Top Consulting Firms for Healthcare and Pharma & Life Sciences (2025)

In this article, we will provide you lists of the top management consulting firms in the practice area of healthcare and pharma & life sciences. Overall, the top consulting firms in this practice consist of big names like the MBB, the Big 4, as well as healthcare/pharma specific consultancies like L.E.K consulting, IQVIA, and ZS.

Read more about the top management consulting firms in general and by practice: Top Management Consulting Firms (2025)

Methodology

Definition

What is healthcare consulting?

Healthcare consulting involves providing expert advice to healthcare organizations to help them improve operations, reduce costs, increase revenue, and enhance patient care. Healthcare consultants work with hospitals, clinics, insurance companies, pharmaceutical firms, and government agencies to solve business challenges within the healthcare sector.

They analyze data, assess processes, develop strategic plans, and guide organizations through change. Common focus areas include operational efficiency, market expansion, cost management, regulatory compliance, and patient satisfaction. By combining industry knowledge with business expertise, healthcare consultants help clients deliver better healthcare services while achieving sustainable growth.

What is pharma & life sciences consulting?

Pharma & life sciences consulting helps pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies improve business performance, bring innovative treatments to market, and navigate complex regulatory environments.

Consultants in this field advise on strategy, market expansion, product launches, operations optimization, compliance, and digital transformation. They work across the entire value chain, from research and development to manufacturing, commercialization, and patient engagement, helping organizations accelerate growth, reduce costs, and deliver better healthcare outcomes.

Sources of data

In this article, we use two sources for the rankings - Vault.com and Consultancy.org.

First, you’ll find lists of management consulting firms ranked globally in healthcare and pharma & life sciences consulting. These rankings are based on data from Consultancy.org.

Next, we present lists of top management consulting firms in health sciences consulting ranked by region. These lists use data from Vault.com.

You can find links to the original sources under each ranking list for further reading.

MConsultingPrep’s database

MConsultingPrep Team have compiled data from the sources above into structured data sheets. In this article, we use those sheets to analyze the rankings and draw comparisons.

You can access the full database here: 2025 Ranking Database of Management Consulting Firms | MConsultingPrep 

Top Healthcare consulting firms in the world (2025) (Consultancy.org)

Methodology:

The top Healthcare consulting firms in the world list presents the globe’s leading consultancy firms in the sector, based on Consultancy.org’s unique database of more than 10 million data points per year of clients and consultants, including expertise and consultancy projects delivered in the Healthcare industry.

Full ranking list: 

Original article: Top Healthcare consulting firms in the world 

Top Pharma & Life Sciences consulting firms in the world (2025) (Consultancy.org)

Methodology:

The top Pharma & Life Sciences consulting firms in the world list presents the globe’s leading consultancy firms in the sector, based on Consultancy.org’s unique database of more than 10 million data points per year of clients and consultants, including expertise and consultancy projects delivered in the Pharma & Life Sciences industry.

Full ranking list:

Original article: Top Pharma & Life Sciences consulting firms in the world 

Key observations from Consultancy.org - 2025 Top Healthcare and Pharma & Life Sciences consulting firms in the world

MBB vs. Big Four: What are the overall ranking differences?

Overall performance:

The rankings of MBB firms were relatively stable, while those of the Big Four varied more noticeably.

MBB’s mean positions ranged from #6.33 to #6.67, while the Big Four’s mean positions ranged from #3.75 to #7.25.

Top #1 positions:

MBB secured the #1 spot in the Pharma & Life Sciences list, while the Big Four held the #1 position in the Healthcare list.

Top 5 rankings:

Neither MBB nor the Big Four managed to have all their firms within the top 5 in any list.

However, in the Healthcare list, both groups had only one firm fall outside the top 5 - Bain for MBB and EY for the Big Four.

Top 10 rankings:

MBB did not have all three of its firms in the top 10 in either of the two lists. In both cases, only Bain fell outside the top 10.

The Big Four achieved full top 10 coverage in one out of the two lists. In the remaining list, only KPMG failed to make it into the top 10.

A closer look at the MBB firms

McKinsey ranked within the top 3 in both lists.

BCG ranked #5 and #6 in the two lists.

Bain performed the lowest among the three, ranking #11 and #13.

A closer look at the Big Four firms

Deloitte consistently ranked within the top 2 in both lists.

PwC showed a significant gap between the two rankings, placing #4 in one list and #9 in the other.

KPMG displayed an even wider gap, ranking as high as #2 in one list but dropping to #15 in the other.

EY also had a notable gap, but in the opposite direction - ranking #8 in one list and improving to #3 in the other.

