The Global Trade Observatory Annual Outlook Report 2026, based on responses from more than 3,500 senior supply chain and logistics executives worldwide, points to a clear shift in how companies approach logistics, infrastructure and trade strategy.
According to the survey, 54% of executives expect global trade growth in 2026 to be faster than in 2025, while a further 40% expect growth to remain at similar levels. This confidence persists despite widespread concern about uncertainty: 53% of respondents anticipate high or very high policy uncertainty this year, while 90% expect trade barriers to rise or remain unchanged.
Writing on the World Economic Forum website, Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, group chairman and chief executive officer of DP World, draws a distinction between trade volumes and the systems that support them.
“Trade itself is resilient. It does not stop. What is fragile are the supply chains that support it — and that is where investment and better coordination make the biggest difference,” said Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem.
Diversification and new markets drive strategy
The survey points to a marked shift in strategic priorities. When asked to identify their top three planned changes for 2026, 51% of executives selected supplier diversification. New market entry emerged as the most frequently cited reason for diversifying supply chains, ahead of technology adoption and the pursuit of greater agility or resilience.
This ambition is also reflected in growth planning. Nearly half of respondents identified new markets and consumers as a key driver of business growth over the next one to three years, followed closely by the deployment of artificial intelligence and improvements in infrastructure and transport capacity.
According to Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, this signals a broader change in how logistics is treated at senior decision-making levels.
“Across markets and sectors, we are seeing supply chains being redesigned, invested in and governed differently,” he notes.
Warehousing emerges as a strategic bottleneck
Infrastructure constraints remain a central concern. When executives were asked to identify the most important infrastructure investments needed to support trade and logistics, warehousing and logistics hubs ranked first, selected by 39% of respondents.
The report links this emphasis to changes in how supply chains operate, including higher inventory levels, route diversification and the growing importance of specialised facilities such as cold storage and secure warehouses for high-value goods. Decisions about warehouse location and capacity increasingly shape access to markets, delivery speed and resilience.
DP World highlights recent investments in logistics parks and temperature-controlled warehousing in markets such as India and Egypt as examples of how infrastructure development is being aligned with trade growth strategies, although the report stresses that capacity gaps remain widespread.
Customs and border friction remain the biggest obstacle
While infrastructure investment is seen as critical, executives consistently identified border processes as the main source of disruption. Every respondent cited customs as one of the top three causes of delays, with 60% naming it as the single leading factor affecting their operations.
Digitalisation of customs and border procedures is therefore seen as a priority, alongside physical infrastructure. The report argues that faster and more predictable clearance could play a decisive role in enabling new trade routes and reducing costs, particularly for smaller companies.
As Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem puts it, ambition and technology alone are not enough.
“If ambition is there and technology is available, the question becomes whether infrastructure and border processes are moving fast enough to keep up.”
Logistics moves centre stage
The overall message from the survey is not one of complacency, but of recalibration. Despite confidence in trade growth, executives expect costs to rise across transport, labour, energy and compliance, and recognise that resilience now requires sustained investment.
According to DP World, the data reflects a broader shift in mindset: logistics is increasingly treated as a strategic asset that can unlock growth, rather than merely support it. Whether this ambition translates into measurable improvements will depend on coordinated investment in infrastructure, technology and border processes — areas where gaps remain significant.
