The 10 Industries with the Biggest Increase in Profit Margin in Global
| Rank | Industry | Percentage Point Increase for 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Global Military Aircraft & Aerospace Manufacturing |
2.8pp |
| 2 |
Global Cheese Manufacturing |
2.2pp |
| 3 |
Global Cargo Airlines |
1.8pp |
| 4 |
Global Marine & Container Terminal Operation |
1.8pp |
| 5 |
Global Biotechnology |
1.7pp |
| 6 |
Global Investment Banking & Brokerage |
1.0pp |
| 7 |
Global Military Shipbuilding & Submarines |
0.7pp |
| 8 |
Global Pension Funds |
0.7pp |
| 9 |
Global Cigarette & Tobacco Manufacturing |
0.6pp |
| 10 |
Global Paper & Pulp Mills |
0.5pp |
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Sign me upIndustries with the Biggest Increase in Profit Margin in Global in 2026
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1. Global Military Aircraft & Aerospace Manufacturing
Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 2.8pp
Global military aircraft and aerospace manufacturers encompass an extensive range of countries, products, technological developments and operational capacities. The industry's unique correlation with national security ensures its continued growth and long-term success. Leading companies benefit from robust government spending, favorable contract terms and nearly impenetrable market shares. Recent conflicts have especially driven revenue, with European, Middle Eastern and East Asian allies sto...
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2. Global Cheese Manufacturing
Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 2.2pp
The value of global cheese manufacturing has expanded through most of the five years to 2025, primarily because of stable demand for dairy products, improved per capita consumption of cheese worldwide and continued product innovation. These positive factors have led global cheese manufacturer revenue to remain relatively steady, dipping only slightly at a CAGR of 0.6% over the past five years to reach $152.8 billion in 2025, while revenue expanded 1.9% boost in 2025 alone. Global solid growth...
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3. Global Cargo Airlines
Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 1.8pp
Geopolitical events have significantly impacted the global performance of the cargo airline industry in recent years. The Russia-Ukraine war in 2022 led European carriers to stop flying over Russian airspace, primarily rerouting through Istanbul. This development transformed Istanbul into a central cargo hub for European deliveries, surpassing established centers like Frankfurt. These longer routes have increased operational costs, particularly on flights to Asian markets. The ongoing Red Sea...
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4. Global Marine & Container Terminal Operation
Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 1.8pp
The industry has navigated a fast-evolving landscape shaped by geopolitical tensions and market shifts in recent years. Challenges such as the Red Sea crisis forced shipping lines to reroute, concentrating shipping activities at certain ports that hadn't regularly handled major volumes. This pivot amplified operational loads and drove some ports to introduce strategic surcharges, particularly as unanticipated congestion threatened high-traffic nodes. Accompanying prior trade surges, increased...
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5. Global Biotechnology
Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 1.7pp
The explosive growth in biotechnology over the past few years can't be overstated. What's fueling this rapid growth varies, as biotech's applications range from healthcare and agriculture to energy. The pandemic brought biotechnology into the mainstream by demonstrating how quickly platform science, scale-up capabilities and partnerships can translate research and development (R&D) into widely deployed products, raising expectations for development speed and manufacturing resilience. Sinc...
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6. Global Investment Banking & Brokerage
Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 1.0pp
The global investment bankers and brokerage industry is expected to perform well throughout the current period. The industry has grown at a CAGR of 1.7% to $410.2 billion over the past five years, including an anticipated increase of 2.9% in 2025 alone, with profit climbing and accounting for 34.8% of revenue in the current year. 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....
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7. Global Military Shipbuilding & Submarines
Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 0.7pp
Over the past five years, the industry has grown because of large-scale government investments in advanced destroyers, aircraft carriers and nuclear-powered submarines. Countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Japan have prioritized replacing aging vessels and adopting new stealth technologies. Acquisition programs integrating naval missile defense and unmanned systems have shaped industry output, especially with increased spending on Virginia-class submarine upgra...
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8. Global Pension Funds
Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 0.7pp
Pension funds, composed of defined benefit (DB) and defined contribution (DC) plans, are the primary means for meeting the retirement requirements of an aging global population. Industry revenue consists of contributions, investment income, net sales of securities and more. Positive investment returns from equities have driven the growth of revenue despite volatility in financial markets throughout the period stemming from fluctuating interest rates worldwide. For example, the significant hik...
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9. Global Cigarette & Tobacco Manufacturing
Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 0.6pp
Global cigarette and tobacco manufacturers enter 2026 in an uneasy equilibrium. Smoking rates are sliding in many wealthier countries, but a vast, committed user base still underpins steady revenue. Producers have kept top lines broadly intact by leaning on higher prices, premium brands and alternative nicotine formats rather than chasing volume growth. At the same time, they’ve reconfigured trade flows and capacity, shipping more finished products across borders and shifting production towar...
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10. Global Paper & Pulp Mills
Percentage Point Increase for 2026: 0.5pp
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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Fastest Growing Industries in 2026
Based on the expert analysis and our database of 50+ GL industries, IBISWorld presents a list of the Industries with the Biggest Increase in Profit Margin in Global in 2026
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