ICC Dispute Resolution Statistics

2025 key statistics

The full 2025 statistical report reflects ICC’s standing as the preferred institution for international commercial and investment dispute resolution.

The amount in dispute in cases registered in 2025 varied from below US$2,500 to US$31 billion, with 41% of the cases not exceeding US$4 million.

“ICC dispute resolution figures for 2025 reflect who we are: a global institution committed to facilitating and enabling dispute prevention and resolution across borders, grounded in long-standing best practices and innovative solutions. They also demonstrate the continued trust placed in our services and expertise by users worldwide.”

Alexander G. Fessas, Secretary General of the ICC International Court of Arbitration and Director of ICC Dispute Resolution Services

Cross-border, domestic and regional disputes

While the majority of ICC arbitrations (69.4%) involve cross-border disputes, a third (30.6%) involve parties of the same nationality. Half of the newly registered cases (50.1%) involved parties from the same region.

Distribution of parties by region

Place of arbitration

ICC arbitrations were seated in 123 cities across 70 countries or independent territories.

Representation of arbitrators

In addition to a wide geographic reach, diversity and inclusion are at the core of our service.

• 1,386 confirmations/appointments of 998 arbitrators from 93 jurisdictions
• 44.6% appointments of women arbitrators by the ICC Court
• 29.6% total confirmations/appointment of women arbitrators

In 2025, 607 awards were rendered. While English remained the predominant language, awards were also drafted in 10 other languages, with Spanish as the second most frequently used, followed by Portuguese, French, German, Italian and Arabic, Greek, Indonesian, Korean and Romanian. This reflects the adaptability of ICC Dispute Resolution Services in tailoring arbitration services to assist businesses and state entities worldwide.

Sectors and industries

Cases filed in 2025 covered a wide range of sectors. Top 10 sectors included construction and engineering; energy; health and pharma; transportation; telecoms and specialised technologies industrial equipment and services; financing and insurance; business services; general trade and distribution; and leisure and entertainment.

• Construction and engineering 28%
• Energy 15%
• Health and pharma 6%
• Transportation 5.5%
• General trade and distribution 3.4%
• Telecoms and/specialised technologies 5%
• Industrial equipment and services 4.8%
• Financing and insurance 4.6%
• Business services 4.4%
• Leisure and/entertainment 2%

Mediation and other forms of amicable dispute settlement

The ICC International Centre for ADR administered 65 new cases in 2025 across its range of services which include mediation, expert proceedings, dispute boards and DOCDEX cases relating to trade finance instruments.

Expert proceedings accounted for 25 new filings, with the majority of proceedings from the construction and energy sectors. Parties and neutrals represented a broad geographic span including Europe, the Americas, North Africa and the Middle East reflecting the continuing adoption globally of ICC’s ADR services.

For an ICC DRS data overview, download our one-pager in English, Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Portuguese and Spanish.

Access statistical reports from previous years via the ICC Dispute Resolution Library.