Industries with the Biggest Increase in Profit Margin in Global in 2025

• 1. Global Semiconductor & Electronic Parts Manufacturing

  Percentage Point Increase for 2025: 5.0pp

  Global semiconductor manufacturers are experiencing rising demand from downstream consumer electronic, automobile, computer and industrial machinery companies as digital platform adoption and AI development have increased. Competition is rising globally, as the United States and Europe have made significant investments to catch up to Asian nations who lead in developing advanced 5nm and 3nm nodes. Despite the continuous increase in the need for chips, trade conflicts between the West and Chin...

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• 2. Global Paper & Pulp Mills

  Percentage Point Increase for 2025: 4.4pp

  The industry has demonstrated steady growth, with specific growth trends driven by rising demand for pulp and paper products due to increasing population and economic activities. Over the past two decades, the industry experienced varying growth rates, including a 1.2% CAGR growth during the current period. In 2025, industry revenue is expected to grow by 1.6%, reaching $746.0 billion, despite the challenges posed by increased digitization and recent economic uncertainties. China has emerged ...

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• 3. Global Travel Agency Services

  Percentage Point Increase for 2025: 4.0pp

  Despite the considerable transformation in consumer behavior with the rise of online booking channels, the Global Travel Agency services have still seen a surge in revenue. The growth of online booking agencies has led to increased competition for traditional brick-and-mortar agencies, forcing them to reinvent their operations to stay competitive. Notably, there has been a noticeable decline in traditional travel agents in developed economies such as the United States a...

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• 4. Global Deep-Sea, Coastal & Inland Water Transportation

  Percentage Point Increase for 2025: 3.3pp

  The Global Deep-Sea, Coastal and Inland Water Transportation industry has flourished thanks to expanding global per capita incomes and heightened production activity in developed economies. Despite an initial dip in 2020 amid pandemic-related interruptions in trade, a swift recovery in shipping demand and record shipping rates in 2021 bolstered ocean transporters' recovery. Robust manufacturing activity in China, which remained steady throughout the pandemic, helped boost profit for global ma...

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• 5. Global Hotels & Resorts

  Percentage Point Increase for 2025: 1.7pp

  Over the past five years, the Global Hotels and Resorts industry has expanded. The current period started with a pandemic-low revenue level. As business and travel activities gradually resumed, industry revenue surpassed the pre-pandemic level in 2023. However, rising inflation following the pandemic and geopolitical tensions depressed the potential revenue growth. Further, stringent fatal aviation accidents and potential tariff war further deteriorate consumer confidence, inducing them to pu...

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• 6. Global Tourism

  Percentage Point Increase for 2025: 1.3pp

  The Global Tourism industry experienced a tumultuous journey over the five years to 2025.  The industry began to slowly recover in 2021 before surging in 2022 and 2023 as pent-up demand for travel drove robust industry performance. The industry has performed well despite recent inflation and economic uncertainty. However, the tariff war between the US and other countries has further increased uncertainty among businesses and leisure travelers, weighing on industry demand. Overall, industry re...

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• 7. Global Investment Banking & Brokerage

  Percentage Point Increase for 2025: 1.2pp

  Investment bankers and brokers are expected to perform well throughout 2024. The industry has grown at a CAGR of 3.9% to $379.9 billion over the past five years, including an anticipated decrease of 1.7% in 2024 alone, with profit falling to 31.7% of revenue in the current years. Revenue from the industry's debt and equity underwriting segments increased drastically over 2020 and 2021 as companies and governments needed to raise cash quickly. Also, the industry encountered greater demand from...

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• 8. Global HR & Recruitment Services

  Percentage Point Increase for 2025: 0.7pp

  HR and recruitment companies rely on a businesses' desire to outsource their recruitment process and human resource management activities. Regulation, especially for temporary employees, can hamstring providers, as this makes it more difficult to operate. More liberal labor laws in developed nations have been essential to HR and recruitment companies' growth. Large companies are now focusing on emerging markets that will undergo the same process in the future. COVID-19 temporarily put a halt ...

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• 9. Global Plastic Product & Packaging Manufacturing

  Percentage Point Increase for 2025: 0.5pp

  The global plastic parts and packaging industry continues to face potential volatility. Trade uncertainties due to tariffs, particularly involving the US, Mexico, Canada, and China, are creating cost pressures for manufacturers who must consider pricing adjustments or supply chain realignments. Shifts in petrochemical prices further complicates cost management, pushing companies to explore alternative materials to stabilize input costs. Meanwhile, e-commerce growth has driven higher dem...

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• 10. Global Apparel Manufacturing

  Percentage Point Increase for 2025: 0.5pp

  Global apparel manufacturers have benefited from strengthening consumer spending in developed and rapidly growing emerging economies in recent years. However, sudden changes in how consumers shopped worldwide following the COVID-19 pandemic shifted its trajectory. Dips in global consumer spending and lockdowns dropped production at factories. Even as economies reopened, bottlenecks and supply chain woes punctured footwear production globally, while rising costs for everything from cotton to c...

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