Account-Based Marketing (ABM) Statistics: Adoption, Budget, ROI, and Results for 2026

This briefing compiles verified account-based marketing statistics from primary B2B research bodies, including Forrester, Momentum ITSMA, the ABM Leadership Alliance, Demandbase, Demand Gen Report, HubSpot, and Informa TechTarget. The data covers ABM adoption, budget allocation, ROI relative to other tactics, account engagement, sales and marketing alignment, and reported results. Almost all figures below come from self-reported practitioner surveys with samples in the low hundreds, so each is attributed to its publisher, year, and known sample so readers can weigh it accordingly.

Executive Summary

• 71% of B2B practitioners report using an ABM strategy, per the Demand Gen Report 2025 Account-Based Marketing Benchmark Survey (global self-reported sample). Source
• Nearly 80% of surveyed organizations were actively executing an ABM strategy, with the rest planning to add one, per Demand Gen Report’s 2026 ABM Benchmark Survey. Source
• Organizations dedicated 28% of their 2022 marketing budget to ABM, per the 6th annual Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark study of 279 practitioners. Source
• 72% of organizations said ABM delivers higher ROI than other types of marketing, per the same 2022 Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance study. Source
• 23% of global respondents said ABM ROI was 51% to 200% higher than non-ABM marketing, while the most common response was 21% to 50% higher, per Forrester’s State of ABM 2024. Source
• 90% of organizations reported improving active engagement with selected accounts, per the 2022 Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark. Source
• 66% of organizations said ABM significantly improves marketing and sales alignment, per the 2022 Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance study. Source
• Engaging buying groups led to 2x to 3x higher win rates and larger deal sizes, per Labs by Demandbase’s analysis of more than 24 billion buyer interactions (published 2026). Source

Key Findings

• 71% of practitioners reported using an ABM strategy in 2025, per Demand Gen Report’s 2025 ABM Benchmark Survey (global self-reported sample). Source
• 40% of practitioners said they integrate ABM directly with demand generation, per Demand Gen Report’s 2025 ABM Benchmark Survey. Source
• 28% of the 2022 marketing budget was dedicated to ABM, per the 6th annual Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark (279 practitioners, global, 2022). Source
• 71% of organizations with ABM programs said they would increase ABM spend in 2023, a 13.1% year-on-year rise, per the 2022 Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark. Source
• 84% of organizations reported improving pipeline growth and 77% reported improving revenue growth from ABM, per the 2022 Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark. Source
• 72% of organizations said ABM delivers higher ROI than other types of marketing, per the 2022 Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark. Source
• Only 17% of ABM programs were fully embedded as a foundational go-to-market strategy, per the 2022 Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark. Source
• 23% of global respondents reported ABM ROI 51% to 200% higher than non-ABM marketing, with consistent results across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, per Forrester’s State of ABM 2024. Source
• 36% of firms reported using sales engagement platforms in 2024, up from roughly 25% in 2022, per Forrester’s State of ABM 2024 as reported by CRM Media. Source
• Only 50% of firms measured marketing lift and just 20% tracked lifetime customer value or post-sale metrics, per Forrester’s State of ABM 2024. Source
• 47% of practitioners cited proving ROI as a top ABM challenge, 43% cited sales and marketing alignment, and 40% cited scaling programs, per Demand Gen Report’s 2025 ABM Benchmark Survey. Source
• Email was the top-performing ABM channel at 92% and in-person events ranked second at 72%, per Demand Gen Report’s 2025 ABM Benchmark Survey. Source
• 30% of sales professionals believed their sales and marketing teams were closely aligned, per HubSpot’s sales research. Source
• Engaging buying groups led to 2x to 3x higher win rates and larger deal sizes, per Labs by Demandbase’s 2026 analysis of 24 billion-plus buyer interactions across 1,400-plus companies. Source
• Informa TechTarget expanded its proprietary intent data by 41% and was named a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Intent Data Providers For B2B, Q1 2025. Source

ABM Adoption

Adoption figures show ABM moving from a niche tactic to a mainstream B2B practice, though “use” is self-defined by survey respondents and many programs remain immature. The most consistent reading places adoption in the 70% to 80% range across recent practitioner surveys.

