Worldwide IT spending will increase 4.6 per cent this year compared to 2009, according to research organisation Gartner.

Worldwide IT spending will increase 4.6 per cent this year compared to 2009, according to research organisation Gartner.

Corporations and consumers will spend $3.4 trillion (£2.1 trillion) on computing hardware, software, IT services and telecoms in 2010, with all those market segments expected to grow.

Richard Gordon, research vice president at Gartner, says an improvement in general economic conditions and the availability of credit is responsible for some of the projected growth

Adds Gordon, ‘Pent-up demand for new technologies will be released as enterprises focus on new growth opportunities and increase spending plans.’

Emerging markets are leading expansion in the sector, with spending expected to increase 9.3 per cent in Latin America, 7.7 per cent in the Middle East and Africa, and 7 per cent in the Asia-Pacific region.

However, Gordon warns that a portion of this projected increase is due to the decline in the value of the US dollar, in which the spending forecast is denominated.