Water Desalination Market - Forecasts from 2024 to 2029

The water desalination market is evaluated at US$10.482 billion for the year 2022 and is projected to grow at a CAGR of 8.83% to reach a market size of US$18.965 billion by the year 2029.

The process of water desalination, which transforms saltwater or brackish water into fresh water fit for drinking, agriculture, and industrial uses, is essential for tackling the problem of water shortage. Thermal distillation or membrane filtering techniques like reverse osmosis are commonly used in the desalination process. Desalination has become a critical sustainable water supply option as the world's freshwater supplies are becoming depleted as a result of urbanization, population increase, and climate change. Over time, technological progress has led to the increased efficiency and cost-effectiveness of desalination, which has facilitated its widespread implementation in areas experiencing water scarcity.

To increase the sustainability and cost of desalination procedures, more research and innovation are needed to address issues including excessive energy consumption, environmental effects, and brine disposal. Nevertheless these difficulties, desalination is a crucial technique for guaranteeing that populations everywhere have access to clean water, especially in coastal and desert areas with limited conventional freshwater supplies.

MARKET TRENDS:

The rising water scarcity across the globe is increasing the demand for water desalination techniques. The depletion of conventional water sources is giving potential to the market growth of water desalination techniques in the global market. The rising urbanization rate and increasing population across the globe are the major factors driving the growth of the water desalination market. The climate change and exhaustion of conventional water sources are making people dependent on water desalination techniques, contributing to the growth of the water desalination market. 

The large investments of companies and market players in water desalination techniques are also pushing the market growth of water desalination techniques in the global market. As water scarcity is recognized as one of the severe problems faced by the 21st century, the governments of various countries and international organizations are focusing on giving support and assistance to water desalination techniques across the globe. Desalination of seawater is one of the efficient methods adopted to prevent water scarcity. The wide acceptability and popularity of seawater desalination as a solution to the world's water problems are raising the demand for water desalination systems and techniques in the global market.

MARKET DRIVERS:

Rising water scarcity is anticipated to drive the market’s growth.

Increasing water scarcity and water problems are some of the major issues faced by the modern world. The rate of water scarcity across the globe is rising each year. The depletion of natural, conventional water sources is one of the major factors resulting in water scarcity and leading to the need for water desalination techniques. Deforestation and excess groundwater pumping are resulting in water scarcity problems. The increasing freshwater demand and water scarcity problems are boosting the growth of the global water desalination market. The surging population and rapid urbanization also increase the need for water desalination techniques.

The excess use of groundwater for industrial applications is also demanding the need for water desalination techniques. The reports of UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme) state that about 10 million hectares of deforestation occur every year, out of which a considerable share is due to urbanization. The implementation of low-cost and effective water desalination techniques like Reverse osmosis (RO) is also fuelling the growth of the global water desalination market.

Government projects on the desalination of seawater might impact the water desalination market growth.

The support and assistance provided by governments in the water desalination market are factors driving the growth of the global water desalination market. As the water scarcity problems are rising, governments of various countries are providing immense support and investments in the sector of water desalination leading to the growth of the water desalination market.

The public-private partnership law implemented by the U.S. government is encouraging new developments and domestic investments in water treatment systems and desalination methods. The support provided by the governments in providing assistance and funds to research desalination techniques and water purification plants is fuelling the growth of the global water desalination market.

RESTRAINTS:

Several obstacles prevent the water desalination sector from expanding and being widely used. The high energy needs of desalination systems, especially those using thermal distillation and reverse osmosis techniques, represent a major barrier. Since desalination requires a lot of energy, it has significant operating expenses. As a result, desalinated water is somewhat more expensive than freshwater that is obtained traditionally. Concerns of sustainability and ecological harm are also raised by the desalination process's effects on the environment, which include greenhouse gas emissions from energy generation and brine discharge into marine environments. If concentrated brine from the desalination process is not properly disposed of, it can affect ecosystems and marine life.

The Middle East and Africa water desalination market is anticipated to grow substantially.

Geographically, the higher demand for water in the Middle East and Africa is raising the market share of the water desalination market in the Middle East and Africa. The growing population and increasing immigration are also elevating the water demand of the region. Furthermore, the increasing population and depleting groundwater levels are further boosting the water desalination market in the Asia Pacific region.

Key Developments:

• In December 2023, Hexagon AB's sustainable innovation and green-tech investment company, R-evolution, initiated a desalination project to tackle the freshwater shortage, which is one of the world's most pressing issues. R-evolution will use Hexagon's technology to provide digital twin solutions that allow desalination facilities all around the world to operate more efficiently, reproducibly, and scalable.
• In April 2023, SUEZ and its Chinese partners, Wanhua Chemical Group (Wanhua) and China Railway Shanghai Engineering Bureau Group (CRSH), formally signed a cooperation agreement for a seawater desalination project for industrial application as part of President Emmanuel Macron's official visit to China.
• In October 2022, the next-generation compact pressure exchanger for reverse osmosis plants, the Flowserve FLEXTM Isobaric Energy Recovery Device, was released by Flowserve Corporation, a major supplier of flow control products and services for the worldwide infrastructure industries.
• In April 2022, an integrated plug-and-play reverse osmosis (RO) technology called BarrelTM was introduced in the Asia Pacific region by Veolia Water Technologies, a renowned expert in water treatment and a subsidiary of the Veolia group.

Segmentation:

By Technology

• Multi-Stage Flash Distillation (MSF)
• Reverse Osmosis (RO)
• Multi-Effect Distillation (MED)
• Others

By Source

• Sea Water
• River Water
• Others

By Application

• Municipal
• Industrial
• Others

By Geography

• North America
• USA
• Canada
• Mexico
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Others 
• Europe
• United Kingdom
• Germany
• France
• Spain
• Others 
• Middle East and Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE
• Israel
• Others 
• Asia Pacific
• China
• Japan
• India
• South Korea
• Taiwan
• Thailand
• Indonesia
• Others