PUBLISHER: Mordor Intelligence | PRODUCT CODE: 1906230
PUBLISHER: Mordor Intelligence | PRODUCT CODE: 1906230
The European IT services market was valued at USD 461.80 billion in 2025 and estimated to grow from USD 492.31 billion in 2026 to reach USD 678.03 billion by 2031, at a CAGR of 6.61% during the forecast period (2026-2031).

Rapid SAP and legacy ERP modernization ahead of the 2027 support sunset is accelerating large-scale transformation programs, especially in Germany, the Netherlands, and France. The EU Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive is expanding demand for ESG-linked consulting and data services across more than 51,000 companies. Parallel enforcement of the AI Act is redirecting budgets toward managed security and AI-driven vendor-selection frameworks that integrate transparency and data-sovereignty controls. Private-equity-backed consolidation, with disclosed deals exceeding USD 10 million each quarter, is reshaping competitive dynamics and stimulating cross-border M&A that deepens service portfolios.
More than 99% of European enterprises prioritize cloud investment, signaling that cloud adoption has moved from cost efficiency to strategic necessity. AI readiness is the leading motivator, cited by 78% of organizations planning cloud spend that aligns with future machine-learning workloads. Despite this urgency, European firms have achieved only 32% of their stated cloud-transformation goals, leaving a sizable execution gap for providers in the European IT services market. GDPR and AI Act compliance require modern data-governance frameworks, pushing clients toward cloud-native architectures with sovereign-cloud options such as GAIA-X. As a result, hyperscaler partnerships now emphasize regional availability zones and joint compliance blueprints that accelerate migration while satisfying sovereignty rules.
Macroeconomic pressure has shifted boardroom priorities from innovation to measurable savings, driving a wave of renegotiated outsourcing deals that aim for payback within 18 months. Salary inflation reached 12% in Sweden and double-digit levels elsewhere, encouraging enterprises to rebalance delivery footprints toward lower-cost nearshore hubs in Central and Eastern Europe. Build-Operate-Transfer models are gaining favor because they combine immediate savings with eventual captive ownership, a hybrid that resonates with risk-averse European finance chiefs. Private-equity funds have noticed this pattern and now account for 60% of managed-services acquisitions, adding scale to the European IT services market while guaranteeing disciplined cost structures. Providers that demonstrate contractual flexibility-shorter tenures, outcome-based pricing, and joint governance-win a disproportionate share of new logos.
Nearly 58% of EU businesses report difficulty hiring ICT specialists, and shortages have risen 20% in the past decade. Germany alone needs 310,000 additional STEM professionals, while Sweden's entry-level software salaries touched EUR 4,000 (USD 4,520) per month after a 12% rise since 2022. Tight labor markets inflate delivery costs, squeezing margins for providers heavily weighted toward onshore capacity in the European IT services market. Vendors respond by investing in large-scale upskilling programs-Infosys, for example, has trained 275,000 employees in AI-but reskilling cycles lag client demand by several quarters. Persistent wage pressure could offset as much as 1.4 percentage points from forecast CAGR unless nearshore and offshore talent pools expand.
Other drivers and restraints analyzed in the detailed report include:
For complete list of drivers and restraints, kindly check the Table Of Contents.
IT Consulting and Implementation opened 2025 with a 27.32% share of the European IT services market, underscoring its role in navigating SAP S/4HANA migrations and regulatory mandates. The advisory portfolio remains sticky because clients depend on consultants for target-operating-model design, vendor-selection criteria, and change-management roadmaps. Managed Security Services, however, records the fastest 8.27% CAGR, propelled by NIS2 and sector-specific directives that push continuous compliance monitoring. Over the forecast horizon, cloud-platform services amplify demand for multi-disciplinary skills, enabling providers to bundle migration, modernization, and security under one contract. This convergence reinforces wallet share for incumbents but also invites specialized boutique entrants that target high-growth niches such as AI-ethics audits.
IT outsourcing retains value when coupled with automation commitments that improve cost-to-serve ratios by double digits. The European IT services market size attached to business-process outsourcing is now influenced by AI-assisted document processing, which reduces error rates below 1% and elevates demand for process-re-engineering experts. Strategic acquisitions-Capgemini buying WNS for USD 3.3 billion, CGI absorbing Apside-signal intent to deepen vertical specialization and secure defensive moats against price-led challengers.
Large Enterprises controlled 64.23 of % European IT services market share in 2025, a dominance rooted in multi-year modernization roadmaps and exhaustive compliance obligations that necessitate tier-one partners. These clients continue to ink mega-deals-Wipro's USD 650 million Phoenix Group contract exemplifies scale and buying power. Yet the Small and Medium Enterprise segment is growing 8.74% annually, closing capability gaps through cloud-first subscriptions that compress time-to-value.
Government subsidies, such as Digital Europe Programme vouchers, subsidize up to 50% of qualified SME transformation costs, further accelerating adoption. Nordic programs extend tax credits for cybersecurity audits, funneling incremental spend toward managed services. Providers tailor modular offerings-bundled SaaS, pay-as-you-grow infrastructure, and fractional CISO services-to suit constrained budgets. As this cohort matures, SME penetration of the European IT services market is expected to add 3.95 percentage points to the aggregate revenue mix by 2031.
The Europe IT Services Report is Segmented by Service Type (IT Consulting and Implementation, and More), End-User Enterprise Size (Small and Medium Enterprises, and Large Enterprises), Deployment Model (Onshore, Nearshore, and More), End-User Vertical (BFSI, Manufacturing, Government and Public Sector, and More), and Country (United Kingdom, Germany, France, and More). The Market Forecasts are Provided in Terms of Value (USD).