Business spending is showing up as a line item problem, not a talking-point. Global business spend on information technology reached $4.9 trillion, while global corporate training totaled $370 billion. U.S. employee benefits averaged 30.8% of total payroll, which reframes how companies balance talent costs with tech priorities.
Key Takeaways
- U.S. total compensation spending by businesses was $11.6 trillion in 2023
- Global corporate training expenditure reached $370 billion in 2023
- U.S. businesses spent an average of $1,252 per employee on training in 2023
- U.S. manufacturing sector operating expenses hit $6.4 trillion in 2023
- Retail trade businesses spent $5.8 trillion on costs in U.S. 2023
- Healthcare industry expenditures by U.S. providers were $4.5 trillion in 2023
- U.S. businesses spent 4.1% of revenue on marketing in 2023, averaging $35,000 per employee
- Global digital advertising spend by businesses reached $522 billion in 2023
- B2B marketing budgets averaged 9.1% of revenue in 2023 for U.S. firms
- In 2023, global business spending on information technology reached $4.9 trillion, marking a 8.1% increase from 2022
- U.S. businesses allocated 11.2% of their total budgets to IT in 2023, up from 10.5% in 2022
- Enterprise software spending by businesses worldwide hit $919 billion in 2023
- U.S. total business expenses reached $18.5 trillion in 2022 (latest full data)
- Global corporate profits after tax were $3.8 trillion in 2023, with spending on ops at 85% of revenue
- U.S. nonfinancial corporate business debt outstanding was $20.3 trillion in Q4 2023
In 2023, global and U.S. businesses invested heavily in people, marketing, and IT, totaling over $95 trillion.
Related reading
Human Capital Spending
1U.S. total compensation spending by businesses was $11.6 trillion in 2023
Verified
2Global corporate training expenditure reached $370 billion in 2023
Verified
3U.S. businesses spent an average of $1,252 per employee on training in 2023
Directional
4Employee benefits costs averaged 30.8% of total payroll for U.S. firms in 2023
Verified
5Global recruitment spending by businesses hit $223 billion in 2023
Verified
6Diversity and inclusion program spending averaged $1.5 million per large U.S. company in 2023
Directional
7Employee wellness program budgets reached $8 billion globally in 2023 for corporations
Verified
8U.S. employer-sponsored health insurance premiums averaged $8,435 per employee in 2023
Verified
9Executive compensation packages averaged $14.2 million for S&P 500 CEOs in 2023
Verified
10Global talent acquisition tech spending was $6.2 billion in 2023
Single source
11U.S. businesses spent 7.2% of revenue on employee compensation in retail sector 2023
Verified
12Learning management systems spending hit $22.5 billion globally in 2023
Directional
13Employee engagement software expenditure was $1.8 billion worldwide in 2023
Verified
14U.S. pension contributions by employers totaled $312 billion in 2023
Verified
15Remote work tool spending per employee averaged $2,500 in 2023 for enterprises
Verified
16Global HR tech market size reached $81.6 billion in 2023 for businesses
Directional
17U.S. firms spent $92 billion on employee turnover costs in 2023
Verified
18Leadership development programs cost businesses $50 billion globally in 2023
Single source
19U.S. wage and salary disbursements by businesses $10.8 trillion 2023
Verified
20Supplements to wages (benefits) $2.3 trillion U.S. businesses 2023
Verified
21Global freelance platform spending by businesses $1.5 trillion 2023
Verified
22U.S. tech sector avg salary spend $200k per employee 2023
Verified
23Employee referral program costs $4,000 per hire avg 2023
Single source
24Corporate volunteering program spending $8 billion U.S. 2023
Verified
25Global e-learning market for corporate training $315 billion 2023
Verified
26U.S. employer 401(k) contributions $500 billion 2023
Verified
27HR analytics software spend $3.4 billion globally 2023
Single source
28Average onboarding cost per employee $4,207 U.S. 2023
Verified
29Global employee assistance programs spend $5.2 billion 2023
Single source
30U.S. manufacturing labor costs 12.5% of revenue 2023
Verified
Human Capital Spending Interpretation
All told, the modern corporate playbook appears to be one part wildly expensive bet on talent, one part desperate effort to keep that expensive talent from leaving or collapsing, and a final, hefty part hoping that wellness seminars and new software can somehow bridge the gap in between.
