It seems easy to identify the number of CCIEs around the world. But it isn’t. This question is addressed in a variety of ways, including blog posts, forums posts, and websites.
Here’s how many CCIEs are there in the world, based on three sources: CCIE numbers and CCIE Hall of Fame.
Our Best Estimate: 59,737 CCIEs
It should be simple, because CCIEs are numbered sequentially. Simply subtract the highest reported CCIE number from the first CCIE number given to a human, which in this case is #1025. It is as simple as finding the highest CCIE number.
CCIE #57.597 is the highest-reported CCIE on the CCIE Hall of Fame. The CCIEs begin at #1,025, which is 59,737 CCIEs. Unfortunately, the site has been mostly dormant ever since November 2017. This is not very helpful, but it could be if there was more information.
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Get started training. A SPOTO learner earned his CCIE R&S in October 2018 with the help of SPOTO Learner Community. (Congrats, Jacob!) His number is #60501. We know Jacob was the 59,476th CCIE by subtracting Stuart Biggs’ CCIE number.
Between November 2017 – October 2018, Cisco issued at most 2,904 CCIEs, divided by 690 days. These numbers suggest that Cisco issues approximately four CCIEs each day.
As of January 14, 2019, there were 59,737 CCIEs around the world.
We tell the story in this video about whether or not they have maintained their CCIEs by recertification.

The CCIE Hall of Fame: 56.572 CCIEs
The CCIE Hall of Fame was not useful in determining how many CCIEs are worldwide. We did find some interesting information about the 16,548 CCIEs that self-reported how many CCIEs earned.
How many people have multiple CCIEs.
The CCIE Hall of Fame reports that 16,548 people earned 19,973 CCIEs. We can also count the number of CCIEs these highly-skilled (and possibly overly-skilled) individuals have.
Number of CCIEsNumber of People847156305714190364022,476116,547Which CCIE do most people take first?
The Hall of Fame doesn’t seem to list multiple CCIEs of people in any discernible order (like alphabetical), so it’s safe to assume that they’re listed in the order in which they’ve been passed. Nearly 74% of CCIE Routing & Switching was the first certification. CCIE Security is the second most common first certification with 7.3 percent.
Here’s a list with the top CCIE exams:
CCIE CertificationFirst exam% of People Who Started with ExamRouting and Switching12,22673.88%Security1,2217.38%Service Provider8905.38%Voice7344.44%Collaboration6223.76%Data Center5343.23%Wireless1150.69%ISP Dial760.46%WAN Switching620.37%Storage Networking500.30%SNA IP110.07%Design10.01%With years of CCIE data available, we can also determine the most common second and third exams, too. Service Provider is the most popular second CCIE among 3,426 people who have multiple CCIEs. The CCIE Security is second, with more than 25% of second CCIEs.
These are the most popular second CCIEs.
CCIE ExamSecond exam after R&S% of People Took This Exam SecondService Provider88735.84%Security63425.62%Data Center29611.96%Routing and Switching1857.47%Voice1777.15%Collaboration1506.06%Wireless441.78%Storage Networking411.66%ISP Dial311.25%WAN Switching170.69%SNA IP120.48%Design10.04%What’s the likelihood you’ll earn a second CCIE?
It is highly unlikely that you will start with the CCIE SNA/IP 2019 (especially since it has been retired). If you were still able to, you would be the most likely candidate for a second CCIE. Nearly 17 percent of CCIEs who begin with the Routing & Switching exam earn a second CCIE.
Based on your first exam, here’s how likely you are to earn a second CCIE.
Has a Second CCIEAnd Started With This Cert% of CCIE With Second CCIESNA IP81173%Routing and Switching2,0801223017%Storage Networking85016%Servic