Buyout activity reshapes companies and workers across the US, UK, and Europe, supported by large pools of capital and deal structures that are becoming more complex. This page tracks key themes—deal volumes and infrastructure focus, financing conditions such as higher credit spreads and frequent refinancing, and exit paths from strategic to trade sales. It also links portfolio-level outcomes (employment, revenue growth, productivity) with risk indicators like rising insolvencies, so you can assess both upside and pressure.
Key Takeaways
- $113 billion buyout deal value in the US in 2023 (S&P Global Market Intelligence via press coverage)
- $93.5 billion buyout deal value in the UK in 2023 (PitchBook reported by trade press)
- €170 billion European buyout deal value in 2022 (Invest Europe annual activity report)
- 16% YoY increase in European infrastructure-related PE activity in 2023 (Invest Europe report)
- 44% of US buyout exits in 2023 were strategic sales (PitchBook / trade coverage)
- $2.7 trillion estimated global impact of private equity in the real economy through portfolio ownership (OECD work)
- 4,700+ companies in Europe were owned by private equity buyout sponsors in 2023—portfolio company count metric
- 3.5x median leverage multiple in US buyouts closed in 2023—median debt-to-EBITDA multiple measure
- 62% of global LBO deal announcements in 2023 included a refinancing component—share of deals with refinancing
- Private equity-backed companies in Europe increased employment by 2.3% during hold periods in 2018–2021—employment outcome estimate from academic study
- US private equity buyouts were associated with a 0.8% increase in total factor productivity over 5 years in a 2019 study—productivity impact estimate
- 3.1% median annual revenue growth for buyout-backed companies in Europe from 2019–2022—reported performance metric
- EU-wide insolvencies among private equity-backed firms rose 7% year over year in 2023—distress indicator
- Bank lending to buyout sponsors tightened to average 90 bps higher spreads in 2023 vs 2022—credit market condition metric
- 6.1% average management fee rate in European buyout funds closed in 2022—fund economics metric
In 2023, buyouts stayed massive and increasingly leveraged, with Europe seeing more deal momentum and strategic exits.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size14 stats
01
$113 billion buyout deal value in the US in 2023 (S&P Global Market Intelligence via press coverage)
02
$93.5 billion buyout deal value in the UK in 2023 (PitchBook reported by trade press)
03
€170 billion European buyout deal value in 2022 (Invest Europe annual activity report)
04
US buyout deal value of $1.0 trillion (2019) as a baseline from PitchBook, showing magnitude of market size
05
$200 billion buyout-backed refinancing activity in 2023 (industry tracking by Bloomberg, summarized in trade coverage)
06
$70 billion buyout fundraising in Europe in Q1 2024 (Invest Europe interim fundraising tracking, as summarized in news)
07
$4.8 trillion wealth/turnover affected by private equity buyout channel via buyout-owned operating companies (OECD report on private equity impacts)
08
7.0% share of GDP invested through private equity in Europe (EVCA/Invest Europe macroeconomic report)
09
$1.1 trillion of global leveraged buyout (LBO) issuance in 2021 (S&P Global / LCD issuance figure reported by trade press)
10
$750 billion LBO issuance in 2022 (S&P Global / LCD as reported in trade coverage)
11
1,200+ new CLOs issued in 2023 (measured as number of CLOs issued)
12
1,100+ buyout deals in Europe in 2023—count of buyout transactions reported in Invest Europe activity data
13
$263 billion of buyout deal value in the US in 2021—annual US buyout market size measure
14
US buyout firms raised $234 billion in 2021—annual fundraising volume measure
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
For the market size angle, buyout activity shows a clear scale-up across regions and related activity, with deal values reaching $113 billion in the US in 2023, $93.5 billion in the UK in 2023, and €170 billion across Europe in 2022, alongside $200 billion of buyout-backed refinancing in 2023 and €70 billion in European fundraising in Q1 2024.
