As a rising methodology centered around project management, looking into Agile statistics can highlight how professionals are responding to the method.
What makes Agile unique is that it helps to streamline project management for efficiency while improving deliverables and outcomes.
It’s becoming so popular that 71% of companies have adopted Agile.
Using the methodology ensures projects get completed while reducing failure rates.
The adoption of Agile is increasing over time, but some people in the corporate world are still resilient to it.
You’d be surprised at what statistics have to show, and this article will dive into the numbers to provide a clear look at how Agile is becoming the norm for project management.
Key Statistics
- 80% of IT projects on a federal level adopt Agile
- 71% of companies have adopted Agile worldwide
- Out of the 71% of companies that adopted Agile, 98% of them have found it to be helpful
- Projects using the Agile methodology have an average 64% success rate
- The competing methodology, called Waterfall, only has a 49% success rate
- Agile’s average failure rate is 8%
What is Agile?
Primarily used for software development, Agile is a methodology that’s utilized for project management across many different industries.
It came about in the early 2000s and is a primary competitor of Waterfall, which was introduced in the 1970s.
Although some developers and project managers may hold on to Waterfall, Agile has proven to be more successful in several areas.
Waterfall focused on detailed documentation, minimal customer involvement, and a sequential structure.
With Agile, the methodology focuses on what Waterfall lacks, such as iterative structure, flexibility, and strong customer involvement.
Since Agile has become increasingly relevant over the last two decades, you can find a broad range of statistics on the methodology.
It’s far from perfect and can’t be applied to every use case, but project managers tend to be a fan of what it has to offer.
As with anything, Agile has a few pros and cons, but the general sentiment toward it is pretty positive.
General Agile Statistics in 2025
Before we dive into a variety of niche statistics, the article will start with some general data points.
This will provide a brief overview of Agile adoption and how the methodology has made its way into the corporate world throughout the years.
1. How Many Companies Are Using Agile?
If you were to break this down by the exact number, it would be too many organizations to count.
The most recent available data shows that Agile has been adopted by roughly 71% of companies worldwide.
This alone tells us that Waterfall is on its way out, and Agile has become the preference for project managers and developers.
What varies most with this statistic is the frequency with which Agile is used within these companies.
Some of them resort to it 100% of the time, while others are hit or miss with it.
As it was mentioned earlier, Agile isn’t perfect for every scenario.
Regardless of this, the corporate world sees the value of Agile, and most companies see the benefit behind this approach.
You’ll find that Agile is commonly used when it comes to software development.
It’s also the methodology of choice regarding specific development projects.
Statistics show that Agile is primarily used in the development of cloud-based solutions.
You can also find a correlation between project managers that use Agile and their average salaries.
(GoRemotely)
2. Average Salary for Project Managers that Use Agile
Salaries for project managers are bound to vary by industry, expertise, and a variety of other factors.
However, statistics provide insight into the average salary for project managers who use Agile.
The average seems to be around $90,000 per year, which is considered to be pretty generous in most people’s eyes.
If you were to shoot for the same position, clearly it’d be helpful to learn the ins and outs of the Agile methodology.
Taking this approach with any project has proven to be helpful, and it’s evident that those who know it thoroughly can ask for a decent salary.
Keep in mind that $90,000 is an average number, meaning some Agile project managers are likely making six figures.
Although software development and project management frequently make use of Agile, there are a number of business functions where the methodology can be helpful.
(GoRemotely)
3. Primary Business Functions that Use Agile
Agile can be put to use within many different business functions.
Some may be more common than others, but when it comes to managing the scope of any project, Agile tends to come in handy.
The table below displays the business functions that use Agile the most.
This information also shows how Agile can be used in different industries and departments, some of which have nothing to do with each other.
| Business Function | Percentage of Agile’s Use |
| Research and Development | 83% |
| Product and Operations | 82% |
| Customer Service and Support | 79% |
| Marketing and Communications | 79% |
| Sales | 78% |
| HR, Finance, and Administration | 78% |
Of course, the list is bound to go on from here, but these departments are leaders in the adoption and application of Agile.
You’ll also find that the benefits Agile brings to these departments are quite diverse.
There isn’t just one use case for Agile; it can be adapted for many unique approaches to overall project management.
(Zippia)
4. What Are the Main Benefits?
If you were to ask different people who use Agile, they’d give you a different viewpoint of what they feel makes the methodology so beneficial.
From a statistical standpoint, there are a few primary benefits that take the cake, and many Agile users agree.
The main five benefits of Agile include the following:
- Acceleration of software delivery – 71%
- Enhance ability to manage changing priorities – 63%
- Increase productivity – 51%
- Improve business and IT alignment – 47%
- Enhance software quality – 42%
When you combine all of these benefits, you can see why Agile is so beneficial to project management.
Aside from the benefits, there are a handful of popular techniques that are used pertaining to Agile, each with its own use cases based on the needs of the project.
(Zippia)
5. The Best Agile Techniques
Some techniques are utilized more than others.
Nevertheless, the techniques mentioned below are pretty consistent when it comes to project management.
