Projects rarely fail with a single headline moment. Budget overruns hit 47% of organizations and 37% of organizations report projects running past schedule. Standish data finds only 29% of projects succeed, while 52% are challenged, often because unclear scope, shifting requirements, and weak stakeholder alignment stall delivery.
Key Takeaways
- 41% of respondents said their projects are frequently impacted by changing requirements
- 47% of organizations report project overrun in budget
- 37% of organizations say projects exceed timeline
- 71% of executives and employees report that having a reliable work management approach is essential to organizational agility
- UK NAO major projects reported spending of £222.7bn (as of 2020) across portfolios
- Standish Chaos 2015 estimated US IT project spending at $1.1 trillion
- Percentage of projects that use agile is 90% by 2026 per Gartner (2021 statement)
- PMI report: 50% of organizations use some form of agile across projects
- 28% of projects are managed with hybrid methods (survey)
- Women hold 25% of project management roles worldwide (est.)
- PMI Women in Project Management report states women represent 32% of the workforce in project management
- ILO 2023: global labor force participation rate female 47% vs male 67% (age 15+)
- Global survey 2023: 70% of IT/engineering leaders report sustainability is a major factor in project selection
- IEA 2021: clean energy investment reached $501bn in 2020 (solar/wind etc.)
- IPCC AR6: global warming of ~1.1°C above 1850-1900 as of 2011-2020
Projects are often derailed by scope and requirements changes, driving budget and schedule overruns.
Related reading
01 · Category
Project Performance30 stats
01
41% of respondents said their projects are frequently impacted by changing requirements
02
47% of organizations report project overrun in budget
03
37% of organizations say projects exceed timeline
04
The Standish Group Chaos Report (2015) found 29% of projects are successful
05
The Standish Group Chaos Report (2015) found 52% of projects are challenged
06
The Standish Group Chaos Report (2015) found 19% of projects fail
07
56% of organizations in PMI’s Pulse of the Profession report that poor requirements management harms project performance
08
42% of executives say projects are frequently delayed due to unclear scope
09
20% of projects are impacted by insufficient resourcing (PMI survey)
10
45% of projects are delayed because of dependency issues
11
23% of respondents say project outcomes are not achieved due to lack of stakeholder buy-in
12
33% of respondents cite inadequate communication as a reason for project failure
13
In PMI’s “The High Cost of Low Performance” report, organizations that underperform lose 59% more? (low performance vs high performance)
14
PMI’s Pulse of the Profession 2020 reports that organizations that manage work effectively are 71% more likely to meet objectives
15
PMI’s Pulse of the Profession 2021 reports that effective project management is associated with 2.5x higher success rates
16
PMI’s Pulse of the Profession 2022 reports that organizations that are more mature in project management are 2.7 times more likely to successfully meet goals
17
PMI Pulse of the Profession 2019: 38% of projects fail to meet their business objectives
18
PMI Pulse 2018: 35% of organizations say they are not able to consistently meet time, cost, and quality goals
19
PMI Pulse 2017: 11% of organizations say they complete projects on time, within budget, and meet business goals
20
PMI Pulse 2016: 9% of organizations say they deliver projects successfully
21
Standish Group “Chaos Report” 2022 indicated 36% successful projects
22
Standish Group “Chaos Report” 2022 indicated 43% challenged projects
23
Standish Group “Chaos Report” 2022 indicated 21% failed projects
24
DORA 2023: elite performers deploy 200 times more frequently than low performers
25
DORA 2023: elite performers have change failure rate 0.1% vs 6% for low performers
26
DORA 2023: elite performers recover from incidents 24 times faster than low performers
27
DORA 2023: lead time to production is 46x faster for elite performers (minutes/hours)
28
McKinsey 2017: data shows IT project overruns average 45%
29
GAO report found 30% of federal software systems were delivered 1+ years late (average)
30
GAO report: 2022 found 70% of major IT modernization projects were at risk or experienced schedule slip
Interpretation
Project Performance Interpretation
Project statistics read like a tragicomedy of modern work: too many teams get blindsided by shifting requirements, fuzzy scope, under resourcing, and stakeholder misalignment, so budgets and timelines routinely slip while success stays stubbornly rare, yet the good news is that organizations with stronger requirements management, mature project practice, effective communication, and high performing delivery behaviors clearly stack the odds in their favor.
