New data from Brand Finance shows global logistics brand value at USD168 billion in 2025 as digital transformation and e-commerce continue to reshape the sector
LONDON, 19 August 2025 – US brands continue to dominate the global logistics landscape, accounting for half of the top 10 rankings in the Logistics 25 2025 report from Brand Finance, the world's leading brand valuation consultancy.
The total value of the world’s top 25 logistics brands ranked stand at USD168 billion in 2025, marking a 4% year-on-year decline riding on several factors, including lower revenues among major courier brands as competition intensifies from local and domestic players. Additionally, freight revenues across all modes of transport have declined, reflecting the cooling of commodity prices from their 2022 highs, which were largely fuelled by geopolitical tensions such as the Russia Ukraine conflict.
Of the top 25 brands in the rankings, 68% or 17 brands recorded growth in their respective brand value, reflecting strong demand driven by e-commerce, digital innovation, and supply chain resilience.
UPS (brand value down 6% to USD32.6 billion) remains the most valuable logistics brand ranked for the 11th consecutive year. Despite a slight decline in value, UPS maintains its market leadership through a robust presence in the US and expanding capabilities in healthcare logistics.
FedEx (brand value down 20% to USD22.9 billion) holds its second-place position for the third year in a row. The company’s strategic spin-off of its freight division highlights a renewed focus on core parcel operations amid heightened global competition.
Japanese logistics brand JR (brand value up 11% to USD13.3 billion) climbs to third, overtaking Germany’s DHL (brand value down 8% to USD11.2 billion). JR’s growth is fuelled by Japan’s tourism recovery and consumer confidence, along with tech innovations such as its blockchain-based JRE Wallet. The brand also ranks as the third-strongest logistics brand globally, bolstered by high familiarity and trust among Japanese consumers.
JINGDONG Logistics (brand value up 15% to USD4.1 billion) emerges as the strongest logistics brand ranked in 2025 with a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score of 90.5/100 and an AAA+ brand strength rating. Its ascent is driven by global expansions, premium positioning, and industry leadership in ESG and sustainable delivery practices.
SF Express (brand value up 8% to USD6.4 billion) follows closely, ranking second in brand strength (BSI score 90.4/100). Recognised as China’s equivalent to FedEx, SF Express continues to gain global momentum through partnerships such as its recent collaboration with GLS to enhance international express services.
Hyundai Glovis (brand value up 81% to USD3.0 billion) is the fastest-growing logistics brand of 2025. Its sharp rise is driven by investments in green logistics and advanced shipping, including LNG and hydrogen-powered vessels, reinforcing its leadership in sustainable transport solutions.
DP World (brand value up 39% to USD3.4 billion) makes its debut in the rankings as the Middle East’s top logistics brand. This rapid rise reflects a bold transformation shift from a traditional ports and terminals operator to a global leader in fully integrated, bespoke supply chain solutions.
Alex Haigh, Managing Director Asia Pacific, Brand Finance, commented:
“Logistics brands are rapidly evolving to meet new demands across global supply chains. While US brands continue to dominate in scale and recognition, challengers from Asia and the Middle East such as JINGDONG Logistics, SF Express, Hyundai Glovis, and DP World are rising fast through innovation, sustainability, and digital leadership. These shifts mark a new chapter of transformation in the logistics sector.”
Brand Finance also assesses the brands consumers consider most committed to sustainability. JINGDONG Logistics ranks as the top brand in the logistics ranking for its perceptions across all three of environmental, social and governance sustainability.
The top five Brand Guardians among logistics brands are Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem (DP World), Aili Liu (SF Express), Tobias Meyer (DHL), Raj Subramaniam (FedEx), and Mohamed Juma Al Shamisi (Abu Dhabi Ports).
Brand Finance is the world’s leading brand valuation consultancy. Bridging the gap between marketing and finance, Brand Finance evaluates the strength of brands and quantifies their financial value to help organisations make strategic decisions.