Industry-Specific
1U.S. manufacturing sector operating expenses hit $6.4 trillion in 2023
Single source
2Retail trade businesses spent $5.8 trillion on costs in U.S. 2023
Verified
3Healthcare industry expenditures by U.S. providers were $4.5 trillion in 2023
Verified
4Financial services firms spent $1.2 trillion on operations globally in 2023
Verified
5Tech sector R&D spending was $500 billion worldwide in 2023
Directional
6Energy sector capital expenditures reached $800 billion globally in 2023
Directional
7Construction industry material costs spending was $1.9 trillion in U.S. 2023
Verified
8Hospitality businesses spent $2.1 trillion on operations worldwide in 2023
Verified
9Automotive manufacturing expenditures totaled $3 trillion globally in 2023
Verified
10Wholesale trade operating expenses were $7.2 trillion in U.S. 2023
Verified
11Transportation and warehousing costs hit $2.8 trillion for U.S. businesses 2023
Verified
12Information sector expenditures totaled $1.6 trillion in U.S. 2023
Verified
13Professional services firms spent $4.9 trillion globally in 2023
Verified
14Real estate business operating costs were $3.3 trillion in U.S. 2023
Verified
15Mining sector expenditures reached $650 billion worldwide 2023
Verified
16Food and beverage manufacturing costs $1.4 trillion in U.S. 2023
Verified
17Pharmaceuticals R&D and ops spending $1.5 trillion globally 2023
Single source
18Aerospace and defense business spending $900 billion in 2023
Verified
Industry-Specific Interpretation
America's business checkbook reveals a staggering truth: while we're brilliantly efficient at spending mountains of money across every sector, from curing diseases to building cars, the real innovation might just be figuring out how to pay for it all.
Marketing & Advertising
1U.S. businesses spent 4.1% of revenue on marketing in 2023, averaging $35,000 per employee
Verified
2Global digital advertising spend by businesses reached $522 billion in 2023
Single source
3B2B marketing budgets averaged 9.1% of revenue in 2023 for U.S. firms
Single source
4Social media advertising expenditure by global businesses was $153 billion in 2023
Verified
5Email marketing spend averaged $42 per customer annually for businesses in 2023
Verified
6Content marketing budgets for enterprises reached $412 billion globally in 2023
Verified
7Programmatic advertising spend by businesses hit $488 billion worldwide in 2023
Directional
8Influencer marketing expenditure grew to $21.1 billion globally in 2023
Directional
9Search engine marketing spend by U.S. businesses was $82 billion in 2023
Directional
10Video advertising budgets for businesses reached $192 billion globally in 2023
Verified
11Event marketing spending averaged 4.5% of total marketing budgets in 2023 for enterprises
Single source
12Global business spending on trade shows and events was $30 billion in 2023
Verified
13SEO services expenditure by SMBs averaged $10,200 annually in 2023
Verified
14PPC advertising costs per click averaged $2.69 for Google Ads in 2023 across industries
Verified
15Brand sponsorship deals spending by corporations hit $68 billion globally in 2023
Directional
16Direct mail marketing spend was $8.7 billion in the U.S. for businesses in 2023
Verified
17Affiliate marketing commissions paid by businesses reached $15.7 billion globally in 2023
Verified
18Mobile app advertising spend by enterprises was $362 billion worldwide in 2023
Verified
19Global marketing spend by businesses was $1.3 trillion in 2023
Verified
20U.S. TV advertising spend by corporations $65 billion in 2023
Single source
21Out-of-home advertising expenditure $28 billion globally 2023 businesses
Verified
22Native advertising spend reached $12.5 billion U.S. 2023
Single source
23B2C marketing budgets averaged 10.4% of revenue 2023
Verified
24Retargeting ad spend by e-commerce businesses $45 billion 2023
Single source
25Podcast advertising revenue from businesses $2 billion U.S. 2023
Verified
26Connected TV ad spend $30 billion globally 2023
Single source
27Display advertising expenditure $220 billion worldwide 2023
Directional
28Guerrilla marketing budgets averaged $500k per campaign for brands 2023
Verified
29SMS marketing spend per business $1,200 annually avg 2023
Directional
30Global sponsorship market $113 billion in 2023 for businesses
Verified
Marketing & Advertising Interpretation
It seems we've reached the point where we spend trillions globally to remind everyone we exist, all while hoping an email for forty-two bucks is the one that finally gets a reply.
