New Armstrong & Associates Report Available: Retraced, Global 3PL Market Analysis 2026

A&A Releases New Report: Retraced: Global and Regional Logistics Costs, Third-Party Logistics Market Trends and Outlook, and Top 3PL Rankings

BROOKFIELD, WI, UNITED STATES, October 12, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — New report tracks global 3PL revenue at $1,300.6 billion in 2025, representing a 10.04% share of $12,957 billion in global logistics costs, essentially back to its 2019 level. Global 3PL revenue is forecast to grow 10.1% in 2026E, led by Transportation Management.

Armstrong & Associates, Inc. (A&A), an internationally recognized leader in Third-Party Logistics (3PL) market research, consulting, and M&A advisory services, today released Retraced: Global and Regional Logistics Costs, Third-Party Logistics Market Trends and Outlook, and Top 3PL Rankings, A&A’s annual analysis of global and regional logistics costs and 3PL revenues, including updated Top 50 Global 3PLs, Top 25 Global Freight Forwarders, and Top 25 Global Warehousing 3PLs rankings.

According to A&A, global 3PL gross revenue grew 5.3% to $1,300.6 billion in 2025, while global logistics costs grew 5.4% to $12,957 billion. That puts 3PL penetration of total logistics spending at 10.04%, only 0.01% higher than its pre-pandemic level of 10.03% in 2019 and well below the 12.93% peak of 2022. A&A’s analysis indicates that much of the 2020–2022 increase in 3PL penetration was driven by the extraordinary inflation in freight rates rather than a lasting structural increase in outsourcing. A&A forecasts global 3PL revenue to grow 10.1% to $1,431.6 billion in 2026E and 6.9% to $1,529.7 billion in 2027E, with penetration rising to 10.34% and 10.57%, respectively.

Transportation Management (TM), which A&A uses globally to combine Domestic Transportation Management (DTM) and Dedicated Contract Carriage (DCC), is forecast to be the fastest-growing segment, rising 11.8% in 2026E and reaching 49.6% of the global 3PL market by 2027E. Record diesel prices add a second tailwind: fuel surcharges indexed to the U.S. Energy Information Administration (EIA) weekly price flow directly into gross TM revenue, which lifts DTM and DCC revenue even when freight volumes are flat. International Transportation Management (ITM) tells a story of reversion rather than decline. Its share of global 3PL revenue peaked at 34.3% in 2022 before falling to 23.5% in 2023, and even A&A’s 2027E estimate of 24.5% remains below its 2016 share of 29.2%. Value-Added Warehousing and Distribution (VAWD) has become the market’s most dependable grower, surpassing ITM revenue in 2023 and forecast to grow 8.4% in 2026E on continued e-commerce fulfillment growth and rising demand for industrial space tied to data center and Artificial Intelligence (AI) infrastructure.

“What stands out in 2025 is the round trip,” said Evan Armstrong, CEO of Armstrong & Associates. “3PL penetration rose to nearly 13% during the pandemic-era freight-rate spike and has now settled back to about 10%, right where it was in 2019. That tells us the surge was driven by rates, not a lasting shift in outsourcing. From this normalized base, the growth ahead is more durable. Transportation management is benefiting from firming rates and fuel surcharges, value-added warehousing and distribution continues to gain from e-commerce fulfillment and data center demand, and fast-growing, under-outsourced markets such as India and ASEAN still have a long runway.”

Summary of Key Findings in the Report
Global 3PL revenue reached $1,300.6 billion in 2025, up 5.3% year over year, against $12,957 billion in global logistics costs, a 10.04% penetration rate.
Transportation Management (TM) is forecast to grow 11.8% in 2026E, the fastest of the three segments, and to reach 49.6% of the global 3PL market by 2027E. Record diesel prices are adding fuel surcharge revenue on top of the firming rate environment.

International Transportation Management (ITM) reached $329.0 billion in 2025 but is forecast to grow at a 4.2% CAGR from 2026E to 2027E, the slowest of the three segments, as tariff realignment, the phase-out of de minimis treatment, and Red Sea disruption reshape trade lanes.
Value-Added Warehousing and Distribution (VAWD) reached $332.5 billion in 2025, having surpassed ITM in 2023, and is forecast to grow 8.4% in 2026E on e-commerce fulfillment and data center and AI-related demand for industrial space.

Asia Pacific led all regions with $487.5 billion in 3PL revenue in 2025, ahead of North America ($376.5 billion) and Europe ($229.7 billion). The United States and Greater China alone account for 48.3% of global 3PL revenue, making U.S.-China tariff policy a central influence on the industry.
India combines the fastest forecast 3PL revenue growth, a 12.8% CAGR from 2026E to 2027E, with the lowest outsourcing rate among key markets at 7.04%, compared with 12.71% in the United States.

A&A’s Top 50 Global 3PLs generated $602.0 billion in 2025, 46.3% of the global market. DSV moved to second place behind Amazon after closing its acquisition of DB Schenker on April 30, 2025, and GXO Logistics entered the global top 10.
In freight forwarding, DSV absorbed four separate members of A&A’s 2010 Top 25 Global Freight Forwarders, and five Chinese providers now rank in the top 25. A&A’s Top 25 Global Warehousing 3PLs operate a combined 2,869 million square feet, led by Amazon at 426 million square feet.

This report is also included as a standard download in A&A’s Expert Information Service (E.I.S.).

ABOUT ARMSTRONG & ASSOCIATES, INC.
Armstrong & Associates, Inc. (A&A), founded in 1980, is a leader in Third-Party Logistics (3PL) market research, consulting, and M&A advisory services. A&A has become an internationally recognized key resource for information and consulting in the 3PL market.
A&A’s mission is to possess leading proprietary knowledge in supply chain management and market research that is not available anywhere else. Our ongoing commitment to this mission is demonstrated by the frequent citations of A&A’s 3PL market research in media articles, publications, and the securities filings of publicly traded 3PL companies. Additionally, A&A’s email newsletter currently has over 88,000 subscribers worldwide.
A&A’s market research enhances its consulting services by providing continuously updated data for analysis. Leveraging its extensive knowledge of the third-party logistics (3PL) market and the operations of top 3PL providers, A&A has delivered strategic planning consulting to more than 50 3PL companies. Additionally, it has supported 26 completed investment transactions and offered advice to numerous organizations seeking to benchmark their current 3PL operations or outsource logistics functions.

Evan Armstrong
Armstrong & Associates, Inc.
+1 414-545-3838
Vedrana@3plogistics.com

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