IT Spending Benchmarks 2026
Comprehensive IT spending data by industry and company size. Based on Deloitte and Flexera research, with Gartner for worldwide spending totals. Global IT spending: $6.39 trillion in 2026, up 14.5% (Gartner, October 2026).
IT spend benchmarking by industry: the short answer
To benchmark IT spend by industry, measure your IT budget as a percentage of revenue, then compare it to your sector. The cross-industry average is 5.49% of revenue (Deloitte, 2022 data), with most companies between 2% and 10%. Industry sets the band and company size shifts you within it. Ranked highest to lowest, IT spending as a percentage of revenue by industry:
7-10%
Financial services
6-9%
Healthcare
6-9%
Technology
4-7%
Professional services
4-7%
Media/entertainment
3-6%
E-commerce/retail
3-6%
Education
3-5%
Logistics/transport
2-5%
Manufacturing
2-4%
Non-profit
Company size splits each band further: see the by industry detail, the by company size breakdown, or the full industry x size matrix below.
Sources: Deloitte Global Technology Leadership Study for the cross-industry percentage of revenue, Flexera State of Tech Spend Report for the by-industry figures, and Gartner's published forecast for worldwide IT spending totals. Company-size, per-employee and five-category allocation figures are this site's model, not published data. Gartner IT Key Metrics Data, Avasant and IDC publish deeper benchmarks; those are paid products we do not hold and do not reproduce. Compiled August 2026. Full methodology and source list.
$6.39T
Global IT Spending 2026
up 14.5% YoY (Gartner, Oct 2026)
5.49%
Average IT/Revenue Ratio
All industries, all sizes
+73.8%
Data Centre Growth
$879B in 2026
+49.5%
AI Spending Growth
To $2.7T in 2026 (Gartner, Sep 2026)
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% | 4-6% |
| Healthcare | 7-9% | 6.5-8% | 5.5-7% | 4.5-6% | 4-6% |
| Technology | 7-9% | 6.5-8% | 6-7.5% | 5-6% | 4-6% |
| 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% | 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% | 3.5-5% |
| Non-profit | 3.5-5% | 3-4.5% | 2.5-3.5% | 2-3% | 2-2.5% |
Global IT Spending by Segment 2026-2027
| Segment | 2026 Spend | Growth 2026 | 2027 Spend | Growth 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Data Centre Systems | $879B | +73.8% | $1,366B | +55.5% |
| Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS) | $292B | +31.3% | $367B | +25.7% |
| Devices | $847B | +7.2% | $916B | +8.1% |
| Software | $1,464B | +15.2% | $1,679B | +14.6% |
| IT Services | $1,557B | +4.4% | $1,633B | +4.9% |
| Communications Services | $1,352B | +4.1% | $1,391B | +2.9% |
| Overall IT | $6,391B | +14.5% | $7,352B | +15.0% |
Source: Gartner Worldwide IT Spending Forecast, October 2026 press release (Table 1). Growth rates are Gartner's, each against the prior year. The October forecast revised 2026 up from the July release's $6,369B (+14.2%). IaaS is listed as its own line by Gartner and is not folded into IT Services; the six segment rows sum to the Overall IT total.
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.
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