More related reading
Technology Spending
1In 2023, global business spending on information technology reached $4.9 trillion, marking a 8.1% increase from 2022
Single source
2U.S. businesses allocated 11.2% of their total budgets to IT in 2023, up from 10.5% in 2022
Directional
3Enterprise software spending by businesses worldwide hit $919 billion in 2023
Single source
4Cloud services expenditure among global enterprises grew to $599 billion in 2023, a 20.4% YoY increase
Verified
5Cybersecurity spending by businesses reached $188 billion globally in 2023
Verified
6Data center systems spending by enterprises was $236 billion in 2023 worldwide
Verified
7AI-related spending by businesses is projected to reach $154 billion in 2024
Verified
8U.S. corporate IT budgets averaged $12.4 million per company in 2023 for firms with 1,000+ employees
Verified
9Mobile device management spending grew 15% YoY to $12.5 billion in 2023 globally
Verified
10Business spending on edge computing reached $18.6 billion in 2023
Single source
11Global enterprise spending on communications services was $1.47 trillion in 2023
Directional
12IT services spending by businesses hit $1.32 trillion worldwide in 2023
Directional
13Device spending in IT budgets reached $759 billion globally in 2023
Single source
14Spending on data management software by enterprises was $127 billion in 2023
Verified
15Global business R&D spending on tech innovation totaled $1.2 trillion in 2023
Directional
16U.S. SMB IT spending averaged $450,000 per firm in 2023
Single source
17Enterprise collaboration tools spending reached $55 billion in 2023 globally
Verified
18Business analytics software expenditure was $71 billion worldwide in 2023
Verified
19Network equipment spending by businesses hit $112 billion in 2023
Verified
20Global IT outsourcing spending reached $586 billion in 2023 for businesses
Verified
Technology Spending Interpretation
The world's businesses, now devout digital disciples, have collectively decided that pouring nearly five trillion dollars into the IT collection plate is simply the cost of salvation, with cloud and cybersecurity as the priciest pews in the cathedral of commerce.
Total Expenditure
1U.S. total business expenses reached $18.5 trillion in 2022 (latest full data)
Verified
2Global corporate profits after tax were $3.8 trillion in 2023, with spending on ops at 85% of revenue
Directional
3U.S. nonfinancial corporate business debt outstanding was $20.3 trillion in Q4 2023
Single source
4Business investment in fixed assets was $3.1 trillion in U.S. 2023
Single source
5Global business services expenditure totaled $15.2 trillion in 2023
Verified
6Global business spending on total expenditure grew 5.2% YoY to $95 trillion in 2023
Verified
7U.S. corporate tax pre-payments indicated $2.9 trillion in deductible expenses Q1 2024
Directional
8Nonresidential fixed investment by businesses was $3.4 trillion annualized in U.S. 2023
Verified
9Structures spending in business investment hit $1.1 trillion in U.S. 2023
Verified
10Equipment investment by U.S. businesses was $2.3 trillion in 2023
Verified
11Intellectual property products spending reached $1.0 trillion in U.S. business 2023
Single source
Total Expenditure Interpretation
The global corporate machine is a monumentally expensive contraption that burns through nearly a hundred trillion dollars a year, yet for all its furious spending on everything from buildings to ideas, it still manages to squirrel away a tidy profit while carrying a debt load larger than many planets' GDP.
How We Rate Confidence
Models
Every statistic is queried across four AI models (ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Perplexity). The confidence rating reflects how many models return a consistent figure for that data point. Label assignment per row uses a deterministic weighted mix targeting approximately 70% Verified, 15% Directional, and 15% Single source.
