Sector Description/metric Start year End year Ave annual growth from start year Ocean economy Value of ocean-based economic activity (goods and services) (source: UNCTAD34)2015 2020 3% Non-ocean economyValue of all other non-ocean based economic activity (source: UNCTAD35)2015 2020 2.1% Aquaculture Value of ocean-based food production including fisheries, aquaculture and hatcheries source: UNCTAD36)2015 2020 2.1% Desalination Installed desalination capacity (multiple sources37,38)2015 2020 2.3% Offshore wind Installed offshore wind capacity (source: IEA39)2015 2020 37% Decarbonization of shipping/portsProxied by share of “alternative fuel-ready” global fleet (source: World Fleet Register40)2015 2020 15% Digitalization/ digital infrastructureProxied by amount of VC funding of AI/digital tools in logistics/shipping (multiple sources41,42)2015 2020 360% Ocean tourism Value of ocean/marine tourism services (source: UNCTAD43)2015 2019 (2020 not included due to impact of COVID)6% Aquaculture Aquaculture has become a multi-trillion-dollar investment prospect, driven by its expanding role in sustainable food security.44, 45 Already the world’s fastest-growing food production sector, projections point to output reading 255 Mt by 2050 (3.8% CAGR) in an upside scenario, well beyond historical constraints.46,47 Aquaculture has the lowest carbon footprint among animal protein sectors,48 with low-trophic production – particularly seaweed and bivalves – offering strong growth aligned with sustainability mandates. These systems can provide ecosystem services such as water filtration and nutrient removal, and can support ocean health outcomes when developed responsibly, with market forecasts pointing to double-digit positive compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for the global seaweed sector over coming decades.49 Capturing this opportunity will depend on scaling operations while strengthening performance, environmental safeguards and resilience. Under combined scenarios, projected growth is expected to generate substantial social value, creating tens of millions of jobs globally by 2050.50, 51 Water desalination and water treatment Chronic water scarcity has become an increasingly pressing global issue driven by declining freshwater availability and rising demand from population growth, food systems and energy use. As a result, the need for desalination and water treatment technologies has increased sharply: global desalination and water reuse capacity has grown by 40% and 52% since 2020, respectively.52 This rate of growth is higher even than other fast-growing sectors like power generation, whose installed capacity grew roughly 20% over a similar time period.53 Deployment and investment are concentrated in historically water-stressed regions such as the Middle East and Africa. One of the largest desalination facilities in the world, Ral Al-Khair in Saudi Arabia, has a capacity of nearly 3 million m³/day, costing a total of over $7 billion in CAPEX expenditures, inclusive of power facilities. The Ral Al-Khair facility was originally built for the state-owned Saline Water Conversion Corporation (SWCC), but has since revealed plans54 to partially privatize the plant, signaling that the need for private sector partners in water infrastructure may grow in the near future. Decarbonization: Offshore wind Offshore wind is emerging not only as an engine of the clean energy transition, but as a catalyst for skilled jobs and new industrial value chains, while supporting biodiversity and ecosystem restoration when designed responsibly. Despite recent headwinds, by 2030, offshore wind is projected to grow from the current 94 gigawatts (GW) 55 to 230 GW and to 2,000 GW by 2050.56 Investors are already committing significant capital to this Growth of key ocean economy investment themes TABLE 1 The Ocean Economy Imperative: Defining Value, Managing Risk and Mobilizing Investment 10

Ocean Economy Imperative 2026