Analysis of the audit market in Poland from 2010 to 2020

Purpose:The aim of this article is to provide an overview of the concentration issue on the Polish audit market.Design/methodology/approach: The theoretical considerations presented in this publication are based on a critical analysis of the literature on the subject.The empirical part presents an analysis conducted on the basis of audit reports of financial statements of companies listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange in the period 2010-2020.A total of 4281 audit reports concerning 506 listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange entities were analysed.Findings: Among the conclusions presented, it can be pointed out that the Polish audit market is less concentrated compared to other European countries.It was noted that, during the period under review, the market share of the Big Four entities is decreasing, while the importance of the other large (usually also global) audit entities is increasing.Originality/value: The original aspect of this publication is the detailed analysis of the audit market structure in Poland.The author of the paper proposed a significantly more detailed division of audit firms compared to other studies in this field.It should be emphasised that the conducted analysis includes all audits of separate financial statements of public companies in the period under consideration.