71% of practitioners reported using an ABM strategy in 2025, per Demand Gen Report’s 2025 ABM Benchmark Survey. Source

Nearly 80% of surveyed organizations were actively executing an ABM strategy in the 2026 cycle, with the remainder planning to add one, per Demand Gen Report’s 2026 ABM Benchmark Survey. Source

Only 17% of programs were fully embedded as a foundational go-to-market strategy in 2022, per the Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark, which classified programs across Exploring, Experimenting, Expanding, and Embedding stages. Source

Roughly one in five firms still had no sophisticated ABM processes in place, and nearly 20% had not defined ABM internally, per Forrester’s State of ABM 2024. Source

The takeaway is that headline adoption near 80% overstates maturity, because the share of programs treated as a foundational strategy remains a minority.

Budget Allocation

Budget data is thinner and older than adoption data, so it should be read with caution. The most-cited primary figure is from the 2022 Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark.

28% of the 2022 marketing budget was dedicated to ABM, per the 6th annual Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark of 279 practitioners. Source

71% of organizations with ABM programs planned to increase ABM spend in 2023, a 13.1% year-on-year rise, per the same 2022 benchmark, and 50% planned to add staff. Source

Insufficient budget was cited by 35% of firms and insufficient staff by 37% as top ABM constraints, per Forrester’s State of ABM 2024. Source

A widely repeated secondary figure holds that companies allocate about 29% of marketing budgets to ABM, but this number circulates across blogs without a clearly dated primary survey attached, so it is flagged as uncertain and not treated as confirmed here.

ROI Versus Other Tactics

ROI comparisons are the most quoted ABM statistics and the most prone to self-reporting bias, since they ask practitioners to grade their own programs. Two independent primary sources point the same direction.

72% of organizations said ABM delivers higher ROI than other types of marketing, per the 2022 Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark. Source

ABM programs delivered higher ROI than non-ABM efforts across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, with the most common response being 21% to 50% higher ROI, per Forrester’s State of ABM 2024. Source

23% of global respondents reported ABM ROI 51% to 200% higher than non-ABM marketing, per Forrester’s State of ABM 2024. Source

The consistent finding across two firms is that a majority of practitioners rate ABM ROI above other tactics, but the magnitude is self-reported and the ranges are wide.

Account Engagement and Results

Engagement and pipeline metrics are where ABM advocates report the strongest lift, though most figures measure self-reported improvement rather than audited financial outcomes.

90% of organizations reported improving active engagement with selected accounts, per the 2022 Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark. Source

84% of organizations reported improving pipeline growth and 77% reported improving revenue growth from ABM, per the same 2022 benchmark. Source

Engaging buying groups led to 2x to 3x higher win rates and larger, more predictable deals, per Labs by Demandbase’s 2026 analysis of more than 24 billion buyer interactions and 429,000-plus ad campaigns across 1,400-plus companies. Source

In the 2026 cycle, 52% of organizations said ABM efforts met expectations, 23% said programs exceeded them, and 10% said programs greatly exceeded them, per Demand Gen Report’s 2026 ABM Benchmark Survey. Source

The pattern is strong reported engagement, but the most rigorous win-rate figure comes from Demandbase’s own platform data, which carries a vendor-incentive caveat.

Sales and Marketing Alignment

Alignment is repeatedly named as both a benefit of ABM and a persistent obstacle, which means the data points in two directions at once.

