The global shift toward nearshoring and reshoring has moved from boardroom discussion to operational reality in 2026, with survey data showing a dramatic acceleration in companies bringing production closer to their end markets. According to Supply Chain 24/7, 85 percent of companies plan to manufacture and sell most of their products in the same region by 2026, up from 43 percent just a few years ago. In the United States, the shift is even more pronounced, with 91 percent of companies intending to achieve regional production, up from 52 percent, while regional sourcing is expected to nearly double to 65 percent from 38 percent globally.
Mexico has emerged as the primary beneficiary of North America's nearshoring momentum. As QIMA reported, Mexico surpassed China as the United States' top trade partner in 2023, a milestone that reflected the broader redrawing of supply chain maps. Nearly one in two U.S. businesses plan to increase nearshoring volumes, with a 16 percent increase in demand for inspections and audits in Mexico signaling the expansion of production capacity. Cushman & Wakefield noted that the U.S. manufacturing resurgence is being driven by a combination of geopolitical risk, tariff uncertainty, and the desire for shorter, more resilient supply chains.
The trend extends well beyond the Americas. In Europe, inspection demand in Mediterranean sourcing hubs surged during 2025, with QIMA data showing Morocco up 53 percent year-over-year, Egypt up 73 percent, and Tunisia up 35 percent. These North African countries are positioning themselves as viable alternatives to Asian manufacturing for European retailers, offering geographic proximity, trade agreements, and increasingly competitive production capabilities. As the Egyptian Exporters Association detailed, the global trade shift toward nearshoring is creating significant opportunities for countries positioned between major consumer markets.
The investment required to make this transition is considerable. According to SAP, companies are investing on average $1 billion to digitize, automate, and relocate supply and production facilities, a figure expected to increase to at least $2.5 billion by 2026. As WSI explained, the calculus behind nearshoring is no longer about finding the cheapest labor but about optimizing total cost of ownership, choosing resilience over lowest-cost sourcing when factoring in transportation time, tariff exposure, inventory carrying costs, and supply chain risk.
Retail analysts caution that nearshoring is not a quick fix. As DF Alliance noted, most businesses should view nearshoring and reshoring as a phased transition over three to five years, with long-term goals of building fully integrated regional supply chains with distributed production and fulfillment. Automate.org reported that automation advances are a critical enabler, with robotics and AI making North American manufacturing competitive even with higher labor costs. For retailers still relying on single-source production in distant geographies, the question is no longer whether to diversify but how quickly they can execute the transition before the next disruption forces their hand.