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
01 · Category
Human Capital Spending30 stats
01
U.S. total compensation spending by businesses was $11.6 trillion in 2023
02
Global corporate training expenditure reached $370 billion in 2023
03
U.S. businesses spent an average of $1,252per employee on training in 2023
04
Employee benefits costs averaged 30.8% of total payroll for U.S. firms in 2023
05
Global recruitment spending by businesses hit $223 billion in 2023
06
Diversity and inclusion program spending averaged $1.5 million per large U.S. company in 2023
07
Employee wellness program budgets reached $8 billion globally in 2023 for corporations
08
U.S. employer-sponsored health insurance premiums averaged $8,435per employee in 2023
09
Executive compensation packages averaged $14.2 million for S&P 500 CEOs in 2023
10
Global talent acquisition tech spending was $6.2 billion in 2023
11
U.S. businesses spent 7.2% of revenue on employee compensation in retail sector 2023
12
Learning management systems spending hit $22.5 billion globally in 2023
13
Employee engagement software expenditure was $1.8 billion worldwide in 2023
14
U.S. pension contributions by employers totaled $312 billion in 2023
15
Remote work tool spending per employee averaged $2,500in 2023 for enterprises
16
Global HR tech market size reached $81.6 billion in 2023 for businesses
17
U.S. firms spent $92 billion on employee turnover costs in 2023
18
Leadership development programs cost businesses $50 billion globally in 2023
19
U.S. wage and salary disbursements by businesses $10.8 trillion 2023
20
Supplements to wages (benefits) $2.3 trillion U.S. businesses 2023
21
Global freelance platform spending by businesses $1.5 trillion 2023
22
U.S. tech sector avg salary spend $200k per employee 2023
23
Employee referral program costs $4,000per hire avg 2023
24
Corporate volunteering program spending $8 billion U.S. 2023
25
Global e-learning market for corporate training $315 billion 2023
26
U.S. employer 401(k) contributions $500 billion 2023
27
HR analytics software spend $3.4 billion globally 2023
28
Average onboarding cost per employee $4,207U.S. 2023
29
Global employee assistance programs spend $5.2 billion 2023
30
U.S. manufacturing labor costs 12.5% of revenue 2023
Interpretation
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.
02 · Category
Industry-Specific18 stats
01
U.S. manufacturing sector operating expenses hit $6.4 trillion in 2023
02
Retail trade businesses spent $5.8 trillion on costs in U.S. 2023
03
Healthcare industry expenditures by U.S. providers were $4.5 trillion in 2023
04
Financial services firms spent $1.2 trillion on operations globally in 2023
05
Tech sector R&D spending was $500 billion worldwide in 2023
06
Energy sector capital expenditures reached $800 billion globally in 2023
07
Construction industry material costs spending was $1.9 trillion in U.S. 2023
08
Hospitality businesses spent $2.1 trillion on operations worldwide in 2023
09
Automotive manufacturing expenditures totaled $3 trillion globally in 2023
10
Wholesale trade operating expenses were $7.2 trillion in U.S. 2023
11
Transportation and warehousing costs hit $2.8 trillion for U.S. businesses 2023
12
Information sector expenditures totaled $1.6 trillion in U.S. 2023
13
Professional services firms spent $4.9 trillion globally in 2023
14
Real estate business operating costs were $3.3 trillion in U.S. 2023
15
Mining sector expenditures reached $650 billion worldwide 2023
16
Food and beverage manufacturing costs $1.4 trillion in U.S. 2023
17
Pharmaceuticals R&D and ops spending $1.5 trillion globally 2023
18
Aerospace and defense business spending $900 billion in 2023
Interpretation
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.
