Water Desalination Equipment Market Report

Market Insights

“The water desalination equipment market size was US$ 9.4 Billion in 2023 and is likely to grow at an impressive CAGR of 9.1% in the long run to reach US$ 20.6 Billion in 2032”.

Market Dynamics

Introduction

Desalination is a process designed to remove minerals and impurities from saline water, making it suitable for various uses. This is achieved using specialized desalination equipment, which purifies water from sources such as rivers, brackish reserves, and more, ensuring the final output meets a safe threshold of 550 ppm or less. These systems typically consist of several key components, including an evacuated solar collector array, a storage tank, a humidifier, circulation pumps, fans, and auxiliary parts, all working to deliver purified water. Over the years, the demand for desalination systems has surged significantly due to the declining availability of freshwater resources. These technologies play a vital role in providing water for human consumption and other essential applications, addressing a critical global need.

Market Drivers

Water covers over 70% of the Earth's surface, yet only a small fraction—approximately 3%—is freshwater. According to a 2024 UNESCO report, global freshwater demand has grown by nearly 1% annually since the 1980s. This increase is largely driven by rapid urbanization in many countries, which has necessitated the swift expansion of water supply and sanitation infrastructure in growing cities. As freshwater sources struggle to meet the rising demand, the need for enhanced desalination capacity has become increasingly critical, providing a viable solution to address the global water scarcity challenge.

Market Challenges

A significant challenge hindering the growth of the desalination equipment market is the heavy reliance on fossil fuels by certain systems, leading to the emission of greenhouse gases and contributing to environmental concerns. Additionally, the extensive use of seawater in desalination processes poses risks to marine ecosystems, potentially disrupting aquatic life. These environmental impacts are key factors limiting the long-term expansion of the market, as sustainability concerns continue to influence industry practices and regulations.

Recent Market JVs and Acquisitions:

A moderate number of strategic alliances including M&As, JVs, etc. have been performed over the past few years:

• In 2022, Veolia completed the acquisition of a large part of Suez. This will increase the presence of Veolia in the private water and waste management market. This acquisition is expected to create a de facto monopoly in the wastewater treatment market.

Recent Product Development:

A growing number of product developments have been happening in the market in the last few years:

• In 2022, Flowserve Corporation released the Flowserve FLEX™ Isobaric Energy Recovery Device. This product is a next-generation compact pressure exchanger crucial for reverse osmosis plants. This device is expected to be highly efficient as well as a better compact device in the market.

Market Segments' Analysis

By Technology Type

“Reverse osmosis technology type is expected to dominate in the market during the forecast period.”

• The water desalination equipment market is segmented into multi-stage flash (MSF) distillation, multi-effect distillation (MED), reverse osmosis (RO), electrodialysis (ED), nanofiltration (NF), and others by technology.
• Reverse osmosis is the key technology type of equipment in the market with over half of the overall market. The key reason for the dominance in the market is due to easy processing, low installation cost, ability to treat various water sources, and low usage of chemicals in the whole process.
• The multi-stage flash (MSF) distillation is expected to grow at a faster rate owing to its ability to increase gain output ratio, lower maintenance cost, and its ability to work on dual-purpose power plants.

By Application Type

“Municipal is expected to remain the dominant application type in the market during the forecast period.”

• The market is segmented into municipal, industrial, and others.
• Municipal application is expected to dominate the market due to key factors like – a rapid increase in the urban population which demands more megacities and in turn drives the need for desalination plants for the municipal sector. The sector is primarily responsible for delivering drinking water to urban cities and with a lack of fresh water, it will have a high reliance on the expansion of desalination equipment.
• Industrial application is expected to robust growth with increasing industrialization in developing countries like China, Malaysia, India, and others

By Source Type

“Sea water is expected to remain the dominant, whereas brackish water is expected to be the fastest-growing source type in the market during the forecast period.”

• The market is segmented into seawater, brackish water, river water, and others.
• Sea water is the most available water with more than 90% of the water concentrated around the ocean. Hence, it is the most available water body which can be easily used in water desalination.
• Brackish water is expected to have strong growth due to the increasing volume of this water source over increasing years. Also, due to the lower salinity of this water compared to seawater, there is a high-growth prospect for the brackish water source in the coming years.

Regional Analysis

“The rest of the world is expected to remain the largest market for water desalination equipment market during the forecast period.”