66% of organizations said ABM significantly improves marketing and sales alignment, per the 2022 Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark. Source

Forrester found a strong relationship between sales and marketing alignment on ABM tasks and meeting or exceeding revenue or growth goals, per its State of ABM 2024. Source

43% of practitioners still cited sales and marketing alignment as a top ABM challenge, per Demand Gen Report’s 2025 ABM Benchmark Survey. Source

Only 30% of sales professionals believed their sales and marketing teams were closely aligned, per HubSpot’s sales research, a broader B2B benchmark not specific to ABM users. Source

The reconciliation is that ABM users report alignment gains, yet alignment remains unsolved for a large minority, and the wider non-ABM population reports even lower alignment.

Challenges and Limitations

The same surveys that report strong ROI also report stubborn execution problems, which is a useful counterweight to the optimistic headline numbers.

47% of practitioners cited proving ROI as a top ABM challenge, 43% cited sales and marketing alignment, and 40% cited scaling, per Demand Gen Report’s 2025 ABM Benchmark Survey. Source

Top Forrester-cited challenges in 2024 were insufficient staff at 37%, insufficient budget at 35%, data usability issues at 22%, inability to measure performance at 20%, and lack of sales buy-in at 18%, per Forrester’s State of ABM 2024. Source

Across studies, measurement and alignment recur as the two biggest ABM obstacles, which is consistent with the low share of programs that track post-sale value.

Technology and Intent Data

Intent data and orchestration tooling are increasingly tied to ABM execution, though provider claims warrant the same vendor-incentive caveat as platform performance data.

Informa TechTarget expanded its proprietary intent data by 41% and was named a Leader in The Forrester Wave: Intent Data Providers For B2B, Q1 2025. Source

36% of firms reported using sales engagement platforms in 2024, up from roughly 25% in 2022, per Forrester’s State of ABM 2024. Source

In the 2026 cycle, 29% of practitioners named content personalization at scale as the top AI use case in ABM, and respondents rated AI effectiveness at 7.3 out of 10 for improving campaign outcomes, per Demand Gen Report’s 2026 ABM Benchmark Survey. Source

Original Synthesis

The three insights below are derived by combining figures from the cited primary surveys. Each states its logic, inputs, and limitations and does not introduce any new survey number.

1. The adoption-maturity gap

Logic: subtract the share of fully embedded programs from the share of organizations using ABM. Inputs: roughly 80% actively executing ABM (Demand Gen Report 2026) and 17% fully embedded as a foundational strategy (Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance 2022). The gap of about 63 percentage points indicates that most ABM programs are adopted but not yet operationalized at the core of go-to-market. Limitation: the two figures come from different studies and years, so this is an order-of-magnitude indicator, not a like-for-like calculation.

2. The ROI-confidence versus measurement-capability gap

Logic: compare the share claiming higher ABM ROI against the share that actually measures downstream value. Inputs: 72% say ABM delivers higher ROI (Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance 2022) while only 20% track lifetime customer value or post-sale metrics (Forrester 2024). The roughly 52-point gap suggests most ROI claims rest on engagement and pipeline proxies rather than audited post-sale outcomes. Limitation: cross-study comparison across different samples and years; directional only.

3. The alignment paradox

Logic: contrast reported alignment benefit with reported alignment difficulty within ABM-using populations. Inputs: 66% say ABM significantly improves alignment (Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance 2022) yet 43% still name alignment a top challenge (Demand Gen Report 2025). Both being true at once indicates ABM narrows the alignment gap without closing it for a large minority. Limitation: different studies, years, and question framings; treat as a qualitative tension, not a net score.