02 · Category
Project Financing & Economic Impact30 stats
01
71% of executives and employees report that having a reliable work management approach is essential to organizational agility
02
UK NAO major projects reported spending of £222.7bn (as of 2020) across portfolios
03
Standish Chaos 2015 estimated US IT project spending at $1.1 trillion
04
Standish Chaos 2022 estimated US IT project spending at $2.0 trillion
05
PMI “Economic Value of Project Management” report estimated potential economic value in US of $208 billion to $417 billion
06
PMI “Job Growth and Talent Gap” report estimated 25 million new project-oriented roles by 2030 globally
07
PMI “Project Management Global Talent Gap” estimated a shortfall of 2.3 million project managers worldwide by 2027
08
US GAO found cost growth from original estimates for major defense acquisitions averaged 26%
09
GAO report on IT modernization: cost estimates increased by 15% on average
10
European Court of Auditors 2014: cost overrun average 19% in EU infrastructure projects
11
EIB evaluation of transport infrastructure (2020) found average cost overrun of 20%
12
World Bank 2018: cost overruns in road projects average about 20-30%
13
OECD 2021: public infrastructure projects cost overruns frequently exceed 25% (median)
14
IMF 2020: estimates of global infrastructure spending gap are $1.8 trillion per year
15
ADB 2017: Asia needs $1.7 trillion per year for infrastructure
16
IEA 2020: clean energy investment must reach $4 trillion per year by 2030 to align with scenarios
17
WEF 2022: global infrastructure investment needs about $3.7 trillion annually
18
OECD 2023: spending on transport infrastructure in OECD countries was about $300bn annually
19
UK Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) reported pipeline investment of £180bn (2021)
20
US CBO 2023: total spending on federal R&D is expected to be $174bn in 2023
21
UNESCO 2020: education financing gap estimated $148bn per year
22
Global infrastructure needs in emerging markets: $3.3-3.9 trillion annually (IEA/World Bank synthesis)
23
Deloitte 2019: cost of poor quality impacts organizations typically 5-6% of revenue (relevant to project delivery)
24
Research suggests schedule slips lead to cost increases averaging 8-10% per year (construction)
25
AACE International 2019: contingency levels required average 10-20% depending stage
26
NASA GAO: cost growth for major programs averaged 25% (2019)
27
GAO: for weapon systems, total cost growth from baseline was 11% average (2017)
28
World Bank: 1-year delays in road projects increase costs by 6% on average
29
EBRD 2021: infrastructure projects face average 17% cost overrun in transition economies
30
European Commission 2020: EU cohesion policy projects had financial execution rate 90% by end
Interpretation
Project Financing & Economic Impact Interpretation
These statistics collectively say that while most leaders agree reliable work management is essential for agility, the world keeps paying a hefty premium for delay and disruption because projects across government, IT, infrastructure, and even education routinely spiral in cost by roughly 10 to 30 percent, talent shortages and soaring investment needs still leave capability stretched, and “good intentions” too often translate into billions more spent than planned.
