The CAST Intelligence Unit

Drawing on CAST’s 25-year proprietary data set, the unit publishes research to advance our software-based society.

Get up to speed now on the state of software worldwide.

Intelligence Briefing

Global tech debt hits 61 billion workdays

While it began as a concept, tech debt evolved in recent years into a measurable problem that companies track. What is new is a global tally of the issue.

With the first-ever release of this data –tapping CAST’s analysis of over 10 billion lines of code – our research finds that global tech debt levels have reached 61 billion workdays in repair time. Drawn from 17 countries that represent 51% of the world’s GDP, this stark figure is also a conservative one.

Access now

LOC Analyzed

10 billion

Applications Examined

47,000

Time range

1980 - 2024

From the Report

Workdays to repair 1,000 lines of code

2.07

United States

1.99

Italy

1.98

France

1.84

India

1.82

Spain

1.77

Austria

1.72

Netherlands

1.67

Mexico

1.60

1.58

Brazil

1.58

Germany

1.55

Malaysia

1.50

Denmark

1.49

Canada

1.45

Ecuador

1.40

Peru

1.12

Belgium

Leaders to laggards

Measured by the time required to repair code – the most comparable metric across geographies – the most indebted country is the United States, followed by Italy and France.

Notably, emerging economies such as Malaysia, Ecuador, and Peru, have a much lighter tech debt burden. This opens the door for a potential development ‘leapfrog’ opportunity, driven by AI, last seen with deployment of mobile networks in the early 2000s.

Get the full report

Explore Software Health by Category

To date, CAST has analyzed more than 100 billion lines of code, formulating 90,000 heuristics across 150+ programming languages, frameworks, and databases. This breadth generates unique intelligence about the software driving the global economy. Explore it now.

View insights for:

Software Health

The Software Health score reflects the average of Resiliency, Agility, and Elegance, capturing the degree to which applications comply with programming best practices.

Resiliency Index (0 - 100)

Derived from analysis of code patterns and programming practices that can compromise reliability in the short term. The higher the Resiliency, the lower likelihood of defects in production.

Agility Index (0 - 100)

Derived from analysis of embedded documentation and code readability best practices. The higher the agility, the easier the code is to maintain.

Elegance Index (0 - 100)

Derived from analysis of unnecessary degree of complexity. The lower the score, the greater number of defects which may become costly to fix in the mid-term.

Go Deeper: Tech Debt

AI's Impact on Tech Debt

Harnessing AI's speed in code generation requires human discernment. Done well, it accelerates innovation. Done poorly, it multiplies tech debt into an enduring liability.

The 8% Approach to Tech Debt

A small fraction of poor code is driving most tech debt issues. This analysis shows how to distinguish productive from destructive debt, enabling progress on initiatives such as on-cloud optimization.

Investing Wisely in Tech Debt Management

Effective modernization demands deliberate trade-offs. See how to align time, money, and talent with priorities such as value, stability, and compliance.

The Software Intelligence Journal

100 billion LOC condensed into 100 Seconds.

Enjoy exclusive insights about our code-driven world.

Field Reports

Generali Thailand cuts AD&M costs 12%

An insurance leader's rapid expansion hinges on evolving millions of lines of application code and effectively sharing knowledge across multiple teams.

Google Cloud Shaves 4 Months off Modernization

There was no quick way for Google Cloud's clients to figure out what needed to change inside critical applications. A new approach was brought to bear.

Neptunus speeds discovery 50%

An energy company exploring the deep ocean must master a decade-old, undocumented application gained through acquisition, or risk costly delays in delivering critical enhancements.

Book: The Automation Advantage

Featuring case studies of successful automation solutions, this indispensable road map includes guiding principles for technology, governance, culture, and leadership change.

ISO-5055: Software Quality Standards

Learn the Automated Source Code measurement standards for reliability, security, performance efficiency and maintainability.

IEEE: The Software Bill of Materials

Cybersecurity threats and software supply chain attacks are at an all-time high. Customers and agencies keep tightening the requirements for their software.

Y2K & Resilience 25 Years Later

25 years after Y2k, the real bug isn’t in the code – it’s in how problems spread.

Play podcast

Y Combinator: Vibe Coding is the Future

Founders are vibe coding their way from 'Zero to One. But can it scale beyond?

Watch video

Computer: OSS: The Ultimate in Reuse or a Risk Not Worth Taking?

How to evaluate cybersecurity risks associated with open software components.

Contribute

We welcome inquiries from academics, industry analysts, journalists, and think tanks who are interested in sharing perspectives or engaging with our experts.

Whether you'd like to contribute an article or connect with one of our specialists, we encourage diverse viewpoints and thoughtful debate.

CAST Highlight

CAST Imaging

CAST Gatekeeper

CAST SBOM Manager

CAST Services

Cloud optimization

Modernization

Technical debt

OSS risk control

Onboarding developers

ADM efficiency

Tech due diligence

Prompting AI

Public sector

System integrators

Events

Case Studies

Testimonials

Research Papers

Intelligence Unit

CAST Support

Overview

Management

Social Responsibility

News

Careers

The CAST Intelligence Unit

Drawing on CAST’s 25-year proprietary data set, the unit publishes research to advance our software-based society.Get up to speed now on the state of software worldwide.

Intelligence Briefing

Global tech debt hits 61 billion workdays

10 billion

47,000

1980 - 2024

From the Report

Workdays to repair 1,000 lines of code

2.07

1.99

1.98

1.84

1.82

1.77

1.72

1.67

1.60

1.58

1.58

1.55

1.50

1.49

1.45

1.40

1.12

Leaders to laggards

Explore Software Health by Category

View insights for:

Software Health

Resiliency Index (0 - 100)

Agility Index (0 - 100)

Elegance Index (0 - 100)

Go Deeper: Tech Debt

AI's Impact on Tech Debt

The 8% Approach to Tech Debt

Investing Wisely in Tech Debt Management

Stay Up to Date

The Software Intelligence Journal

Subscribe

100 billion LOC condensed into 100 Seconds.

Field Reports

Generali Thailand cuts AD&M costs 12%

Google Cloud Shaves 4 Months off Modernization

Neptunus speeds discovery 50%

Recommended Reads

Book: The Automation Advantage

ISO-5055: Software Quality Standards

IEEE: The Software Bill of Materials

Around the Web

Y2K & Resilience 25 Years Later

Y Combinator: Vibe Coding is the Future

Computer: OSS: The Ultimate in Reuse or a Risk Not Worth Taking?

Contribute

Drawing on CAST’s 25-year proprietary data set, the unit publishes research to advance our software-based society.

Get up to speed now on the state of software worldwide.