Number of M&A deals worldwide 2019 by industry

According to data provided by the Institute for Mergers, Acquisitions and Alliances (IMAA) the highest volume of M&A deals took place in the software industry in both 2018 and 2019. The Aerospace and defense sector saw the highest percentage change in volume whereas the Chemicals industry noted the largest decrease in transaction volume between 2018 and 2019. The Energy and Power industry accounted for the highest total value of deals made for the second year running.

Global M&A activity

2019 has seen both deal volume and value fall from 2018, with last year's figures reflecting those seen in 2016. The year saw a total of under 50 thousand deals with a combined value of 3.7 trillion U.S. dollars. To discover far more in-depth information on the global M&A market please read the Statista annual DossierPlus on the subject.

Largest deals

With a transaction value amounting to 202.8 billion U.S. dollars, the acquisition of Mannesmann AG by Vodafone Air Touch PLC in 1999 was the largest merger and acquisition (M&A) deal to ever take place. It is also one of the oldest transactions on the list. In 2019, the 100 percent acquisition by pharmaceutical and beauty products manufacturer Bristol-Myers Squibb Company of the Biopharmaceuticals manufacturer Celgene Corporation for a deal value of 74 billion U.S. dollars was the largest deal during the year.