It’s common to talk about the Ukrainian IT sector either as the driving force of the economy or as an industry that has lost its best years. Both views are oversimplifications. We’ve compiled the figures as of fall 2026 and explain what they mean for those who don’t work in IT but purchase services from the industry.
How much does the industry earn?
The key indicator is exports of computer services, which are published monthly by the National Bank.
- In July 2026, exports totaled $567 million.
- In the first seven months of 2026 — $3.9 billion.
- For the entire year of 2025 — $6.66 billion, an average of about $543 million per month.
In other words, 2026 is slightly higher than last year, but without a sharp surge: monthly volumes fluctuate between $508 and 592 million. This is no longer the double-digit percentage growth seen up until 2022, but rather a stable plateau with a slow upward trend.
A more important figure for understanding the industry's significance: computer services accounted for 38.61 TP3T of total service exports Ukraine in July. No other service sector comes close.
How many people work in the industry?
According to the Ministry of Digital Transformation, as of the end of August 2026, the following were operating under the Diya.City program: more than 4,500 resident companies and more than 206,000 professionals. The number of residents doubled in 2025.
Diya.City residents account for about 84% of the Ukrainian IT Labor Market. Practical takeaway for the client: if the contractor is not a resident, that in itself is not a red flag, but it’s worth asking about the legal structure of the business and the tax treatment.
What's Happening in the Labor Market
This is the main change over the past two years, and it's important even for those who simply hire developers.
- The market has stabilized employer's market. According to DOU surveys, the job search takes more than two months for most professionals, and 44% job seekers have lowered their salary expectations.
- Junior positions have almost disappeared. Companies hire people who are already qualified, rather than training them from scratch.
- Middle-level employees see a slight increase in salaries, while senior employees see the opposite, due to the market being saturated with strong candidates.
- The professionals who feel best are those from Security, AI, and DevOps — That's where the demand is.
The “gold rush” is over: the market has become more selective and pragmatic. For businesses commissioning software development, this is actually good news—there are more teams available than there were three years ago.
How Artificial Intelligence Has Changed Things
AI hasn’t “replaced developers,” but it has noticeably shifted demand. Typical simple tasks—layout based on a mockup, small scripts, boilerplate text—have become cheaper. Along with them, the cost of entering the profession has also fallen, causing the junior market to shrink.
At the same time, the value of professionals who can design systems, analyze third-party code, and take responsibility for the end result has increased. The same is true from the client’s perspective: anyone can now build an “off-the-shelf” website, but a website that generates leads still requires some real thought, just as it always has. We’ve written about this separately: Why isn't the website generating any leads?.
Search itself is changing: Google is increasingly showing an answer instead of a list of links—we’ve analyzed the implications in this article Google shows answers instead of links.
Four Trends Shaping the Market
1. A product instead of outsourcing
Traditional outsourcing—selling hours—is growing slowly. Companies are investing in their own products, where margins aren’t tied to hourly rates.
2. Diversification of customers
After 2022, companies stopped putting all their eggs in one basket: instead of relying on a single major client from the U.S., they built a portfolio spanning Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
3. The domestic market has grown
Ukrainian businesses have started investing in digital technologies: marketplaces, automation, and e-commerce. It’s not billions in exports, but for medium-sized studios, it’s a steady stream of revenue.
4. Defense tech as a separate industry
Hundreds of companies are working on defense technologies—from drones to situational awareness systems. This is a new, distinct branch of IT that simply didn’t exist five years ago.
What does this mean for you as a customer?
- Prices have stabilized. A sharp increase in development costs is not expected in the near future—the labor market is not overheated.
- The teams are more accessible. Studios that previously took on only large projects are now taking on medium-sized ones as well.
- We need to vet contractors more carefully. There are many people in the market who have “quickly moved on from AI”: the code works—until the first non-standard task comes along. The questions you should ask are listed here: How to Choose a Contractor: 9 Questions.
- Ask about the legal model. A contract, sole proprietorship, or residency in Diya.City—this determines how you make payments and what you do in the event of a dispute.
- Don't base your decision solely on price. A two- to threefold difference in quotes almost always reflects a difference in the scope of work, not a difference in greed— What factors make up the price?.
Conclusion
The Ukrainian IT sector in 2026 will feature stable monthly exports of $550–600 million, over 200,000 specialists at Diya.City, and nearly 39% of the country’s total service exports. The industry has stopped growing explosively but has become more predictable: less hype, more competition for customers, and a lower barrier to entry for businesses that want to create a solid product.
We We develop turnkey websites For Ukrainian businesses—from structure to launch, with a fixed budget and timelines for each phase. Calculate the cost You can get your project started in three steps, without any phone calls or briefings.
Sources of the figures: NBU data on computer services exports, Ministry of Digital Transformation statistics on Diya.City, and a labor market survey DOU. The figures are updated monthly—be sure to check the current values.
See also: How the industry reached its current state—in this article about that, How the War Has Changed the Ukrainian IT Industry. And the list shows where the global internet is headed overall The world's most-visited websites.
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