Overview

The IRIS+ Benchmarks tool is an online benchmarking platform that allows users to compare impact performance across sectors, themes and regions using standardised impact metrics. It aggregates reported impact data into comparable benchmarks rather than providing raw datasets. Finance professionals may find it relevant for contextualising impact results and supporting impact-focused investment analysis.

Organisation behind the tool

The tool is developed and maintained by the Global Impact Investing Network (GIIN). It is part of the IRIS+ system, which provides standardised impact measurement and management guidance for the impact investing market. The benchmarks draw on data reported by impact investors and enterprises using IRIS+ metrics.

What the tool does

The IRIS+ Benchmarks tool enables users to:

• View aggregated impact performance benchmarks across sectors, impact themes and geographies.
• Compare reported outcomes against peer group ranges and medians.
• Explore performance by metric type, such as outputs, outcomes or financial proxies.
• Filter benchmarks by asset class, investment theme or region, where available.
• Access visual summaries and explanatory context for each benchmark.
• The tool focuses on comparison and context rather than transaction-level or entity-level data access.

Target audience

The primary audience includes impact investors, asset managers and development finance institutions. Secondary users include researchers, consultants, foundations, policymakers and organisations involved in impact measurement and reporting.

Relevance to finance professionals

The tool can support financial analysis and decision-making in several areas:

• Risk assessment – provides contextual insight into impact performance variability across sectors and regions, which may inform non-financial risk considerations.
• ESG analysis – supports comparison of environmental and social performance using standardised metrics aligned with impact reporting practices.
• Market and sector insights – enables high-level analysis of impact trends in areas such as energy access, financial inclusion, housing, health and agriculture.
• Investment context – helps frame portfolio impact performance relative to peers and market benchmarks, supporting long-term impact strategy and reporting.

The tool is best used as a contextual benchmarking resource rather than a standalone data source for financial modelling.