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Data & Rankings Observatory

Franchise data seen from Asia to the world. Every figure here carries a source, a year and a confidence level — no guessing, no inflation.

Our rule: better to leave it blank than fill in a wrong number. Where reliable data does not yet exist, we mark it as a gap — which is exactly why a proprietary Asia index is needed.

Confidence: High Medium Cautious
01

Global Franchise Scoreboard

The size of the franchise sector by region. Only the US has fully current official data at high confidence; other regions carry year and confidence labels so you read them in context.

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United States
$936.4B
Economic output, up 4.4%. 851,000 units, ~9 million jobs.
IFA / FRANdata2025 · High
United Kingdom
£17.2B
Turnover (~1% of GDP), around 48,600 units. The last comprehensive survey was 2018.
bfa / NatWest2018 · Medium
Australia
~A$184B
1,344 brands, over 98,000 outlets, ~598,000 employed.
FCA / trade.gov~2023 · Medium
Europe
~€1.3T
About 8,500 brands, ~5 million jobs. A secondary, unaudited aggregation.
EFF~2022 · Cautious
Asia / Southeast Asia — Data gap
No official total exists
Unlike the US, UK, Australia and EU, no franchise market-size dataset exists for Asia as a whole. This is the biggest gap — and the opportunity for a proprietary index.
02

Vietnam Franchise Registry Tracker

The official source is Vietnam's Ministry of Industry and Trade (MOIT) registry. The inbound side has good data; the outbound side does not — and we explain why.

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Foreign brands into Vietnam
331
Registered foreign franchisors (F&B 159, fashion 44, education 39).
MOIT03/2025 · Medium
New registrations
14 / 2024
Versus 11 new registrations in 2023. Earlier anchors: 262 (Jun 2020), over 170 (2017).
MOIT2024 · Medium
Vietnamese brands abroad — Data gap
7 (2016)
Since 16 Dec 2011, Vietnamese brands franchising abroad no longer register with MOIT, so no official total exists. MOIT figures ever published: 3 (2007), 7 (2016). The commonly cited “22” is not verifiable.
03

How the rankings actually work

The two best-known rankings crown two different winners — because they measure different things, not “biggest by revenue.” Understand the method before you trust the rank.

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Entrepreneur Franchise 500

A composite of ~150 data points across 5 pillars: costs/fees, size & growth, franchisee support, brand strength, financial stability. 2026 Top 10:
  1. Jersey Mike's
  2. Taco Bell
  3. Dunkin'
  4. Ace Hardware
  5. Kumon
  6. Wingstop
  7. The UPS Store
  8. Hampton by Hilton
  9. Culver's
  10. McDonald's
Entrepreneur2026 · High

Franchise Direct Top 100 Global

A proprietary formula on FDDs and government filings, weighting longevity, system size, investment and growth. Global Top 10:
  1. PIRTEK
  2. The UPS Store
  3. Stratus Building Solutions
  4. Visiting Angels
  5. SERVPRO
  6. Wild Birds Unlimited
  7. Dream Vacations
  8. PuroClean
  9. Ace Hardware
  10. Budget Blinds
Franchise Direct2026 · High
04

The Asia go-global corridor

The wave of Asian brands expanding internationally through franchising, led by food & beverage (F&B), using Singapore as a launchpad.

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China · Korea · Japan → Singapore → Wider ASEAN
6.100+ outlets in Southeast Asia
60+ Chinese F&B brands (Mixue, Luckin, Chagee, Haidilao) as of 31 Dec 2024. Korea's “K-Food Plus” exports reached US$13.03B (2024).
Momentum Works · 2024 · MediumBaker McKenzie · qualitative
05

Franchise Economics 101

Standard bands for fees and royalties, based on US FDD data. These are directional reference ranges — total initial investment is sector-dependent, with no single number.

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Initial franchise fee
$20k – $50k
New systems typically $25k–$40k · Source: US SBA · Medium
Royalty — median
~6.0%
Of revenue; range 4–8% (up to 12%+) · Source: FRANdata / US SBA
Marketing contribution
1% – 4%
Average ~3.5%; QSR 2–5% · Source: US SBA
Total initial investment
Sector-dependent — no single number
Per FDD Item 7 structure · Source: US FTC Franchise Rule

About the data

Data is curated from reputable primary and industry sources: IFA/FRANdata, bfa, FCA, EFF, Vietnam MOIT, US FTC/SBA, Entrepreneur Franchise 500, Franchise Direct and Momentum Works. US figures are the most current and high-confidence; other regions carry year and confidence labels. This is a cited curation, not a proprietary index — a proprietary Asia index is on the roadmap.

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