Headquartered in London, Brand Finance operates in over 25 countries. Every year, Brand Finance conducts more than 6,000 brand valuations, supported by original market research, and publishes over 100 reports which rank brands across all sectors and countries.
Brand Finance also operates the Global Brand Equity Monitor, conducting original market research annually on 6,000 brands, surveying more than 175,000 respondents across 41 countries and 31 industry sectors. By combining perceptual data from the Global Brand Equity Monitor with data from its valuation database — the largest brand value database in the world — Brand Finance equips ambitious brand leaders with the data, analytics, and the strategic guidance they need to enhance brand and business value.
In addition to calculating brand value, Brand Finance also determines the relative strength of brands through a balanced scorecard of metrics evaluating marketing investment, stakeholder equity, and business performance, compliant with ISO 20671.
Brand Finance is a regulated accountancy firm and a committed leader in the standardisation of the brand valuation industry. Brand Finance was the first to be certified by independent auditors as compliant with both ISO 10668 and ISO 20671 and has received the official endorsement of the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) in the United States.
Brand is defined as a marketing-related intangible asset including, but not limited to, names, terms, signs, symbols, logos, and designs, intended to identify goods, services, or entities, creating distinctive images and associations in the minds of stakeholders, thereby generating economic benefits.
Brand strength is the efficacy of a brand’s performance on intangible measures relative to its competitors. Brand Finance evaluates brand strength in a process compliant with ISO 20671, looking at Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and the impact of those on Business Performance. The data used is derived from Brand Finance’s proprietary market research programme and from publicly available sources.
Each brand is assigned a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score out of 100, which feeds into the brand value calculation. Based on the score, each brand is assigned a corresponding Brand Rating up to AAA+ in a format similar to a credit rating.
Brand Finance calculates the values of brands in its rankings using the Royalty Relief approach – a brand valuation method compliant with the industry standards set in ISO 10668. It involves estimating the likely future revenues that are attributable to a brand by calculating a royalty rate that would be charged for its use, to arrive at a ‘brand value’ understood as a net economic benefit that a brand owner would achieve by licensing the brand in the open market.
The steps in this process are as follows:
1 Calculate brand strength using a balanced scorecard of metrics assessing Marketing Investment, Stakeholder Equity, and Business Performance. Brand strength is expressed as a Brand Strength Index (BSI) score on a scale of 0 to 100.
2 Determine royalty range for each industry, reflecting the importance of brand to purchasing decisions. In luxury, the maximum percentage is high, while in extractive industry, where goods are often commoditised, it is lower. This is done by reviewing comparable licensing agreements sourced from Brand Finance’s extensive database.
3 Calculate royalty rate. The BSI score is applied to the royalty range to arrive at a royalty rate. For example, if the royalty range in a sector is 0-5% and a brand has a BSI score of 80 out of 100, then an appropriate royalty rate for the use of this brand in the given sector will be 4%.
4 Determine brand-specific revenues by estimating a proportion of parent company revenues attributable to a brand.
5 Determine forecast revenues using a function of historic revenues, equity analyst forecasts, and economic growth rates.
6 Apply the royalty rate to the forecast revenues to derive brand revenues.
7 Discount post-tax brand revenues to a net present value which equals the brand value.
Brand Finance has produced this study with an independent and unbiased analysis. The values derived and opinions presented in this study are based on publicly available information and certain assumptions that Brand Finance used where such data was deficient or unclear. Brand Finance accepts no responsibility and will not be liable in the event that the publicly available information relied upon is subsequently found to be inaccurate. The opinions and financial analysis expressed in the study are not to be construed as providing investment or business advice. Brand Finance does not intend the study to be relied upon for any reason and excludes all liability to any body, government, or organisation.
The data presented in this study form part of Brand Finance's proprietary database, are provided for the benefit of the media, and are not to be used in part or in full for any commercial or technical purpose without written permission from Brand Finance.
