Tear Gas Market Report 2025

The tear gas market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $1.27 billion in 2024 to $1.36 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7%. The expansion during the historical period was driven by escalating civil disturbances, a rising need for effective crowd control methods, increased urban riot occurrences, heightened deployment in military operations, and intensifying geopolitical tensions.

The tear gas market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $1.76 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.6%. The projected growth is supported by rising defense expenditures, increased preference for non-lethal weapons, higher investments in upgrading law enforcement capabilities, mounting political volatility, and the increasing frequency of public events and gatherings. Key anticipated trends include innovations in tear gas delivery technologies, development of safer chemical compositions, integration with drone platforms, the emergence of multi-effect dispersal tools, and the convergence of tear gas deployment with intelligent surveillance systems.

The increasing civil unrest is expected to propel the growth of the tear gas market going forward. Civil unrest refers to a situation where a group of people in a community or country engages in public disturbances due to dissatisfaction with political, social, or economic conditions. The increase in civil unrest is due to rising economic inequality as growing wealth gaps create frustration and distrust among those who feel left behind, often leading to protests and social instability. Tear gas controls civil unrest by temporarily turning off crowds through eye and respiratory irritation, allowing law enforcement to disperse gatherings without lethal force. For instance, in March 2025, according to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, an Australia-based government agency, in the December quarter of 2024, there were 69 industrial disputes, an increase from 63 in the previous quarter. Therefore, the increasing civil unrest is driving the growth of the tear gas market.

Companies engaged in the tear gas market are prioritizing the development of advanced tear gas deployment technologies to improve accuracy, operational range, and user safety during riot control activities. These systems are engineered to ensure effective dispersal of tear gas in target zones with enhanced control. For example, in September 2022, the Border Security Force (BSF) of India, through its Tear Smoke Unit (TSU), introduced a drone-mounted tear gas launcher aimed at riot control. This drone system enables the dropping of tear gas shells across areas within a 250-300-meter radius, providing a modern, safer alternative to conventional methods. Following successful tests, the solution is expected to be widely adopted by law enforcement and security agencies.

In May 2022, Byrna Technologies Inc., a US-based personal defense technology firm, acquired the assets of Fox Labs International Inc. for $2.17 million. The acquisition is designed to broaden Byrna’s offerings by entering the defensive spray sector, capitalizing on Fox Labs’ established customer base in law enforcement, and developing new Byrna-branded sprays utilizing Fox Labs’ formulation. This move aims to deliver effective, lower-cost self-defense solutions for both consumer and law enforcement markets. Fox Labs International Inc. is a US-based company known for manufacturing potent pepper sprays blended with CS tear gas for law enforcement and personal safety uses.

Major players in the tear gas market are ST Engineering, Safariland LLC, Chemring Group PLC, Senken Group Co. Ltd., Combined Systems Inc., TAR Ideal Concepts, Defense Technologies International Corp., NonLethal Technologies Inc., CNO Tech, Hong Jin Chemical, Federal Laboratories, DaeKwang Chemical Company, Sage Ordnance Systems Group, Lamperd Less Lethal Inc., Condor Non-Lethal Technologies, Wuwei Police Equipment Co. Ltd., Dayu Chemical, Alsetex, Norinco, Shanghai Nianxing Industrial Co. Ltd.

North America was the largest region in the tear gas market in 2024. The regions covered in tear gas report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The countries covered in the tear gas market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report’s Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.

The sharp hike in U.S. tariffs and the associated trade disputes in spring 2025 are notably impacting the aerospace and defense sector by raising costs for titanium, carbon fiber composites, and avionics materials largely sourced from global suppliers. Defense contractors, locked into fixed-price government contracts, absorb these added costs, while commercial aerospace firms face airline pushback on higher aircraft prices. Delays in component shipments due to customs bottlenecks further disrupt tight production schedules for jets and satellites. The industry is responding by stockpiling critical materials, seeking waivers for defense-related imports, and collaborating with allied nations to diversify supply chain.

Tear gas is classified as a chemical weapon that induces intense irritation in the eyes, skin, and respiratory tract, resulting in symptoms such as excessive tearing, coughing, breathing difficulties, and temporary loss of vision. It is frequently deployed by law enforcement agencies for purposes such as riot control, dispersing large gatherings, and self-defense. While its effects are generally short-lived, exposure to high concentrations or at close proximity may result in more severe health complications.

The primary types of tear gas include ortho-chlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS) gas, chloroacetophenone (CN) gas, dibenzoxazepine (CR) gas, and oleoresin capsicum (OC) gas. CS gas is a rapidly acting agent used by law enforcement for controlling crowds, leading to temporary irritation of the eyes, skin, and respiratory system with minimal toxicity. It comes in various forms, such as liquid, powder, and grenades, and is packaged in multiple ways, including aerosol cans, plastic containers, and metal drums. Delivery systems for tear gas include canisters, firearms, and grenade launchers, and it is utilized across applications such as military, law enforcement, self-defense, crowd management, and personal security.

The tear gas market research report is one of a series of new reports that provides tear gas market statistics, including the tear gas industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with the tear gas market share, detailed tear gas market segments, market trends, opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the tear gas industry. This tear gas market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenarios of the industry.

The tear gas market consists of sales of drone-mounted tear gas dispensers, tear gas capsules or cartridges, multi-chamber gas dispensers, thermal dispersion tear gas devices. Values in this market are ‘factory gate’ values, that is, the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors, and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.

The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).

The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values and are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.

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