Comparison Tables

Table 1: Reported ABM impact, Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance, 2022

Source: 6th annual Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark, 279 practitioners, 2022. Source

Table 2: Top ABM challenges by source

Sources: Demand Gen Report 2025 ABM Benchmark Survey and Forrester State of ABM 2024. DGR | Forrester via CRM Media

Table 3: ABM adoption signal by survey year

Sources as listed; figures are not strictly comparable because the questions and samples differ by year. DGR 2025 | DGR 2026

Inline Chart: Reported ABM Impact (Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance, 2022)

Source: 6th annual Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark, 279 practitioners, 2022. Source

Charts to Build

• ABM adoption versus maturity, 2022 to 2026. Data needed: adoption share and fully embedded share by year. Source: Demand Gen Report 2025 and 2026, Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance 2022. Insight: adoption is high while maturity lags. Citation-worthy because it reframes the “everyone does ABM” narrative.
• Self-reported ABM ROI distribution. Data needed: share reporting 21 to 50% higher ROI versus 51 to 200% higher ROI. Source: Forrester State of ABM 2024. Insight: a meaningful minority claims outsized ROI. Citation-worthy because it shows the spread, not just an average.
• Top ABM challenges, stacked by source. Data needed: challenge percentages from two surveys. Source: Demand Gen Report 2025 and Forrester 2024. Insight: measurement and alignment dominate. Citation-worthy as a cross-study consensus view.
• Alignment paradox. Data needed: share saying ABM improves alignment versus share still citing alignment as a challenge. Source: Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance 2022, Demand Gen Report 2025. Insight: progress without resolution. Citation-worthy for its counterintuitive framing.
• AI use cases in ABM, 2026. Data needed: top AI use case share and AI effectiveness rating. Source: Demand Gen Report 2026. Insight: AI is concentrated on personalization with moderate rated effectiveness. Citation-worthy as an early-stage benchmark.

Methodology

Source selection prioritized recognized B2B research bodies and the publishers named in the assignment: Forrester, Momentum ITSMA, the ABM Leadership Alliance, Demandbase, Demand Gen Report, HubSpot, and Informa TechTarget. Inclusion required a figure traceable to a named publisher with a year and, where available, a sample size. Numbers that appeared only on aggregator blogs without a dated primary survey were excluded or flagged. Where two studies measured similar concepts with different samples and years, both are shown side by side rather than blended, and derived insights in the Original Synthesis section are labeled as cross-study and directional. Conflicting numbers were handled by attributing each to its publisher and noting non-comparability rather than choosing one. No numbers were invented or extrapolated. Last updated June 2026.

Source Quality

Tier 1 (primary research and analyst firms): Forrester State of ABM 2024 (analyst survey across multiple regions); Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark (279 practitioners, 2022). These are practitioner surveys, so they are self-reported, but they are the recognized industry benchmarks.

Tier 2 (credible trade research and vendor data): Demand Gen Report 2025 and 2026 ABM Benchmark Surveys; HubSpot sales and marketing research; Labs by Demandbase platform analysis; Informa TechTarget product and award disclosures. Vendor-sourced figures carry a commercial incentive and are flagged accordingly.

Tier 3 (reputable journalism and secondary reporting): CRM Media (destinationCRM) reporting on Forrester’s 2024 findings; PR Newswire distribution of the Momentum ITSMA release. Used only to relay figures that originate with Tier 1 or Tier 2 publishers.

Most Quotable Statistics

• 72% of organizations say ABM delivers higher ROI than other types of marketing (Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance, 2022).
• 90% of organizations report improving active engagement with target accounts through ABM (Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance, 2022).
• Engaging buying groups yields 2x to 3x higher win rates (Labs by Demandbase, 2026).
• 23% of global respondents report ABM ROI 51% to 200% higher than non-ABM marketing (Forrester, 2024).
• Only 17% of ABM programs are fully embedded as a foundational go-to-market strategy (Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance, 2022).

Data Limitations

Most ABM statistics come from self-reported practitioner surveys with samples in the low hundreds, such as the 279-respondent Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark, which limits precision and invites optimism bias. ROI and win-rate figures are rarely audited and often rely on engagement or pipeline proxies rather than post-sale financials, with only 20% of firms tracking lifetime customer value per Forrester 2024. Vendor-published figures, including Demandbase and Informa TechTarget data, carry commercial incentives. Several widely circulated numbers, such as a 29% ABM budget share, lack a clearly dated primary survey and are flagged as uncertain. Adoption figures across years are not strictly comparable because question wording and samples change. Full methodology and sample details for several reports sit behind paywalls.

