Academic conference statistics reveal how scholarly events balance submission volume, selectivity, published output, and participation. The records below cover CHES from 1999 to 2024, FIE from 2000 to 2025, and VLDB from 2011 to 2013. Because the series use different measures, acceptance rates, attendance, abstracts, submissions, and published papers should be read as distinct indicators.
Contents
- CHES submission and acceptance trends
- CHES participation over time
- FIE review volume and published output
- FIE attendance statistics
- VLDB tracks and selectivity
- Cross-conference comparisons
CHES submission and acceptance trends
CHES Statistics reports a long annual sequence of submissions, accepted papers, acceptance rates, and participants. The series begins with 42 submissions in 1999, of which 27 papers were accepted, for a 64% acceptance rate. In 2000, submissions rose to 51, while 25 papers were accepted and the acceptance rate was 49%. The 2001 edition recorded 66 submissions, 31 accepted papers, and a 47% acceptance rate.
Submission volume passed 100 in 2002, when CHES received 101 submissions and accepted 39 papers at a 39% rate. The 2003 edition had 111 submissions, 32 accepted papers, and a 29% rate. In 2004, 125 submissions produced 32 accepted papers and a 25% acceptance rate. CHES recorded 108 submissions, 32 accepted papers, and a 30% rate in 2005, followed by 112 submissions, 32 acceptances, and a 26% rate in 2006.
The later 2000s continued to show substantial volume. CHES had 99 submissions and 31 accepted papers in 2007, with a 31% acceptance rate. In 2008, the totals were 107 submissions, 27 accepted papers, and 25%. In 2009, submissions reached 148, accepted papers numbered 29, and the reported acceptance rate was 20%. The 2010 edition had 108 submissions, 30 accepted papers, and a 28% acceptance rate. CHES Statistics lists 119 submissions, 32 accepted papers, and 27% for 2011.
From 2012 through 2017, CHES submissions remained above 120 in most years. The 2012 edition recorded 120 submissions, 32 accepted papers, and a 27% rate. In 2013, 132 submissions resulted in 27 acceptances and a 20% rate. The 2014 figures were 127 submissions, 33 accepted papers, and 26%. CHES received 128 submissions in 2015 and accepted 34 papers at 27%. The 2016 edition had 148 submissions, 30 accepted papers, and a 20% rate, while 2017 had 130 submissions, 33 accepted papers, and 25%.
The largest CHES submission total in this record is 262 in 2024. That edition accepted 101 papers and reported a 38% acceptance rate. The preceding high-volume years included 164 submissions and 47 accepted papers in 2018, 181 submissions and 42 acceptances in 2019, 196 submissions and 60 acceptances in 2020, and 192 submissions and 78 acceptances in 2021. Their reported acceptance rates were 29%, 23%, 31%, and 40%, respectively. CHES Statistics records 221 submissions, 83 accepted papers, and a 38% rate for 2022; 233 submissions, 78 acceptances, and 33% for 2023.
CHES participation over time
CHES participant counts vary independently of paper selectivity. The 1999 conference had 158 participants, followed by 168 in 2000 and 214 in 2001. Participation was 179 in 2002, 233 in 2003, 189 in 2004, and 234 in 2005. The record lists 250 participants in 2006, 268 in 2007, 252 in 2008, and 312 in 2009.
Participation increased to 361 in 2010, then stood at 316 in 2011 and 410 in 2012. CHES had 372 participants in 2013, 362 in 2014, and 435 in 2015. The totals were 383 in 2016 and 341 in 2017. A high of 606 participants appears for 2018, followed by 394 in 2019, 607 in 2020, and 553 in 2021.
The participation figures for 2022 and 2023 are reported by format and location rather than as a single directly comparable total. CHES Statistics lists 518 virtual participants in Belgium plus 178 virtual participants in 2022. For 2023, it lists 520 participants in Czechia plus 68 virtual participants. The 2024 record reports 336 participants in Canada. These geography and format details matter when comparing editions: a local count, a virtual count, and a combined event total do not necessarily represent the same measurement.
FIE review volume and published output
FIE Conference Background reports abstracts, acceptance rates, and published papers for selected editions from 2007 through 2025. In 2007, FIE recorded 734 abstracts, a 55% acceptance rate, and 403 published papers. The 2008 figures were 876 abstracts, 47%, and 411 published papers. In 2009, the conference recorded 783 abstracts, a 45% acceptance rate, and 355 published papers. FIE had 833 abstracts, a 45% rate, and 379 published papers in 2010.
The 2011 edition had 736 abstracts, a 60% acceptance rate, and 440 published papers. In 2012, FIE recorded 690 abstracts, 43%, and 300 published papers. The 2013 figures were 609 abstracts, 70%, and 429 published papers. In 2014, there were 895 abstracts, a 57% acceptance rate, and 507 published papers. FIE Conference Background lists 575 abstracts, 52%, and 396 published papers for 2015.
FIE recorded 854 abstracts, a 48% acceptance rate, and 412 published papers in 2016. In 2017, the figures were 660 abstracts, 45%, and 302 published papers. The 2018 edition had 911 abstracts, a 59% acceptance rate, and 539 published papers. In 2019, FIE recorded 648 abstracts, 56%, and 365 published papers. The 2020 edition had 774 abstracts, a 55% rate, and 424 published papers.
