Mergers and acquisitions (M&As) worldwide - statistics & facts

Although the terms “merger” and “acquisition” are often used interchangeably, they represent different methods of company consolidation processes. A merger is a combination of two companies to form a new company, while an acquisition is the purchase of one company by another, in which no new company is formed. M&A activity had been fluctuating in the past few years, before reaching new heights in 2021. The most attractive market for M&A deals remains the United States, both for domestic and cross-border deals, but M&As involving Chinese companies have been increasing throughout the last two decades, overtaking the United Kingdom (UK) as the second largest market in terms of M&A transactions value.

Which are the most active sectors for M&As?

Due to the global economic contraction and the uncertainty caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, M&A activity suffered in 2020, but bounced back in 2021 and 2022. Some industries are more popular than others for M&As, depending also on the local economy. In 2022, the financial sector experienced the biggest decline in terms of M&A deals value, after increasing by more than 120 percent in 2021 compared to the previous year. In 2022, the information technology (IT) sector overtook the financial sector as the leading one in terms of M&As transaction value. Similarly, in the United States, the leading sector for M&As in 2022 was technology, media, and telecommunications (TMT), followed by pharma, medical and biotech. These rankings, however, largely depend on so-called mega-deals, which can significantly impact a sector’s performance, skewing the rankings.

M&As: Drivers and challenges

Several factors play a role in executives deciding to pursue a M&A deal. Drivers for buyers vary, but the most common generally include technology acquisition, foreign expansion, and market consolidation. On the other hand, sellers might need to enter a merger and acquisition deal due to divestments, liquidity issues, and acquisition of non-core assets by larger companies. Despite all the positive impacts that M&As can have on companies and markets, they involve complex and lengthy negotiations, followed by regulatory checks and due diligence to ensure the success of the transaction.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jun 7, 2023

Key insights

Value of global M&A deals
3.4tr USD
Value of M&A deals in APAC
1.94tn USD
Value of global M&A deals in real estate sector
338bn USD
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Number of merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions worldwide from 1985 to April 2023

M&A & Private Equity

Volume of M&A deals globally 1985-2023

Value of mergers and acquisition (M&A) transactions worldwide from 1985 to April 2023 (in trillion U.S. dollars)

M&A & Private Equity

Value of M&A deals globally 1985-2023

Largest merger and acquisition (M&A) transactions worldwide as of December 2022 (in billion U.S. dollars)

M&A & Private Equity

Biggest global M&A deals 2022

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5

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North America

8

North America

Asia-Pacific

8

Asia-Pacific

Europe

5

Europe

Latin & South America

4

Latin & South America

Middle East and Africa

5

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M&As in the United Kingdom (UK)
M&As in the United Kingdom (UK)
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Mergers & acquisitions in China
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M&As in the United States
M&As in the United States
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Italy
Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) in Italy

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