IT Spending Benchmarks 2026
Comprehensive IT spending data by industry and company size. Based on Gartner, Avasant, and IDC research. Global IT spending: $6.15 trillion in 2026, up 10.8%.
$6.15T
Global IT Spending 2026
up 10.8% YoY (Gartner)
5.7%
Average IT/Revenue Ratio
All industries, all sizes
+19.0%
Data Centre Growth
$582.4B in 2026
+80.8%
AI Spending Growth
Year-over-year
IT Budget as % of Revenue: Industry x Company Size Matrix
| Industry | Startup (1-50) | SMB (51-250) | Mid-market (251-1K) | Enterprise (1K-5K) | Large Enterprise (5K+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial Services | 8-10% | 7-9% | 6-8% | 5-6% | 4-5% |
| Healthcare | 7-9% | 6.5-8% | 5.5-7% | 4.5-6% | 4-5% |
| Technology | 7-9% | 6.5-8% | 6-7.5% | 5-6% | 4-5% |
| E-commerce/Retail | 5-7% | 4-6% | 4-5% | 3.5-4.5% | 3-4% |
| Professional Services | 5.5-7% | 4.5-6% | 4-5.5% | 4-5% | 3.5-4.5% |
| Manufacturing | 4-6% | 3.5-5% | 3-4% | 2.5-3.5% | 2-3% |
| Education | 5-7% | 4-6% | 4-5% | 3.5-4.5% | 3-4% |
| Logistics/Transport | 4-6% | 3.5-5% | 3-4% | 2.5-3.5% | 2-3% |
| Media/Entertainment | 6-8% | 5-6.5% | 4.5-5.5% | 4-5% | 3.5-4.5% |
| Non-profit | 3.5-5% | 3-4.5% | 2.5-3.5% | 2-3% | 1.5-2.5% |
Global IT Spending by Segment 2024-2026
| Segment | 2024 Spend | 2025 Spend | 2026 Spend | Growth 2025-2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Centre Systems | $272B | $489B | $582B | +19.0% |
| Software | $1,002B | $1,098B | $1,241B | +13.0% |
| IT Services | $1,567B | $1,634B | $1,814B | +11.0% |
| Communications Services | $1,538B | $1,537B | $1,616B | +5.1% |
| Devices | $723B | $764B | $906B | +18.6% |
IT Budget by Industry
Detailed breakdown for each vertical with cost drivers and priorities.
IT Budget by Company Size
Per-employee costs, team sizing, and priorities for each growth stage.
IT Spending Forecast 2026-2027
AI, data centres, security driving above-average budget growth.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average IT spending as a percentage of revenue in 2026?
The global average is 5.7% of revenue across all industries and company sizes in 2026. This represents total IT expenditure including personnel, software, hardware, cloud, and security. The figure varies widely: financial services and technology companies spend 6-10%, while manufacturing and logistics companies typically spend 2-5%. Company size also matters significantly, with small businesses (1-49 employees) averaging 6.9% compared to large enterprises (5,000+ employees) at 3.7%.
How fast is IT spending growing in 2026?
Global IT spending is growing at 10.8% year-over-year in 2026, reaching $6.15 trillion (Gartner, February 2026). This is above historical averages of 4-6% annually. The acceleration is driven by AI infrastructure investment (growing at 80.8%), data centre expansion ($582.4 billion, up 19%), and continued cloud adoption. Software spending is growing at 12-14% as organisations shift from perpetual licences to SaaS subscriptions.
Which industry spends the most on IT?
Financial services consistently spends the highest percentage of revenue on IT, typically 7-10% for smaller firms and 4-6% for large enterprises. This reflects the sector's digital-native business model, strict regulatory compliance requirements (PCI-DSS, SOX, GDPR), and high cost of outages. Healthcare is a close second at 6-9%, driven by EHR implementation, HIPAA compliance, and connected medical devices. Technology companies themselves spend 6-9%, while manufacturing and logistics spend the least at 2-5%.
Why do smaller companies spend a higher percentage of revenue on IT?
Smaller companies face higher per-unit costs because they cannot amortise fixed IT costs (infrastructure, licences, minimum seat counts) across as many employees. A 50-person company pays almost the same base costs for cloud infrastructure and software licences as a 200-person company, but divides those costs across four times fewer revenue-generating staff. As organisations grow, economies of scale reduce the IT spend percentage, though the absolute dollar amount increases substantially.
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