Forrester

Why Read This Report

The US and European economies are dancing on the edge of a recession but haven't yet fallen. As a result, the outlook for the global market for business and government purchases of technology goods and services will see slowing, though still positive growth, in 2012. Growth in 2011 will be better, because vendors have had two quarters of generally strong demand before economic weakness surfaced in July and August, and that weakness won't lead to slower tech market growth until Q4 2011. For 2011, these conditions plus a weaker US dollar mean that global IT market growth will be 11.5% measured in US dollars), with a currency-adjusted growth rate of 7.7%. But 2012 growth will slide to 5.5% in US dollars and 6.5% in local currencies. Growth rates across regions will be more or less the same in 2011, with the US IT market growth of 7% near the global local-currency average growth rate. In 2012, IT markets of Western and Central Europe will have the slowest growth, with Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Africa and Latin America growing the fastest.