The techniques that professionals use tend to vary based on the needs of the project and the department or industry they’re working in.
The primary techniques used with Agile are as follows:
- Daily Standup – 85%
- Retrospectives – 81%
- Sprint & Iteration Planning – 79%
- Short Iterations – 64%
- Kanban – 63%
Although these are the most popular tactics to be used with Agile, they’re far from the only ones.
It’s also important to highlight that there is more than one methodology that’s used with what Agile has to offer.
There may be a base methodology, but it’s a concept and workflow that can be adapted to the unique needs of many types of projects.
(KnowledgeHut)
6. Most Used Agile Methodologies
In a similar fashion to the statistics mentioned above, there are many different methodologies that can be used in conjunction with the base benefits of Agile.
Interestingly, it seems that Scrum and its variants associated with it are the most used in this category.
Below is a bullet list of the most used methodologies with the Agile approach to project management.
- Scrum – 58%
- ScrumBan – 10%
- Other/Hybrid methodologies – 9%
- Scrum/XP Hybrid – 8%
- Kanban – 7%
You can break down how Agile is used in a seemingly endless list of methods.
So far, the statistics mentioned in this article focus on use cases, benefits, and the departments where Agile is mostly utilized.
In the following section, you’ll get a more thorough breakdown of how the methodology is put to use in a specific industry.
(KnowledgeHut)
How Agile Has Benefited the Marketing Industry
This article has already made it evident that Agile can benefit a vast range of industries.
Now that Agile has been around for quite some time, there are many detailed statistics that you can pull from any industry.
You can find more than enough proof that Agile has benefited the marketing industry in many unique ways.
It also delivers results that are otherwise not possible with past methodologies in modern marketing.
7. A General Overview of Agile Benefits in Marketing
Information taken from the 5th State of Agile Marketing Report tells us it’s an effective approach for those who work in the industry.
Below are a few general statistics related to this topic that provided quick insight into how Agile has benefited the marketing space.
- 55% of marketing teams using Agile achieve a faster release time
- 62% of marketers using Agile can easily handle fast-paced marketing work
- 62% of Agile users in the marketing industry say they can better manage shifting priorities
The positive aspects of using Agile for marketing work are much more convoluted than this.
However, these points make it clear that most employees in this industry find the methodology quite useful.
(AgileSherpas)
8. Increased Productivity and Efficiency
Based on the opinion of 87% of Agile CMOs, marketing teams see a substantial increase in productivity when transitioning to the Agile methodology.
For 58% of marketing teams using Agile, it’s also common to find improvements in morale.
75% of Agile marketers are highly satisfied with their team’s work output, compared to 31% with teams that follow a standard project management approach.
In the table below, you’ll find a correlation between various business needs alongside the results that Agile brought to the table.
| Business Needs | Approval Rating from Marketers |
| Get to Market Faster | 93% |
| Adapt and Respond Faster | 93% |
| Increased Productivity | 87% |
| Identify and Prioritize High-Impact Activities Quicker | 80% |
| Deliver Customer-Centric Outcomes | 80% |
These numbers show that markets are fans of applying the Agile methodology to their workflow.
Using Agile in the right way can make everyone’s lives easier in the corporate world.
For example, around 80% of marketers report that their departments are always understaffed.
Implementing Agile into their workflow has reduced issues that stem from being understaffed.
(AgileSherpas)
9. Agile Helps to Solve Common Challenges
The marketing industry is a constantly changing industry that requires adaptation to thrive.
You can imagine how this might challenging for marketers to keep up with.
Marketers use a vast range of tools to help them with their job, but Agile brings a level of support that’s pretty significant.
The challenges workers face in this industry aren’t entirely centered around marketing itself.
For example, a few challenges that are common in this industry are transitioning to remote work, shifting priorities, and managing ever-changing budgets.
Other known challenges in the marketing industry include the following.
- Visibility for Managing Fluid Plans – 48%
- Delivering new content in a timely manner – 42%
- Maintaining alignment within the organization – 40%+
The list goes far beyond these areas; you can find more information on this topic in the table below.
Many new challenges seen in the marketing industry come from the many changes caused by the pandemic.
In this table, you’ll get a look at these particular challenges and the percentage of marketers who acknowledge these challenges.
| Challenges Stemming from the Pandemic | % of Marketers Who Acknowledge Them |
| Managing changing priorities and strategies | 52% |
| Providing visibility to fluid plans | 48% |
| Difficulty in creating new content quickly | 42% |
| Managing budget for changing initiatives | 41% |
| Realigning resources to new initiatives | 40% |
| Effectively managing new requests | 39% |
| Increased focus on customer communications | 38% |
| Managing a remote marketing team | 24% |
| Discovering and repurposing marketing assets | 18% |
| Managing vendors remotely | 12% |
The marketing industry is much more convoluted than you might think.
With the fast-paced and changing nature of the industry and the corporate world as a whole, Agile comes in handy from many different angles.