A closer look at Accenture

Accenture secured the #7 positions in both lists.

Top Health Sciences consulting firms in North America (2025) (Vault.com)

Methodology:

Vault asked consultants to rank the best firms in several areas of business focus. Consultants were allowed to vote for up to three firms as the best in each area, but could NOT vote for their own firm.

Full ranking list:

Original article: Best Consulting Firms for Health Sciences Consulting 

Top Health Sciences consulting firms in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (2025) (Vault.com) 

Methodology:

Vault asked consultants to rank the best firms in several areas of business focus. Consultants were allowed to vote for up to three firms as the best in each area, but could NOT vote for their own firm.

Full ranking list:

Original article: Best Consulting Firms in EMEA for Health Sciences Consulting 

Top Health Sciences consulting firms in Asia - Pacific (2025) (Vault.com) 

Methodology:

Vault asked consultants to rank the best firms in several areas of business focus. Consultants were allowed to vote for up to three firms as the best in each area, but could NOT vote for their own firm.

Full ranking list: 

Original article: Best Consulting Firms in Asia-Pacific for Health Sciences Consulting 

Key observations from Vault.com - 2025 Best health sciences consulting firms by region

MBB vs. Big Four: What are the overall ranking differences?

Overall performance:

MBB clearly held the upper hand across all rankings. In fact, there was no list that a Big Four firm was ranked higher than any MBB firm.

Across three Vault’s lists, MBB’s mean positions ranged between #2.33 and #3.33. At the same time, those of the Big Four varied from #10.5 to #13.75.

Top #1 positions:

MBB firms took the #1 spot in all Vault’s regional lists. In contrast, none of the Big Four firms reached the top position in any list.

Top 5 rankings:

MBB had its firms all appear in the top 5 of one out of three lists. In the remaining lists, only Bain fell out of the top 5, ranking at #6.

At the same time, none of the lists that Big Four had their firms within the top 5. 

Top 10 rankings:

All three MBB firms consistently appeared in the top 10 across all three lists, while none of the lists that Big Four had their firms within the top 10. 

A closer look at the MBB firms

Overall, the MBB firms maintained strong performance in these rankings.

McKinsey led the group across all three lists.

BCG ranked second within MBB, with positions at #2 and #3.

Bain consistently ranked lower than the other two, placing at either #4 or #6 in the three lists.

A closer look at the Big Four firms

The Big Four firms did not achieve high rankings overall, with most of them remaining outside the top tier.

In the EMEA list, neither PwC nor KPMG made it into the rankings.

Deloitte led the group in two out of three lists. In the remaining list, it ranked second, behind KPMG. Its best position was #8, its worst was #10, with a mean position of 9.

KPMG led the Big Four in one list, ranking #7 in the APAC list. In the remaining North America list, it ranked #13.

PwC did not lead in any of the lists. In the two lists where it was ranked, it held the same #14 position.

EY ranked either third or fourth within the group, depending on the list. It failed to reach the top 10 in any of the lists, with a best position of #12, a worst of #20, and a mean position of 15.67.

A closer look at Accenture

Accenture’s rankings were not particularly high.

In all three lists, it consistently ranked below the MBB firms and one Big Four firm, but above the remaining three Big Four firms.

Its best position was #8, its worst was #12 and the mean position was #10.33.

Something you should notice…

Don't rely solely on ranking lists

Although the ranking lists above were made by reputable teams with a wide range of data, they don’t always offer the best insights for deciding where you should work. These rankings are often based on the personal preferences of consultants, without a relative or contextual perspective. What one person sees as a strength, another might see as a weakness. 

In that sense, the rankings can be quite subjective.

In addition, overall rankings often lacked nuances. They don’t reflect the specific factors that might matter most to you. That’s why it’s important to look beyond the list.

Key nuances to consider when choosing a workplace

Choosing a company to work for is not about finding the "best" one in general, but about finding the one that fits you best.

Here are some important factors to consider when making your decision:

• Salary, bonuses and other benefits

• Firm culture

• Work - life balance

• Firm's prestige

• etc.

These aspects will have a direct impact on your day-to-day experience, so think carefully about what matters most to you.

We'll be publishing blog posts that dive deeper into these factors for different consulting firms soon. Stay tuned!

Ask consultants for review

One of the most practical ways to identify if that firm is truly the right fit is to directly ask consultants for review. Experiences can vary between firms, and even between different offices of the same firm.

That’s why you should reach out to at least three consultants working in the specific offices you want to apply for. Their perspective will provide you with the most reliable and relevant information to help you make your decisions.

 

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