YACHTS SOLD BY CLOSING LOCATION AND SIZE RANGE BROKERAGE YACHTS
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Executive summary
In Q1 2026, the global yacht sales market saw a moderation in activity, with transaction volumes declining year-on-year amid continued macroeconomic uncertainty and reduced new build activity. The brokerage segment remained comparatively resilient, supported by stable demand for quality pre-owned yachts, while elevated inventory levels continued to favor buyers. Larger yacht segments demonstrated relative strength, underpinned by sustained interest and more specialized demand.
Looking ahead, market conditions are expected to gradually stabilize, supporting a more balanced environment and a potential recovery in transaction activity across key markets. However, this outlook will remain partly dependent on developments in the Middle East, with related uncertainty likely to continue in uencing market dynamics and becoming more evident in the months ahead.
This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the yacht sales market for the rst quarter of 2026, with a primary focus on the superyacht sector, de ned as vessels 80' (24 m) and above. At IYC, we continuously monitor market conditions and leverage advanced analytics to track industry trends and client behavior, delivering timely insights into the factors shaping overall market performance.
The IYC Intelligence Team
JANUARY - MARCH (Q1) 2026
Yachting Industry Overview In Numbers
167 YACHTS SOLD
$2.06B
TOTAL VALUE OF YACHTS SOLD -33% NEW SALES LISTINGS VOLUME IN Q1 2026 VERSUS Q1 2025
21% MARKET SHARE OF NEW YACHT SALES IN Q1 2026
51% OF TRANSACTIONS WERE CLOSED IN EUROPE -35,5% SALES VOLUME IN Q1 2026 VERSUS Q1 2025
JANUARY - MARCH (Q1) 2026
Yacht Sales OverviewWhat You Need To Know
Macroeconomic Context Shaping Buyer Behavior
The moderation in activity has been influenced by broader macroeconomic conditions. Continued interest rate uncertainty, combined with geopolitical developments, including the escalation of tensions in the Middle East in February 2026, contributed to a more cautious and selective buyer approach. This period of heightened uncertainty aligned with a slowdown in transactional momentum, with February emerging as the softest month of the quarter. Decisionmaking timelines lengthened accordingly, reflecting a temporary hesitation rather than a structural decline in underlying demand.
Slower New Build Market
New build sales declined, down 64% compared to Q1 2025, highlighting a slowdown in forward order activity. Despite this reduction in new orders, shipyards remain heavily booked, with build slots in many cases extending into 2028 and 2029, limiting nearterm availability in the new build segment and increasing reliance on brokerage opportunities. While this slowdown has impacted short-term volumes, the combination of reduced order intake and constrained yard capacity may in uence future supply dynamics over the medium term.
Do you to read
Sales Mix Shifts Toward Larger Yachts, Led by Growth in the 50m+ Segment
The sales mix by yacht size shifted toward larger vessels in Q1 2026 compared to Q1 2025. The 24–30m segment declined by 10 percentage points year-on-year, while the 30–40m and 40–50m segments increased by 3 and 2 percentage points, respectively, and the 50m+ category rose by 7 percentage points. This trend highlights the continued resilience of the 50m+ segment, with demand appearing less sensitive to short-term macroeconomic and pricing pressures.
The global yacht sales market experienced a measured slowdown in the first quarter of 2026, with total transaction declining by 35,5% year-on-year and new build activity significantly reduced. In contrast, the brokerage market resilient, with pre-owned transactions remaining broadly in line with historical levels. This shift reflects a combination macroeconomic uncertainty and a broader market recalibration following the pattern of normalized activity of Regionally, Europe maintained its position as the leading market, accounting for 51% of total sales, while the showed a relative strengthening in activity year-on-year.
Market Outlook
Looking ahead, slowdown is transitional. As conditions stabilize con dence improves, of delayed likely to return Combined with build activity, should support and sustainable environment, strength in the segments. At some degree particularly linked developments East, is expected factor in the months
transaction volumes market proved more combination of of recent years.
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