In 2019, 11 percent of enterprises had personnel working on software development. The ICT sector noted the largest percentage of enterprises with software development, at 60 percent.

More than half of expenditures and investments in IT consist of software 

Software is the largest IT-related expense or investment for enterprises. Over the last eleven years, software has increased by 76 percent among small enterprises (10-49 employees) and by 72 percent among mid-sized enterprises (50-249 employees).
Since 2009, expenses and investments in hardware have increased by 28 percent among small enterprises and by 7 percent among mid-sized enterprises.

Mid-sized enterprises accounted for 18 percent, which corresponds to SEK 13.4 billion, of total expenses and investments in hardware and software in 2019. 

Small enterprises accounted for 11 percent, which corresponds to SEK 8.3 billion, of total expenses and investments in hardware and software in 2019. 

Three largest industries in hardware

Information and communication, manufacturing, and wholesale and retail trade industries are consistently the largest market players in hardware. Together, these three industries accounted for 69 percent, corresponding to SEK 16.8 million, of total expenses and investments in 2019. The combined expenses and investments in hardware decreased by just over SEK 328 million compared to 2018.

Small enterprises invested less in hardware and software

Total investments in hardware and software amounted to SEK 25.1 billion in 2019, which corresponds to 35 percent of total expenses and investments. Among large and mid-sized enterprises, investments in hardware accounted for 39 percent and 40 percent respectively and investments in software accounted for 36 percent and 31 percent respectively. Small enterprises capitalised costs to a lesser extent, which mean these items were expensed and included in the income statement, rather than entered as tangible and intangible assets. In 2019, investments in hardware accounted for 28 percent and investments in software accounted for 18 percent. Capitalising costs for computer equipment was most common and amounted to SEK 5.5 billion in 2019.

Operational leasing – the most common form of leasing

Operational leasing was the most common form of hardware leasing in 2019. Among total hardware leasing expenses, operational leasing accounted for 92 percent.

The industries with the largest expenses and investments in hardware - information and communication, manufacturing and wholesale and retail trade - also have the largest expenses of operational leasing on hardware. Their combined expenses for operational leasing amounted to SEK 4.1 billion in 2019.

Expenses for internal IT services have increased

Enterprises purchased IT services for SEK 73.9 billion in 2019. This year’s survey shows a similar trend to previous years, in which internal IT services increased more than external IT services, by 6 percent in 2018 and by 15 percent in 2019.