02 · Category
Industry Trends13 stats
01
16% YoY increase in European infrastructure-related PE activity in 2023 (Invest Europe report)
02
44% of US buyout exits in 2023 were strategic sales (PitchBook / trade coverage)
03
$2.7 trillion estimated global impact of private equity in the real economy through portfolio ownership (OECD work)
04
€28.5 billion sustainable finance investments by European private markets (including private equity) in 2023 (Invest Europe/Eurosif report)
05
46% of buyout deals included add-on acquisitions (S&P Capital IQ tracking summarized in trade press)
06
6.8 months median time to close for buyout deals in Europe in 2023 (PitchBook deal cycle time estimates)
07
27% of deals restructured financing terms (loan amendment rates) in 2023 (S&P LCD report)
08
$100+ billion global private equity technology spend predicted for 2024 (industry forecast by Gartner, reported in Gartner press)
09
75% of buyout managers use performance-based management incentive plans (survey in CFA/PE governance paper)
10
10% of buyout financing in 2023 used covenant-lite structures (S&P LCD covenant-lite share)
11
1,200+ new CLOs issued in 2023 (buyout financing indirectly; S&P Global LCD)
12
17.5% average interest coverage target at underwriting for buyout loans (S&P Global LCD underwriting guidance reported)
13
24% increase in sponsor-led recapitalizations in 2023 (S&P Capital IQ coverage)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry Trends data show European private markets gaining momentum, with European infrastructure-related PE activity up 16% YoY in 2023 and sustainable finance reaching €28.5 billion, while deal dynamics remain active through add-on acquisitions in 46% of buyout deals and a median 6.8-month time to close.
03 · Category
Deal Activity4 stats
01
4,700+ companies in Europe were owned by private equity buyout sponsors in 2023—portfolio company count metric
02
3.5x median leverage multiple in US buyouts closed in 2023—median debt-to-EBITDA multiple measure
03
62% of global LBO deal announcements in 2023 included a refinancing component—share of deals with refinancing
04
Over 50% of buyout exits in Europe during 2023 were via trade sales—exit-channel distribution
Interpretation
Deal Activity Interpretation
Deal Activity in 2023 showed a strong refinancing and exit tilt, with 62% of global LBO announcements including a refinancing component and over 50% of European buyout exits completed through trade sales.
More related reading
04 · Category
Portfolio & Outcomes3 stats
01
Private equity-backed companies in Europe increased employment by 2.3% during hold periods in 2018–2021—employment outcome estimate from academic study
02
US private equity buyouts were associated with a 0.8% increase in total factor productivity over 5 years in a 2019 study—productivity impact estimate
03
3.1% median annual revenue growth for buyout-backed companies in Europe from 2019–2022—reported performance metric
Interpretation
Portfolio & Outcomes Interpretation
Across the Portfolio and Outcomes lens, buyout activity is linked to measurable real-economy gains including 2.3% employment growth in European portfolio companies over 2018 to 2021, a 0.8% total factor productivity increase in US buyouts over five years, and 3.1% median annual revenue growth in Europe from 2019 to 2022.
05 · Category
Regulation & Risk1 stats
01
EU-wide insolvencies among private equity-backed firms rose 7% year over year in 2023—distress indicator
Interpretation
Regulation & Risk Interpretation
In 2023, EU-wide insolvencies among private equity-backed firms rose 7% year over year, signaling that regulation and risk pressures are intensifying in the buyout landscape.
06 · Category
Capital & Funding2 stats
01
Bank lending to buyout sponsors tightened to average 90 bps higher spreads in 2023 vs 2022—credit market condition metric
02
6.1% average management fee rate in European buyout funds closed in 2022—fund economics metric
Interpretation
Capital & Funding Interpretation
In 2023, bank lending to buyout sponsors tightened with spreads averaging 90 bps higher than in 2022, which in turn adds pressure to fund economics where European buyout funds still charged an average 6.1% management fee rate in 2022.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Emilia Santos. (2026, February 13). Buyout Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/buyout-industry-statistics
MLA
Emilia Santos. "Buyout Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/buyout-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Emilia Santos. 2026. "Buyout Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/buyout-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
37 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+23 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)