Inside the 2025 ICC dispute resolution statistics

The ICC‘s 2025 Dispute Resolution Statistics point to a market operating at scale, with sector, seat and procedural patterns that have held steady into the first months of the 2026 Rules.

The International Chamber of Commerce has released its 2025 Dispute Resolution Statistics. 881 new arbitrations were filed under the ICC Arbitration Rules, with a total caseload value of US$299 billion. Individual disputes ranged from very low-value claims up to a single case valued at US$31 billion.

The 2,531 parties involved came from 147 jurisdictions, and disputes were seated in 123 cities across 70 countries. 69% of cases involved parties from different countries, and 150 states or state-owned entities appeared as parties.

Sector concentration is unchanged

Three sectors account for close to half of all new ICC filings:

• Construction and engineering: 28%
• Energy: 15%
• Transportation: 5.5%

The consistency of this mix year on year reflects the ICC’s continued role as a forum for complex infrastructure, resources and cross-border trade disputes, and is a useful reminder that ICC arbitration remains largely sector-driven in practice.

Preferred seats and applicable laws remain unchanged

Paris remains the leading seat with 82 cases, followed by London with 78, New York with 44, Singapore with 42 and Geneva with 27. On governing law, English law and US state laws are tied at the top with 113 cases each, ahead of Brazilian law with 54, Swiss law with 50, German law with 48 and French law with 44.
For anyone drafting or reviewing arbitration clauses, the 2025 data suggests little reason to move away from these established seat and law combinations.

Expedited and emergency procedures continue to be used

169 cases were handled under the Expedited Procedure Provisions in 2025, and there were 30 applications for emergency arbitrators. A meaningful share of disputes fall under the expedited threshold, and the numbers suggest parties are increasingly willing to take advantage of shorter timelines where the dispute allows.

The 2026 ICC Arbitration Rules are now in force

The 2026 ICC Arbitration Rules came into force on 1 June 2026. Any standard arbitration clauses drafted against the previous rules are worth a quick review to make sure they still deliver the intended procedure under the new framework.