The Association for Investment Management and Research announced today that 6,369 candidates from around the world have passed the examinations and met all the other requirements to earn their Chartered Financial Analyst credentials.

The new charterholders bring to more than 43,000 the number of CFA charterholders worldwide — a 17% increase from last year.

The CFA designation is widely considered the most rigorous and globally accepted professional standard in the investment industry.

Of the 6,369 new CFA charterholders, 3,118 are from the United States, 912 are from Canada, 347 from Hong Kong, 333 from Singapore and 265 from the United Kingdom. The remaining 1,394 are from 80 other countries in Europe, Asia, Australia, South America and throughout the world.