Infrastructure Investment to Grow by 4.8% Annually Across All Regions Until 2023, Says GlobalData

London, England (Aug. 19, 2019)—Global infrastructure construction is forecast to grow by 4.8% on an annual average basis in real terms between 2019 and 2023. This will be propelled by Asia, where growth is expected to average 7% a year in South and Southeast Asia, as well as 5.8% in Northeast Asia, according to GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

GlobalData is currently tracking over 14,000 large-scale infrastructure projects in both the public and private sectors that are worth a minimum value of $25 million (totaling $14.8 trillion) worldwide, at all stages, from announcement to execution.

The power sector has the most projects in the pipeline with 5,681, followed by the road sector with 4,004, and railways with 1,945. Rail projects dominate valuing, $5.4 trillion, followed by power and accounting for the second-largest sectors, each valued at $4.7 trillion. The roads sector is in third at $2.6 trillion.

When completed, the tracked road projects will comprise a total 186,993 kilometers under construction (or expansion/renewal) in the next 5 years. The most notable road expansion in terms of total length is taking place in South and Southeast Asia, with a total of 59,835 kilometers of ongoing and upcoming road projects spread across the region. A total of 160,198 kilometers of railway track and 1,271.6 gigawatts of generating capacity will be undertaken and completed in the next 5 years.

Yasmine Ghozzi, economist at GlobalData, commented, “In Sub-Sahara Africa and the Middle East and Africa (MEA), where infrastructure construction growth is expected to average 7.3% and 6.6%, respectively, there are huge infrastructure upgrades underway in roads, railways and power generation.”

“The pace of growth in North America and Europe’s construction industry will perform better in the forecast period than the previous forecast period (2014 – 2018), albeit slower than emerging markets. Electricity and power infrastructure will be the one of the fastest sectors in Europe as countries across the continent reaffirm their commitment to advance the implementation of the Paris Agreement and intensify their cooperation on climate change and clean energy.”

United States President Donald Trump’s $2 trillion infrastructure plan will undoubtedly provide support for the overall growth of the North American region’s industry in the next 5 years. However, the successful implementation of the plan will hinge on how individual states and municipalities can respond, knowing that the federal government is contributing just $200 billion to this 10-year program.

Ghozzi concluded, “Whether solar, wind or hydroelectricity, most countries in all regions are boosting their investments in green energy. Saudi Arabia’s landmark $200 billion SoftBank deal to build the world’s largest solar farm tops the list of the power project pipeline.” 

For more information, visit globaldata.com.