03 · Category
Marketing & Advertising30 stats
01
U.S. businesses spent 4.1% of revenue on marketing in 2023, averaging $35,000 per employee
02
Global digital advertising spend by businesses reached $522 billion in 2023
03
B2B marketing budgets averaged 9.1% of revenue in 2023 for U.S. firms
04
Social media advertising expenditure by global businesses was $153 billion in 2023
05
Email marketing spend averaged $42per customer annually for businesses in 2023
06
Content marketing budgets for enterprises reached $412 billion globally in 2023
07
Programmatic advertising spend by businesses hit $488 billion worldwide in 2023
08
Influencer marketing expenditure grew to $21.1 billion globally in 2023
09
Search engine marketing spend by U.S. businesses was $82 billion in 2023
10
Video advertising budgets for businesses reached $192 billion globally in 2023
11
Event marketing spending averaged 4.5% of total marketing budgets in 2023 for enterprises
12
Global business spending on trade shows and events was $30 billion in 2023
13
SEO services expenditure by SMBs averaged $10,200annually in 2023
14
PPC advertising costs per click averaged $2.69for Google Ads in 2023 across industries
15
Brand sponsorship deals spending by corporations hit $68 billion globally in 2023
16
Direct mail marketing spend was $8.7 billion in the U.S. for businesses in 2023
17
Affiliate marketing commissions paid by businesses reached $15.7 billion globally in 2023
18
Mobile app advertising spend by enterprises was $362 billion worldwide in 2023
19
Global marketing spend by businesses was $1.3 trillion in 2023
20
U.S. TV advertising spend by corporations $65 billion in 2023
21
Out-of-home advertising expenditure $28 billion globally 2023 businesses
22
Native advertising spend reached $12.5 billion U.S. 2023
23
B2C marketing budgets averaged 10.4% of revenue 2023
24
Retargeting ad spend by e-commerce businesses $45 billion 2023
25
Podcast advertising revenue from businesses $2 billion U.S. 2023
26
Connected TV ad spend $30 billion globally 2023
27
Display advertising expenditure $220 billion worldwide 2023
28
Guerrilla marketing budgets averaged $500k per campaign for brands 2023
29
SMS marketing spend per business $1,200annually avg 2023
30
Global sponsorship market $113 billion in 2023 for businesses
Interpretation
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
04 · Category
Technology Spending20 stats
01
In 2023, global business spending on information technology reached $4.9 trillion, marking a 8.1% increase from 2022
02
U.S. businesses allocated 11.2% of their total budgets to IT in 2023, up from 10.5% in 2022
03
Enterprise software spending by businesses worldwide hit $919 billion in 2023
04
Cloud services expenditure among global enterprises grew to $599 billion in 2023, a 20.4% YoY increase
05
Cybersecurity spending by businesses reached $188 billion globally in 2023
06
Data center systems spending by enterprises was $236 billion in 2023 worldwide
07
AI-related spending by businesses is projected to reach $154 billion in 2024
08
U.S. corporate IT budgets averaged $12.4 million per company in 2023 for firms with 1,000+ employees
09
Mobile device management spending grew 15% YoY to $12.5 billion in 2023 globally
10
Business spending on edge computing reached $18.6 billion in 2023
11
Global enterprise spending on communications services was $1.47 trillion in 2023
12
IT services spending by businesses hit $1.32 trillion worldwide in 2023
13
Device spending in IT budgets reached $759 billion globally in 2023
14
Spending on data management software by enterprises was $127 billion in 2023
15
Global business R&D spending on tech innovation totaled $1.2 trillion in 2023
16
U.S. SMB IT spending averaged $450,000per firm in 2023
17
Enterprise collaboration tools spending reached $55 billion in 2023 globally
18
Business analytics software expenditure was $71 billion worldwide in 2023
19
Network equipment spending by businesses hit $112 billion in 2023
20
Global IT outsourcing spending reached $586 billion in 2023 for businesses
Interpretation
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.
05 · Category
Total Expenditure11 stats
01
U.S. total business expenses reached $18.5 trillion in 2022 (latest full data)
02
Global corporate profits after tax were $3.8 trillion in 2023, with spending on ops at 85% of revenue
03
U.S. nonfinancial corporate business debt outstanding was $20.3 trillion in Q4 2023
04
Business investment in fixed assets was $3.1 trillion in U.S. 2023
05
Global business services expenditure totaled $15.2 trillion in 2023
06
Global business spending on total expenditure grew 5.2% YoY to $95 trillion in 2023
07
U.S. corporate tax pre-payments indicated $2.9 trillion in deductible expenses Q1 2024
08
Nonresidential fixed investment by businesses was $3.4 trillion annualized in U.S. 2023
09
Structures spending in business investment hit $1.1 trillion in U.S. 2023
10
Equipment investment by U.S. businesses was $2.3 trillion in 2023
11
Intellectual property products spending reached $1.0 trillion in U.S. business 2023
Interpretation
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.
Reference
Cite This Report
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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
45 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level