The later records show renewed volume. FIE Conference Background lists 877 abstracts, a 58% acceptance rate, and 509 published papers in 2023. In 2024, the figures rose to 1,033 abstracts, 63%, and 651 published papers. For 2025, the record reports 1,044 abstracts, a 58.9% acceptance rate, and 615 expected published papers. The 2025 published-paper figure is explicitly expected, so it should not be treated as the same type of completed count reported for earlier editions.
| FIE edition | Abstracts | Acceptance rate | Published papers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 609 | 70% | 429 |
| 2018 | 911 | 59% | 539 |
| 2020 | 774 | 55% | 424 |
| 2023 | 877 | 58% | 509 |
| 2024 | 1,033 | 63% | 651 |
| 2025 | 1,044 | 58.9% | 615 expected |
FIE attendance statistics
FIE Conference Background reports attendance from 2000 through 2020, then for 2023 and 2024. Attendance was 464 participants in 2000 and 499 in 2001. It reached 629 in 2002 and 693 in 2003. The following counts were 566 in 2004, 663 in 2005, and 659 in 2006.
FIE attendance was 642 in 2007, 590 in 2008, and 513 in 2009. The 2010 conference had 631 participants, followed by 527 in 2011 and 505 in 2012. Attendance was 481 in 2013, 571 in 2014, and 513 in 2015. The record lists 511 participants in 2016 and 436 in 2017.
Participation rose to 668 in 2018, then fell to 437 in 2019 and stood at 561 in 2020. The later counts were 709 participants in 2023 and 741 in 2024. FIE Conference Background gives average attendance across all 24 completed editions as 574 people. That average is a reported summary statistic; it is not a recomputation from the individual attendance figures here.
VLDB tracks and selectivity
VLDB Statistics separates submissions and acceptance rates by contribution track, making the figures useful for comparing review categories within the same conference series. In 2013, the research track received 559 submissions and accepted 127 papers, for a 22.7% acceptance rate. Industrial submissions numbered 54, with 17 accepted papers and a 31.5% rate. Demonstration submissions totaled 100, with 40 accepted papers and a 40.0% rate. Tutorials had 11 submissions, 6 accepted papers, and a 54.5% rate.
The 2012 research track recorded 659 submissions, 134 accepted papers, and a 20.3% acceptance rate. VLDB Statistics lists 23 E&A submissions and 8 accepted papers for a 34.7% rate. The industrial track had 62 submissions, 16 accepted papers, and a 25.8% rate. Demonstrations recorded 101 submissions, 34 acceptances, and a 33.6% rate. Tutorials had 17 submissions, 7 accepted papers, and a 41.1% rate.
For 2011, VLDB research submissions numbered 553, with 100 accepted papers and an 18.1% acceptance rate. Industrial submissions totaled 41, with 12 accepted papers and a 29.3% rate. Demonstrations had 89 submissions, 28 accepted papers, and a 31.5% rate. The Challenges & Vision track recorded 41 submissions, 10 accepted papers, and a 24.4% acceptance rate.
| VLDB track and year | Submissions | Accepted papers | Acceptance rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research, 2011 | 553 | 100 | 18.1% |
| Research, 2012 | 659 | 134 | 20.3% |
| Research, 2013 | 559 | 127 | 22.7% |
| Industrial, 2013 | 54 | 17 | 31.5% |
| Demonstration, 2013 | 100 | 40 | 40.0% |
Cross-conference comparisons
The three sources measure different stages of conference activity. CHES Statistics emphasizes annual submissions, accepted papers, acceptance rates, and participants. FIE Conference Background uses abstracts, acceptance rates, published papers, and attendance. VLDB Statistics reports track-level submissions, acceptances, and rates. A CHES submission should therefore not be treated as directly equivalent to an FIE abstract or a VLDB research submission without a definition supplied by the relevant source.
The scale ranges are nevertheless clear. CHES submissions run from 42 in 1999 to 262 in 2024, while its participant records range from 158 in 1999 to 607 in 2020, with location- and format-specific reporting in 2022 and 2023. FIE reports between 575 and 1,044 abstracts in the listed editions and attendance between 436 and 741 in the listed years. Its reported average attendance across 24 completed editions is 574 people.
VLDB’s research track is the largest of the listed VLDB categories by submission volume: 553 submissions in 2011, 659 in 2012, and 559 in 2013. Its research acceptance rates were 18.1%, 20.3%, and 22.7%. In the 2013 records, industrial, demonstration, and tutorial acceptance rates were higher at 31.5%, 40.0%, and 54.5%, respectively. Those comparisons are within the reported VLDB tracks and years; they do not establish a universal ranking of conference difficulty.
For readers evaluating academic conference statistics, the most important distinctions are the unit, the event year, the geography, and the status of the number. Acceptance rates describe review outcomes, participation describes attendance, abstracts and submissions describe incoming work, and published papers describe output. The FIE 2025 published-paper figure is expected, while the CHES 2022 and 2023 participation figures are split by virtual format and location. Keeping those qualifiers attached to each statistic makes comparisons more meaningful.