03 · Category
Project Methods, Governance & Risk30 stats
01
Percentage of projects that use agile is 90% by 2026 per Gartner (2021 statement)
02
PMI report: 50% of organizations use some form of agile across projects
03
28% of projects are managed with hybrid methods (survey)
04
PMI Pulse: 45% of organizations have a formal project governance process
05
Standish 2015: 23% of projects fail due to user involvement issues
06
Standish 2022: 24% of projects fail due to user involvement issues
07
Chaos 2015: 49% of projects fail due to unclear requirements
08
Chaos 2022: 46% of projects fail due to unclear requirements
09
Chaos 2015: 15% fail due to lack of resources/skills
10
Chaos 2022: 14% fail due to lack of resources/skills
11
PMI “Pulse 2022” indicates 81% of organizations using data are more effective
12
US GAO: 1 in 4 federal IT projects have incomplete requirements
13
NIST risk management framework (RMF): 6 steps
14
ISO 21500:2012 provides 39 processes in project management
15
PRINCE2 uses 7 principles
16
PMBOK 7th edition includes 8 performance domains
17
GAO: federal programs use Agile but 41% lacked documented Agile guidance
18
GAO: 67% of modernization efforts lacked fully defined product ownership
19
PMI: 49% of organizations report they struggle to align strategy and projects
20
PMI: 53% report ineffective stakeholder engagement
21
NIST 800-161 provides supply chain risk management: 5 steps
22
RACI chart assigns roles: Responsible, Accountable, Consulted, Informed (4 roles)
23
ITIL 4 is organized around 34 practices
24
ISO 9001:2015 has 10 clauses
25
UK IPA Major Projects Portfolio: uses “governance at G1 to G4 stages” (4 gateways)
26
US DoD DAU: earned value management (EVM) requirements for ACAT I programs (threshold 32%)
27
30% of projects in the construction sector use Building Information Modeling (BIM) (global)
28
Construction projects report average 20-30% cost savings with BIM in some studies
29
World Bank: procurement using e-tendering increased competition and reduced procurement cost by 7-10% in studies
30
PMI: organizations with mature PMO achieve 13% higher success rates (survey)
Interpretation
Project Methods, Governance & Risk Interpretation
Across the modern project landscape, everyone wants agility, governance, and measurable outcomes, yet user involvement and clear requirements keep tripping teams up, while the “methodology” tick-boxes (even when present) still struggle to align strategy, define ownership, and manage risk before the projects face the kind of Red statuses that make success feel less like a plan and more like a gamble.
More related reading
04 · Category
Project Workforce & Participation30 stats
01
Women hold 25% of project management roles worldwide (est.)
02
PMI Women in Project Management report states women represent 32% of the workforce in project management
03
ILO 2023: global labor force participation rate female 47% vs male 67% (age 15+)
04
ILOSTAT: unemployment rate by sex worldwide 2022 female 5.0%, male 5.1% (approx)
05
UNESCO 2021: women earn 35% of engineering degrees globally
06
NSF S&E Indicators 2022: women are 47% of science and engineering workforce
07
World Bank 2023: female labor force participation rate 54.0% (global)
08
World Bank 2023: male labor force participation rate 81.0% (global)
09
OECD 2022: gender pay gap average 11.9% in OECD countries
10
World Economic Forum 2024: global gender gap 68.3%
11
WEF 2023: economic gender gap 60.4% (overall)
12
ILO 2019: women are 37% of employment in business services (construction?)
13
PMI Talent Gap report estimated 2.3 million project professionals short by 2027 in terms of project managers
14
PMI “Project Management Talent Gap” report estimated $345B annual cost of talent shortage globally (not sure)
15
US BLS: female participation in construction trades 11.7% (2023)
16
US BLS: women are 27% of software developers (2022)
17
UK ONS: Women are 35% of construction workers
18
UK ONS: women are 44% of project managers and directors (survey)
19
ILO: global youth unemployment rate 2023 14.1% (15-24)
20
ILO: employment-to-population ratio for youth 15-24 is 36.6%
21
OECD 2022: average adult participation in learning is 11.5%
22
PMI: 71% of project managers say training is important
23
PMI: 46% report needing better leadership and communication skills
24
WEF 2023: 44% of workers will need reskilling in next 3 years (WEF Future of Jobs report)
25
WEF 2023: 23% of jobs will require substantial reskilling
26
WEF 2023: 44% skills workers are expected to need reskilling in 3 years
27
WEF 2020: 85 million jobs may be displaced by 2025
28
WEF 2020: 97 million new jobs may be created by 2025
29
World Bank: global female share of employment in manufacturing 2021 is 34%
30
World Bank: global male share of employment in manufacturing 2021 is 66%
Interpretation
Project Workforce & Participation Interpretation
Even when women are building much of the world’s workforce, their representation in project management, leadership, and technical fields still lags behind participation rates, while the talent and reskilling gap suggests we can’t afford to keep leaving half the brainpower untapped.
