The collective or overall well-being of a group/ community of people and institutions that are being served by professional accountants in the context of their practice. These accountants are required to carry out their duties at the highest standards of professionalism in order to attain the highest level of performance and to meet the public interest requirement.

Public interest is also an area that must be considered in the so-called public sector audit: this audit is conducted to verify whether public sector entities are operating in the best public interest. This involves examining public sector entities in terms of their financial affairs and compliance with local laws and regulations and standards.