• The Middle East and Africa are the key regions across the globe which has a scarcity of water as well as limited rainfall. The government in these regions is constantly getting new immigrants which is leading to increasing investments in desalination solutions. Countries like Saudi Arabia have one of the largest desalination plants across the globe.
• Asia-Pacific is a key region whose strong growth is boosted by the rapid industrialization of countries like China and India. The region has 4 of the 5 most populated countries across the globe which are constantly in need of new freshwater sources and hence water desalination equipment will see rapid growth in these countries.
• The North American region will also have a significant share in the market due to rough climatic conditions, especially in Canada. The country faces extreme drought conditions in various states which has led the regional government body to look into various water purification and desalination technologies.

Key Players

The market is highly fragmented with the presence of over 500 players across the region. Most of the major players compete in some of the governing factors including price, service offerings, regional presence, etc. The following are the key players in the water desalination equipment market

Here is the list of the Top Players (Based on Dominance)

• Abengoa
• Acciona, S.A.
• Agapura USA, Inc.
• Aquatech International LLC
• Biwater Holdings Limited
• Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction
• Ferrovial, S.A.
• Fisia Italimpianti S.p.A.
• Genesis Water Technologies
• Guangzhou KangYang Seawater Desalination Equipment Co., Ltd
• IDE Technologies
• VEOLIA ENVIRONNEMENT SA

Note: The above list does not necessarily include all the top players of the market.

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Report Features

This report provides market intelligence most comprehensively. The report structure has been kept such that it offers maximum business value. It provides critical insights into market dynamics and will enable strategic decision-making for existing market players as well as those willing to enter the market. The following are the key features of the report:

• Market structure: Overview, industry life cycle analysis, supply chain analysis.
• Market environment analysis: Growth drivers and constraints, Porter’s five forces analysis, SWOT analysis.
• Market trend and forecast analysis.
• Market segment trend and forecast.
• Competitive landscape and dynamics: Market share, Service portfolio, New Product Launches, etc.
• COVID-19 impact and its recovery curve
• Attractive market segments and associated growth opportunities.
• Emerging trends.
• Strategic growth opportunities for the existing and new players.
• Key success factors.

The water desalination equipment market is segmented into the following categories. 

Water Desalination Equipment Market, by Technology Type

• Multi-Stage Flash (MSF) Distillation (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Multi-effect distillation (MED) (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Reverse Osmosis (RO) (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Electrodialysis (ED) (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Nanofiltration (NF) (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Others (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

Water Desalination Equipment Market, by Application Type

• Municipal (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Industrial (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Others (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

Water Desalination Equipment Market, by Source Type

• Sea Water (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Brackish Water (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• River Water (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)
• Others (Regional Analysis: North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and RoW)

Water Desalination Equipment Market, by Region

• North America (Country Analysis: The USA, Canada, and Mexico)
• Europe (Country Analysis: Germany, France, The UK, Russia, and Rest of Europe)
• Asia-Pacific (Country Analysis: Japan, China, India, and Rest of Asia-Pacific)
• Rest of the World (Country Analysis: Brazil, Saudi Arabia, and Others)

Research Methodology

• This strategic assessment report from Stratview Research provides a comprehensive analysis that reflects today’s water desalination equipment market realities and future market possibilities for the forecast period. 
• The report segments and analyzes the market in the most detailed manner in order to provide a panoramic view of the market.
• The vital data/information provided in the report can play a crucial role for market participants as well as investors in the identification of the low-hanging fruits available in the market as well as to formulate growth strategies to expedite their growth process.
• This report offers high-quality insights and is the outcome of a detailed research methodology comprising extensive secondary research, rigorous primary interviews with industry stakeholders, and validation and triangulation with Stratview Research’s internal database and statistical tools.
• More than 1,000 authenticated secondary sources, such as company annual reports, fact books, press releases, journals, investor presentations, white papers, patents, and articles, have been leveraged to gather the data.
• We conducted more than 15 detailed primary interviews with market players across the value chain in all four regions and industry experts to obtain both qualitative and quantitative insights.

Report Customization Options

With this detailed report, Stratview Research offers one of the following free customization options to our respectable clients:

Company Profiling

• Detailed profiling of additional market players (up to three players)
• SWOT analysis of key players (up to three players)

Competitive Benchmarking

• Benchmarking of key players on the following parameters: Service portfolio, geographical reach, regional presence, and strategic alliances

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