USA – Newly released FAA airmen statistics for year-end 2025 show continued expansion of the U.S. pilot training pipeline, a younger overall pilot population, and the U.S. women pilot count surpassing 100,000 for the first time.
- Total active U.S. pilots reached 887,519 at end of 2025, up from 848,770 in 2024 and reflecting sustained multi-year growth from 845,000 in the years prior to the post-pandemic training surge.
- The active student pilot population grew to 370,286 — up from 345,495 in 2024 and 222,629 in 2020 — confirming continued expansion of the ab initio training pipeline.
- The average age of active pilots fell to 42.1 in 2025, down from 42.5 in 2024 and 43.9 in 2020, indicating the sustained student intake is pulling the overall pilot demographic younger; the average age of student pilots edged up to 35.8, reflecting growth from both younger entrants and career-changers entering training later in life.
- Active women pilots reached 100,704 in 2025 — surpassing the 100,000 milestone for the first time — up from 91,694 in 2024 and 58,541 in 2020; women student pilots totalled 60,764, representing 16.4% of the active student pilot category.
- Active commercial pilot certificates grew to 118,314 in 2025, up from 109,727 in 2024, while instrument-rated pilots increased to 355,473 from 342,400.
- New student pilot certificates issued declined to 58,761 in 2025 from 61,353 in 2024, even as the active student population continued to expand — a divergence attributed to improved retention within the training pipeline rather than a slowdown in new entrants.
Source: FAA
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