Gain examines a U.S. private equity market where deal value is recovering faster than deal count. Entry count fell 10% in 2025, but deal value rose 30%, while exits gained momentum as deal value jumped 72% to $599 billion.
The State of US Private Equity H1 2026
Gain
Sid Jain
Research
36 Pages
Key Takeaways
Large Deals Dominated: Deals above $1 billion represented 81% of total entry value in 2025, up from 64% in 2020.
Exit Activity Rebounded: Exit count rose 12% in 2025, while exit deal value increased 72% year over year to $599 billion.
Growth Has Slowed: Median PE backed company growth fell to 5.6% in 2025, down from 22.1% in 2021.