Smart water management market seen topping $36B by 2030

The Business Research Company says the smart water management market is on track to exceed $36 billion by 2030 as utilities, governments and industries invest in leak detection, digital metering and network automation. North America leads the outlook, while Xylem held the largest 2025 share in a fragmented market.

Why it matters: - Water scarcity, aging infrastructure and higher utility costs are pushing smart water systems from niche upgrades to core infrastructure spending. - The market is expected to benefit from demand for real-time monitoring, leak detection and automated controls that reduce waste and improve operational efficiency. - The Business Research Company projects the market will exceed $36 billion by 2030.

What happened: - The Business Research Company published a 2026 market report on smart water management with a 2026-2035 forecast. - The report says the market will reach $36.24 billion by 2030. - North America is projected to remain the largest regional market in 2030 at $13 billion, up from $7 billion in 2025. - The United States is expected to lead individual country demand, reaching $11 billion in 2030 from $6 billion in 2025.

The details: - The report breaks the market into water meters, solutions and services. - Solutions are expected to hold the largest share in 2030 at 43%, or about $16 billion. - The report ties that segment growth to water data analytics, automated distribution management, digital twin technology, AI-powered water quality monitoring and GIS integration. - Water meters, solutions and services are expected to add more than $16 billion in combined value between 2025 and 2030. - Water meters are forecast to add $6 billion, solutions $8 billion and services $2 billion. - The report says global water scarcity, driven by population growth, urbanization, climate change and irregular rainfall, is adding about 1.8% per year to market growth. - Growing awareness of limited water resources is estimated to add another 1.0% annually. - Non-revenue water losses from leakage, theft, inaccurate metering and unbilled consumption are projected to drive about 0.8% yearly growth. - The market includes advanced water meters, meter reading technologies and cellular networks. - End users include residential, commercial and industrial customers. - Xylem Inc. was the global sales leader in 2025 with a 4% share. - Veolia Environnement S.A. held 2%, Badger Meter Inc. 1%, Diehl Metering GmbH 0.3%, Neptune Technology Group Inc. 0.2%, Sanchuan Wisdom Technology Co., Ltd. 0.1%, Itron Inc. 0.1%, Kamstrup A/S 0.03%, Schneider Electric SE 0.02% and Landis+Gyr Group AG 0.02%. - The top 10 companies held only 7% of total 2025 revenue, showing a fragmented market structure. - The report says barriers to entry are moderate because of integration, interoperability, security and scaling challenges. - In June 2025, Itron launched its Cyble 5 communications module in Asia-Pacific to modernize mechanical water meters. - The module supports hourly data collection, automated meter reading, advanced metering infrastructure and continuous-flow alarms. - The report also notes expanded 2026 features including market attractiveness scoring, TAM analysis, company scoring matrices, Excel dashboards, market hotspot infographics and updated graphics. - The report cites a broad competitive set that includes Xylem, Veolia, Badger Meter, Itron, Schneider Electric, Honeywell, Oracle, IBM, Siemens and others. - Supply-chain participants listed in the report include Sensus USA, Mueller Water Products, Watts Water Technologies, Pentair, Grundfos, Wilo, Emerson and ABB. - Distributor names in the report include WESCO, Sonepar, Rexel, Graybar, Ferguson and W.W. Grainger.

Between the lines: - The market outlook points to a steady shift from hardware-only deployments toward software-heavy systems that can optimize networks continuously. - Fragmentation suggests no single company controls the category, which leaves room for partnerships, regional specialists and product launches to reshape share. - The growth math also shows that solutions and analytics are becoming the highest-value layer, not just meters and devices.

What's next: - Utilities and municipalities are likely to keep investing in smart meters, remote monitoring and predictive maintenance as water stress increases. - Competition should intensify around AI-driven analytics, cloud-based operations and leak detection tools. - The report expects further geographic expansion as providers target aging infrastructure markets and conservation-focused public programs.

The bottom line: - Smart water management is moving from an efficiency upgrade to a mainstream utility investment theme, with digital tools driving most of the growth.