The desalination market, valued at approximately USD 21.5 billion in 2024, is experiencing significant growth, driven by rising freshwater scarcity, industrial demand, and population expansion in arid and coastal regions. Middle East & North Africa (MENA) dominates the global desalination industry with over 55% of installed capacity, anchored by large-scale seawater reverse osmosis (SWRO) plants in Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Israel. Asia Pacific is the fastest-growing region, with India and China investing heavily in desalination for urban water security, industrial water solutions, and municipal water treatment programs. Key demand drivers of desalination market include water stress, climate-induced droughts, and the expansion of water reuse and potable water supply initiatives. According to the International Desalination Association (IDA), global installed desalination capacity reached 115 million m³/day in 2023, underscoring the strategic importance of the desalination market in addressing global water scarcity.
Desalination overview
Published by MMR Statistics Research Team, Updated