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The global freight forwarding market hit €208.1 billion (about US$240.68 billion) in 2025, up 4.4% year-on-year, according to a new report published by Transport Intelligence
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By 2030, it is expected to reach €233 billion
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The 2025 growth was driven primarily by a 4.6% increase in sea freight forwarding
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Air freight also saw growth of 4.1%
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e-commerce was a common driver for both the sea and air segments, but ocean freight benefitted more from cost considerations for bulk goods while air freight thrived on speed requirements for high-value and time-sensitive shipments
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In the next five years, the compound annual growth rate is set at 2.3% as the industry is impacted by technological developments, geopolitical disruptions, and emerging growth sectors such as pharmaceuticals cold chain and AI infrastructure
The global freight forwarding market hit €208.1 billion (about US$240.68 billion) in 2025, according to a new report published by Transport Intelligence (Ti). By 2030, it is projected to reach €233 billion (U $269 billion).
Last year’s market size reflects a 4.4% expansion in real terms, “a significant cooling from the post-pandemic rebound of 2024 and signals a market entering a period of structurally constrained but steady growth through 2030,” Ti said.
Growth in 2025 was driven primarily by a 4.6% increase in sea freight forwarding, supported by expanding global trade volumes, higher demand for integrated multimodal transport solutions, and rising e-commerce volumes.
Ti Insights said while e-commerce was a common driver for both the sea and air segments, ocean freight benefitted more from cost considerations for bulk goods, while air freight thrived on speed requirements for high-value and time-sensitive shipments.
Air freight also saw growth at 4.1%, supported by higher conversions from sea shipments due to disruptions related to the Red Sea situation and a narrowed gap in prices with sea freight.
The positive volume trend in air freight was also prompted by significant growth in e-commerce volumes from China. Demand was positively impacted by a macroeconomic uptrend and an increase in consumer spending, especially in the US, combined with some pre-loading ahead of the potential implementation of new US tariffs in 2025.
Asia-Pacific exports pushed growth both air and sea freight forwarding markets.
READ: Global freight forwarding market seen to grow by 2.9% in 2025
The report from the logistics and supply chain market research firm indicates that the freight forwarding industry is now transitioning from post-Covid volatility to structurally constrained growth.
Mid-term scenario
In the next five years, the compound annual growth rate – a hypothetical rate that evens out annual fluctuations – is set at 2.3% as the industry is impacted by technological developments, geopolitical disruptions and emerging growth sectors such as pharmaceuticals cold chain and artificial intelligence (AI).
For 2026, growth is expected to slow to 2.5% from 4.4% last year, and reach a value of €213.4 billion.
The deceleration factors in geopolitical turbulence, including the continuing Middle East crisis that started on February 28, which has cut global air cargo capacity by 22% and reduced Asia–Europe routes through the region by 39%.
Air freight is seen to slow down to 2.5% in real terms this year “as the sector navigates a complex landscape of geopolitical disruption, capacity constraints, and shifting trade dynamics.”
Before the Gulf conflict, global air cargo demand was expanding with an 11.2% year-on-year uptickl in February 2026, led by Asia- Pacific’s 13.6% growth.
Sea freight forwarding is expected to follow a similar trend with an expected 2026 growth of 2.6%.
“The easy revenue of inflated freight rates is gone,” the report states. “Growth now comes from operational efficiency, technology adoption, customer retention, and strategic positioning.”
Forwarders are increasingly differentiating through value-added services, sustainability credentials and integrated digital platforms rather than pure freight arbitrage, it noted.
Factors reshaping the market
Ti’s analysis identifies several structural forces reshaping competitive dynamics:
- Consolidation: The transformative DSV-Schenker merger is accelerating industry consolidation and margin pressure across the sector.
- Supply chain reconfiguration: Manufacturing capacity continues shifting from China to emerging hubs in Vietnam, India, Indonesia and Mexico, creating new trade lane dynamics.
- Geopolitical disruption: The Red Sea crisis, US–China tariff tensions and Middle East conflict are persistently reshaping global trade flows and forcing forwarders to invest in network resilience.
- Emerging demand pockets: Air freight is finding selective growth in pharmaceutical cold-chain logistics and AI infrastructure airfreight demand from hyperscaler developers, partially offsetting structural capacity constraints.
Ti said major forwarders have underscored the importance of operational resilience amid volatility.
It cited DHL Global Forwarding Asia Pacific CEO Niki Frank, who said: “2026 is expected to be a year of very different realities for shippers depending on mode, geography and routing. Shippers that embrace agility, operational and environmental, will weather the storm.”
READ: Fuel volatility main driver of air, ocean freight markets—DHL
