Water desalination is a process that removes salt and impurities from saline water sources such as sea water and brackish water to make it suitable for human consumption and agriculture. It provides an alternative approach to supplement freshwater needs for domestic, industrial and agricultural use. The demand for desalinated water has increased significantly over the years owing to growing fresh water scarcity and shortage across the globe.

The global water desalination market is estimated to be valued at USD 17.47 Bn in 2024 and is expected to reach USD 31.32 Bn by 2031, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 8.7% from 2024 to 2031.

Key Takeaways

Key players operating in the global water desalination market are Acciona, Biwater Holdings Limited, Aquatech International LLC, IDE Technologies, Veolia Water Technologies, Doosan Heavy Industries & Construction, Genesis Water Technologies, SUEZ Group, Aqua Filsep Inc., Hatenboer-water, Triveni Engineering & Industries Ltd., Webuild Group, Barka Desalination Company, Fluence Corporation Limited, and Marine Water Production AS. The key players are focusing on expanding their operations in developing countries and emerging economies with limited freshwater resources through partnerships, acquisitions and new plant setups.

The Global Water Desalination Market Demand availability of favourable government policies and regulations along with incentives promoting water desalination especially in water-stressed regions presents significant opportunities for market growth. Countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia Pacific regions have started implementing policies to augment national freshwater supplies through large desalination plants. Technological advancements to reduce energy consumption and lower production costs will further support market expansion.

The global demand for desalinated water is expected to increase significantly with growing investment towards expanding existing desalination facilities and setting up new large-scale plants across Middle Eastern, North African and Asian countries. Countries like China, India and Saudi Arabia have initiated long term plans to meet rising freshwater demand through desalination. This will drive the global demand and support water desalination market growth over the forecast period.

Market Drivers

Fresh water shortage due to rapid population growth, urbanization and climate change is a major driver for the Global Water Desalination Market Size And Trends According to the UN, over 1.1 billion people globally lack access to water and around 3.6 billion people face water scarcity for at least one month annually. With depleting freshwater resources, more countries are focusing on desalination to meet rising residential and industrial water needs. Additionally, favorable government policies and regulations especially in Asia Pacific and Middle East providing incentives for desalination plant setups will further boost market revenues.

PEST Analysis

Political: Governments around the world are focusing on supporting water desalination projects to overcome water scarcity issues in their countries. Some governments provide subsidies and tax benefits to promote desalination plant establishments.

Economic: Rising per capita incomes globally are increasing the demand for clean drinking water. Water desalination has emerged as a viable alternative to meet this demand. The overall project cost for desalination is declining with technological advancements.

Social: Growing populations and rapid urbanization are placing more strain on available freshwater resources. Desalination can help ensure water security especially for coastal cities suffering from droughts and depletion of groundwater tables.
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Technological: Membrane technologies like reverse osmosis have advanced significantly reducing energy requirements of desalination. Use of renewable energy is also being explored to power desalination plants and make the process more sustainable.

The global water desalination market in terms of value is concentrated most in the Middle Eastern and North African regions due to severe water scarcity issues prevalent in many countries located in these geographical regions. Countries like Saudi Arabia, UAE, Israel, Algeria, etc are heavily reliant on desalinated water to meet their growing domestic as well as industrial water demand. Asia Pacific region is currently the fastest growing market for water desalination majorly attributed to rising demand from countries like China and India having large populations and limited freshwater resources. Countries in this region are also expanding desalination capacities to deal with the problem of depleting groundwater tables in several urban centres.
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