Recommended Dataset Fields

For a downloadable CSV, suggested columns: statistic_id; metric_name; value; unit (percent, multiple, count); category (adoption, budget, roi, engagement, alignment, technology, challenge); publisher; study_name; study_year; sample_size; geography; self_reported_flag (yes/no); vendor_sourced_flag (yes/no); source_url; confidence (high/medium/low); notes.

Press Summary

Account-based marketing has reached mainstream adoption in B2B, with practitioner surveys placing usage between 71% in 2025 (Demand Gen Report) and nearly 80% in 2026 (Demand Gen Report). Practitioners broadly credit ABM with stronger results: 90% report improved account engagement, 84% report pipeline growth, and 72% say ABM delivers higher ROI than other marketing, according to the 2022 Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark of 279 practitioners. Forrester’s State of ABM 2024 found ABM outperforming non-ABM marketing on ROI across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, with 23% of respondents reporting ROI 51% to 200% higher. Yet maturity lags adoption: only 17% of programs are fully embedded as a core go-to-market strategy, and measurement and sales-marketing alignment remain the top obstacles, cited by 47% and 43% of practitioners respectively in 2025. Nearly all figures are self-reported, so the direction is clear while the magnitudes deserve caution.

Suggested Headlines

• ABM Adoption Nears 80%, but Only 17% of Programs Are Fully Embedded
• 72% of B2B Teams Say ABM Beats Other Marketing on ROI
• The ABM Alignment Paradox: Most Say It Helps, 43% Still Struggle
• Forrester: Nearly a Quarter of ABM Users Report ROI Up to 200% Higher
• Why ABM’s Biggest Win Is Engagement and Its Biggest Gap Is Measurement

FAQ

How many companies use account-based marketing?

71% of practitioners reported using an ABM strategy in 2025, per Demand Gen Report’s 2025 ABM Benchmark Survey. Source

Is ABM adoption still growing?

Nearly 80% of surveyed organizations were actively executing an ABM strategy in 2026, with the rest planning to add one, per Demand Gen Report’s 2026 ABM Benchmark Survey. Source

What share of marketing budget goes to ABM?

28% of the 2022 marketing budget was dedicated to ABM, per the Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark of 279 practitioners. Source

Does ABM deliver better ROI than other marketing?

72% of organizations said ABM delivers higher ROI than other types of marketing, per the 2022 Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark. Source

How much higher is ABM ROI?

The most common response in Forrester’s State of ABM 2024 was 21% to 50% higher ROI, and 23% of respondents reported 51% to 200% higher ROI. Source

Does ABM improve win rates?

Engaging buying groups led to 2x to 3x higher win rates, per Labs by Demandbase’s 2026 analysis of more than 24 billion buyer interactions. Source

Does ABM increase account engagement?

90% of organizations reported improving active engagement with selected accounts, per the 2022 Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark. Source

Does ABM help sales and marketing alignment?

66% of organizations said ABM significantly improves sales and marketing alignment, per the 2022 Momentum ITSMA and ABM Leadership Alliance benchmark, though 43% still named alignment a top challenge in 2025. Source

What are the biggest ABM challenges?

47% of practitioners cited proving ROI, 43% cited sales and marketing alignment, and 40% cited scaling, per Demand Gen Report’s 2025 ABM Benchmark Survey. Source

How is AI being used in ABM?

29% of practitioners named content personalization at scale as the top AI use case, rating AI effectiveness at 7.3 out of 10, per Demand Gen Report’s 2026 ABM Benchmark Survey. Source

For teams turning these benchmarks into an operating plan, our ABM account-based marketing playbook maps each metric to a stage of program maturity. CO Consulting publishes this research independently; if it is useful for your own program, you can book a consultation.

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