Dealmakers: Deal value rises, but challenges increase, to0 Deal value surged in 2025 for entries and exits. But the road ahead is hardly a superhighway. A closer analysis reveals both challenges and opportunities. Private equity deal value rebounded in 2025, increasing 19 percent to $2.6 trillion. Global buyout dealmaking value across all sizes reached its second-highest year on record, nearly $1.8 trillion—a 20 percent increase over 2024. Buyout accounted for nearly three-quarters of the total increase in private equity deal value in 2025 (Exhibit 1). A look at larger deals, a critical metric in assessing overall industry health, is revealing. For buyout increased 51 percent in value to more than $900 billion, and buyout deals larger than $2.5 billion The increase in 2025 deal value was driven by bigger deals, as overall deal value went up but the number of deals went down.