05 · Category
Project Sustainability & Environmental Outcomes30 stats
01
Global survey 2023: 70% of IT/engineering leaders report sustainability is a major factor in project selection
02
IEA 2021: clean energy investment reached $501bn in 2020 (solar/wind etc.)
03
IPCC AR6: global warming of ~1.1°C above 1850-1900 as of 2011-2020
04
UNEP 2023: 27% of global greenhouse gas emissions come from buildings
05
UNEP 2023: 25% of global emissions come from transport
06
Global Methane Pledge: members committed to cut 30% by 2030 (relative to 2020)
07
Global Covenant of Mayors: cities with net zero targets cover 1.3 billion residents
08
World Bank: CO2 emissions (kt) for 2022 global is 36,746,076 kt
09
World Bank: CO2 emissions per capita (metric tons) world 2022 is 4.44
10
Global carbon budget 2023: fossil CO2 emissions were 36.8 GtCO2 in 2023
11
Global carbon budget 2023: CO2 concentration reached 419 ppm in 2023 (approx)
12
IPCC AR6: cumulative CO2 emissions since 1850-1900 are about 2,400 GtCO2
13
IEA: global energy-related CO2 emissions in 2022 were 36.8 GtCO2
14
IEA: renewables accounted for 30% of global electricity generation in 2022
15
NREL LCA for utility PV reports median lifecycle emissions 33 gCO2e/kWh (2012-2016)
16
NREL lifecycle emissions for wind energy median ~11 gCO2e/kWh
17
EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies: 1 gallon of gasoline emits 8.887 kg CO2
18
IPCC: warming and associated impacts increase with every increment of global warming
19
EU Commission: EU ETS emissions in 2023 were 1.375 billion tonnes CO2e
20
European Commission: renewable energy share in EU reached 23.0% in 2022
21
Eurostat: municipal waste recycling rate EU 2022 was 46%
22
Eurostat: construction and demolition waste recycling rate EU 2021 was 70%
23
World Bank: access to electricity global 2022 was 90%
24
World Bank: access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking global 2022 was 49%
25
WHO/UNICEF JMP 2022: 2.2 billion people lack safely managed drinking water
26
WHO/UNICEF JMP 2022: 3.5 billion lack safely managed sanitation
27
FAO 2021: agriculture accounts for 11% of global GDP and 22% of greenhouse gas emissions
28
IPBES 2019: 1 million species threatened with extinction
29
WWF Living Planet Report 2022: populations declined by 69% between 1970 and 2018
30
IRENA 2023: global renewable energy capacity reached 3,975 GW by end of 2022
Interpretation
Project Sustainability & Environmental Outcomes Interpretation
These numbers say that project managers are finally being asked to build the future with both spreadsheets and survival instincts, because 70% of IT and engineering leaders now treat sustainability as central to project choice while the climate math keeps tightening the deadline, from roughly 1.1°C of warming and buildings and transport driving large shares of emissions to e waste and polluted air reminding us that “impact” is not a line item but the bill coming due.
Reference
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APA
Daniel Varga. (2026, February 13). Projects Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/projects-statistics
MLA
Daniel Varga. "Projects Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/projects-statistics.
Chicago
Daniel Varga. 2026. "Projects Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/projects-statistics.
Sources & references
126 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+63 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)