Now that you have an idea of how Agile can be applied to a specific industry, let’s go back to looking at Agile usage statistics from a bird’s eye view.
(AgileSherpas)
How Agile Benefits Costs and Profits
Not only are the benefits of Agile found in the day-to-day workflow of various industries, but the benefits can also be found in many different aspects of the business.
If Agile is able to make improvements in individual departments and daily tasks, the business as a whole will see a positive return.
10. Reducing the Cost Base
Statistics show that banks are a part of Agile’s adoption rate.
The methodology has the ability to reduce costs while increasing revenue at the same time.
A global bank has determined that Agile is the direct cause of their cost base being reduced by 30%.
This is a significant percentage and frees up a lot more money to focus on other business ventures.
Although this stat comes from one specific bank, you can assume many other banks are following the same path with Agile.
(GoRemotely)
11. Revenue and Proft Growth
Taken from statistics related to the accounting sector, organizations that adopt Agile and put it to use have seen a 60% rise in revenue and profit growth on average.
This number is bound to vary from one business to the next, but it’s still significant nonetheless.
Whereas many people focus on how Agile can help them save money, it can also help businesses earn more in the long run.
It’s important to note that this is made possible through the consistent implementation of the Agile methodology.
Agile is still going through an increase in adoption as more businesses catch wind of its benefits from all sides.
Many organizations still have yet to catch on, but the stats don’t lie, and it’s clear an uptick in revenue and profit is a part of utilizing Agile.
The adoption of Agile is increasing with each passing year, and a handful of statistics highlight how popular the methodology has become.
(GoRemotely)
The Rising Popularity of Agile
Even though the Waterfall methodology is still relevant in today’s world, it’s quickly being surpassed by the adoption of Agile.
Agile is finding its way into every corner of the corporate world, from small to large businesses, private entities, and even government organizations.
12. Manufacturers Have a Close Relationship with Agile
The manufacturing industry was one of the earliest adopters of agile.
This is quite apparent as 27.4% of manufacturers entirely rely on Agile.
Some manufacturers use a variety of methodologies, but those that solely rely on Agile believe it’s an unbeatable course of action.
Manufacturing is an industry that’s always looking for ways to improve its internal processes.
Efficiency, time to market, and effectiveness are core elements of the manufacturing industry, and Agile is able to make improvements across all of their processes.
(GoRemotely)
13. Even the FBI Sees the Benefits
There’s a clear difference between FBI projects that have utilized Agile and projects that haven’t.
In a clear example, after the FBI encountered a few failed project management attempts, the use of Agile provided the fix they were looking for.
Now, it’s a consistent and core process of their internal projects.
(GoRemotely)
14. Federal IT Projects Using Agile
In this day and age, roughly 80% of federal IT projects use Agile to handle their project management needs.
This number is expected to increase as the methodology continues to prove itself in one example after another.
(GoRemotely)
Future Agile Trends and Predictions
These stats barely touch the surface of how Agile is being adopted across the world.
You can see that it’s still finding its way into many industries and business processes.
However, there are plenty of trends and predictions for the future of Agile that show it’ll continue to dominate within its space.
15. Agile Adoption in 2020
The height of the pandemic caused a boom in the Agile adoption rate.
A lot of this came down to necessity, as essentially everyone became a remote employee overnight.
Businesses had to manage all of their processes through a remote workforce, and this acted as a proving ground for Agile.
33% of organizations admitted to adopting Agile to help manage their distributed workforce.
Although the pandemic isn’t still in effect, the remote workforce is here to stay.
Nowadays, hybrid working environments are much more common, which has brought a rising use of Agile.
(Zippia)
16. The Growth of Agile Over the Years
Since its launch in 2002, Agile has seen a substantial increase in its adoption.
The methodology has seen an increase of 88% in its adoption since 2002.
This can be broken down between a variety of business sectors, as it’s clearly more popular in some industries than others.
Agile is primarily found in the IT industry, specifically in federal IT projects, which is seen as a leader in adopting Agile.
There are a number of frameworks that are popular with the use of Agile.
No matter how you look at it, Scrum takes the lead spot regarding the mix of Agile and development frameworks.
(Zippia)
17. Most Popular Agile Framework
Developers all over the world make use of many different types of frameworks.
When it comes to the use of Agile, Scrum is the most widely used framework.
This is also true for other variations of this framework.
Other popular frameworks being used with Agile include Extreme Programming, Kanban, Dynamic Systems Method, and more.
Regarding software, JIRA is the most popular pertaining to Agile management and development teams.
If you were to ask individual developers, you’re likely to get varying sentiments on Agile, but statistics show that it’s quite popular with specific development tools.
Overall, Agile is seen as an adaptable methodology for project management with many types of business processes in various industries.
The Bottom Line
Agile is still finding its way into many new industries on a global scale.
There are plenty of business professionals that can vouch for the methodology and the numerous benefits that stem from it.
It may not be the project management methodology of choice for every organization, but it’s still seen as one of the most popular, among others.
In this article, you learned about many different Agile statistics and how the approach to project management has been adopted over the last 20 years.