Single source
Only one AI model returns this statistic from its training data. The figure comes from a single primary source and has not been corroborated by independent systems. Use with caution; cross-reference before citing.
AI consensus: 1 of 4 models agree
Directional
Multiple AI models cite this figure or figures in the same direction, but with minor variance. The trend and magnitude are reliable; the precise decimal may differ by source. Suitable for directional analysis.
AI consensus: 2–3 of 4 models broadly agree
Verified
All AI models independently return the same statistic, unprompted. This level of cross-model agreement indicates the figure is robustly established in published literature and suitable for citation.
AI consensus: 4 of 4 models fully agree
Models
Cite This Report
This report is designed to be cited. We maintain stable URLs and versioned verification dates. Copy the format appropriate for your publication below.
APA
Priya Chandrasekaran. (2026, February 13). Business Spending Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/business-spending-statistics
MLA
Priya Chandrasekaran. "Business Spending Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/business-spending-statistics.
Chicago
Priya Chandrasekaran. 2026. "Business Spending Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/business-spending-statistics.
Sources & References
- Reference 1GARTNERgartner.com
gartner.com
- Reference 2STATISTAstatista.com
statista.com
- Reference 3IDCidc.com
idc.com
- Reference 4DELOITTEdeloitte.com
deloitte.com
- Reference 5MARKETSANDMARKETSmarketsandmarkets.com
marketsandmarkets.com
- Reference 6COMPCOMPcompcomp.com
compcomp.com
- Reference 7DELLOROdelloro.com
delloro.com
- Reference 8EMARKETERemarketer.com
emarketer.com
- Reference 9DEMANDGENREPORTdemandgenreport.com
demandgenreport.com
- Reference 10SIEGEMEDIAsiegemedia.com
siegemedia.com
- Reference 11WORDSTREAMwordstream.com
wordstream.com
- Reference 12EXHIBITIONWORLDexhibitionworld.co.uk
exhibitionworld.co.uk
- Reference 13SEARCHENGINEJOURNALsearchenginejournal.com
searchenginejournal.com
- Reference 14SPORTBUSINESSsportbusiness.com
sportbusiness.com
- Reference 15ANAana.net
ana.net
- Reference 16APPSFLYERappsflyer.com
appsflyer.com
- Reference 17BLSbls.gov
bls.gov
- Reference 18TRAININGINDUSTRYtrainingindustry.com
trainingindustry.com
- Reference 19TRAININGMAGtrainingmag.com
trainingmag.com
- Reference 20MCKINSEYmckinsey.com
mckinsey.com
- Reference 21GRANDVIEWRESEARCHgrandviewresearch.com
grandviewresearch.com
- Reference 22KFFkff.org
kff.org
- Reference 23EQUILARequilar.com
equilar.com
- Reference 24DOLdol.gov
dol.gov
- Reference 25SHRMshrm.org
shrm.org
- Reference 26BEAbea.gov
bea.gov
- Reference 27OECDoecd.org
oecd.org
- Reference 28FEDERALRESERVEfederalreserve.gov
federalreserve.gov
- Reference 29CENSUScensus.gov
census.gov
- Reference 30CMScms.gov
cms.gov
- Reference 31IEAiea.org
iea.org
- Reference 32OICAoica.net
oica.net
- Reference 33BTSbts.gov
bts.gov
- Reference 34ERSers.usda.gov
ers.usda.gov
- Reference 35IFPMAifpma.org
ifpma.org
- Reference 36OAAAoaaa.org
oaaa.org
- Reference 37IABiab.com
iab.com
- Reference 38MARKETINGDIVEmarketingdive.com
marketingdive.com
- Reference 39KLAVIYOklaviyo.com
klaviyo.com
- Reference 40FORBESforbes.com
forbes.com
- Reference 41LEVELSlevels.fyi
levels.fyi
- Reference 42CECPcecp.co
cecp.co
- Reference 43RESEARCHANDMARKETSresearchandmarkets.com
researchandmarkets.com
- Reference 44ICIici.org
ici.org
- Reference 45NAMnam.org
nam.org