefits-of-emotional-intelligence-in-the-workplace/
• Why Emotional Intelligence Can Save Your Life?- https://www.talentsmarteq.com/emotional-intelligence-can-boost-your-career-and-save-your-life/
• Understanding and Utilizing Emotional Intelligence in the Workplace- https://www.vantagecircle.com/en/blog/emotional-intelligence-in-the-workplace/
• 36 Emotional Intelligence Statistics & Facts- https://dreammaker.co.uk/blog/emotional-intelligence-statistics/
• Emotional Intelligence Is No Soft Skill- https://professional.dce.harvard.edu/blog/emotional-intelligence-is-no-soft-skill/
• How Technology Lowers Emotional Intelligence in Kids- https://www.psychologytoday.com/intl/blog/when-kids-call-the-shots/201707/how-technology-lowers-emotional-intelligence-in-kids