The Badge Count Survey
Since 2018, 1EdTech Consortium and Credential Engine have collaborated to document the state and extent of global badge practices as part of a broader shift toward transparent, digital credentialing.
The Badge Count Survey—conducted previously in 2018, 2020, and 2022—has served as a consistent mechanism to identify badge volume, adoption of technical standards, and market trends. Some of these findings from the U.S. serve as a key set of data in Credential Engine’s Counting Credentials 2025 report.
This 2025 survey continues that series, updating counts of available and awarded badges while adding details and perspectives on the evolving digital credential ecosystem. It also provides an opportunity to examine how standards—such as Open Badges 3.0, Comprehensive Learner Record Standard™, and the Credential Transparency Description Language (CTDL)—are being implemented across the ecosystem.
This year, more badges were identified than ever before. The number of survey respondents from around the world also grew—24 in 2025 versus 15 in 2022, representing a 60% increase. The increase in participation impacts how totals can be compared over time, so data across the different years of the Badge Count survey reports should be interpreted with these differences in mind.
The Badge Count 2025 survey demonstrates continued expansion and maturation of the digital credential ecosystem globally. The field has shifted from experimentation to broad adoption, embedding Open Badges, Comprehensive Learner Records, and CTDL into mainstream credentialing practices.