Gartner: Emerging markets worth $1.2tn in 2012

Growing regions include Latin America, Middle East and Africa and central and eastern Europe

Emerging markets are set to generate $1.22tn (£762bn) in IT spend this year, accounting for more than 31 per cent of the global total, Gartner's latest research has claimed.

Emerging regions of Asia-Pacific (excluding the mature markets of Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Hong Kong and Taiwan); Latin America, the Middle East and Africa; and central and eastern Europe continue to show positive momentum, despite economic uncertainty in more mature markets.

Luis Anavitarte, research vice president and head of emerging markets research at Gartner, said: “While professional and consumer market opportunities can be found in many emerging markets, Brazil, Russia, India, Mexico and China (BRIMC) continue to perform particularly strongly, and this is where over half of emerging markets' IT spending will be concentrated in 2012. Seventeen per cent of global IT spending will be generated by BRIMC in 2012, representing nearly $658bn, and the markets remain far from saturated."

Gartner said Latin America will generate nearly $326bn in IT spending in 2012, of which professional markets will represent 48.4 per cent of the total IT market in reaching $157.7bn in 2012.

Consumer markets in Latin America will account for $168bn this year. IT spending in the Middle East and Africa is expected to reach $244bn in 2012, with Saudi Arabia, Turkey and South Africa accounting for nearly 35 per cent of this revenue.

The Middle East and Africa professional markets represent 38 per cent of the total IT market in the region, and will reach $93bn in 2012, Gartner said. Central and eastern Europe are expected to generate nearly $158bn in IT spend this year.

Professional markets will represent 48.2 per cent of this, totalling $76bn, while the consumer market is predicted to reach $81.7bn. Russia's share of IT spending in the region in 2012 is expected for be nearly 45 per cent, followed by Poland with 11.8 per cent, the Czech Republic with 7.7 per cent and Hungary with 3.7 per cent. IT spending in emerging Asia/Pacific countries is expected to reach $496bn in IT spending in 2012.

Emerging Asia/Pacific professional markets will reach 42 per cent of the total IT spending in the region, while consumer IT spending will reach $288bn in 2012.

Anavitarte added: "IT spending caution will be a constant in 2012, suggesting IT sales will be more challenging than in 2011. In 2012, we expect to see a more aggressive approach of selected professional and consumer markets, with particular attention to new consumer buyers. IT budget increases are expected in emerging markets for 2012 and end users' top technology priorities include cloud computing and mobile technologies."