Street light Market Outlook, 2030

The global smart street lights market demonstrates exceptional growth momentum, with strong expansion projected throughout the forecast period. Urban population growth and expanding city boundaries create unprecedented demand for new street lighting installations, while aging conventional lighting infrastructure in developed markets requires replacement, creating dual market opportunities serving new construction and retrofit applications simultaneously.

The transition from conventional high-pressure sodium, metal halide, and mercury vapor lamps to LED technology represents one of the most significant technological shifts in street lighting history, delivering energy savings typically ranging from sixty to eighty percent while simultaneously improving light quality, color rendering, and controllability. LED technology's inherent compatibility with digital controls and dimming capabilities makes it ideally suited for integration with smart lighting management systems that optimize energy consumption through dynamic brightness adjustment responding to ambient conditions, traffic patterns, and time-of-day requirements.

In February 2024, Osram launched a new line of modular smart LED streetlights with built-in connectivity for urban analytics. The system includes motion detection, air quality monitoring, and energy usage tracking for real-time optimization. Wireless mesh networks implemented through street lighting enable citywide connectivity supporting various smart city applications including smart parking, waste management, public WiFi, and emergency communication systems. Many cities and towns are undertaking retrofit and modernization projects to replace outdated street lighting infrastructure with new, energy-efficient, smart lighting systems. These projects are often driven by the need to reduce operational costs, improve lighting quality, and comply with new energy regulations.

According to the report, the Global Street Light market was valued at more than USD 12.34 Billion in 2024, and expected to reach a market size of more than USD 16.37 Billion by 2030 with the CAGR of 4.92% from 2025-2030. The growing trend of upgrading existing street lighting systems creates significant opportunities for market players, especially in developed regions with well-established infrastructure that need modernization. Modern smart street lights commonly incorporate environmental sensors monitoring air quality parameters including particulate matter, nitrogen dioxide, carbon monoxide, and ozone concentrations, providing real-time environmental data supporting public health monitoring and pollution mitigation strategies.

In July 2021, Telefónica Deutschland collaborated with Mainova, an energy services company, to deploy a 5G-based streetlight in Frankfurt am Main. It reliably provides light during the hours of darkness and supplies its surroundings with 5G throughout the day using highly efficient LED technology. Smart street lights can automatically adjust brightness based on traffic flow or ambient conditions, helping municipalities reduce energy consumption and lower costs. Additionally, IoT-enabled platforms provide remote monitoring and predictive maintenance, allowing authorities to detect outages, schedule repairs, and optimize overall performance in real time.

This reduces downtime and improves service reliability, which is critical for urban areas aiming to enhance sustainability. The integration of smart lighting into broader smart city initiatives enables additional functionalities such as surveillance, traffic management, and environmental monitoring. For instance, Barcelona has deployed over 3,000 smart street lights equipped with sensors that adjust brightness and collect environmental data, contributing to nearly 30% energy savings while supporting its broader smart city initiatives.

Digital platforms are vital in shaping decisions, as influencers and e-procurement continue to grow. International brands are tailoring solutions to cater to diverse needs, while local players are gaining prominence through affordable offerings. With its blend of cultural influence, innovation, and scale, Asia-Pacific remains the most dynamic hub for street lighting globally.

Market Drivers

• Increasing Urbanization and Infrastructure Development: Rapid urbanization worldwide is one of the primary drivers propelling the global street light market. As cities expand and new urban centers emerge, the demand for efficient and reliable street lighting infrastructure grows correspondingly. Governments and municipal authorities invest heavily in lighting public spaces to improve safety, enhance urban aesthetics, and support night-time economic activities. Infrastructure development projects often include upgrading existing lighting systems to more energy-efficient solutions, further boosting market growth.
• Growing Adoption of Energy-Efficient LED Technology: the shift towards energy-efficient lighting solutions, particularly LED street lights, is a significant driver in the global market. LEDs consume far less electricity than traditional lighting technologies such as high-pressure sodium or metal halide lamps, offering substantial cost savings and environmental benefits. Governments across the globe are encouraging or mandating the replacement of conventional street lights with LED alternatives as part of their energy conservation and carbon reduction strategies.

Market Challenges

• High Initial Capital Investment: Despite the long-term benefits of modern street lighting solutions like LED systems, the upfront capital required for installation can be a significant barrier, especially for developing countries or smaller municipalities with limited budgets. The cost of purchasing advanced lighting fixtures, control systems, and integrating smart technologies can deter rapid deployment. This financial challenge is compounded by the need for specialized installation and maintenance expertise, which can increase the total cost of ownership. Consequently, budget constraints often slow down the pace of modernization projects in many regions, hindering market growth.
• Integration and Standardization Issues with Smart Lighting Systems: as street lighting evolves toward smart and connected systems, integrating these new technologies into existing infrastructure presents technical and operational challenges. Variations in communication protocols, lack of interoperability between different manufacturers’ devices, and insufficient standardized frameworks can complicate system implementation and management. Municipalities may struggle with ensuring compatibility and scalability, which affects the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of smart lighting projects.

Market Trends

• Rise of Smart Street Lighting: A major trend shaping the global street light market is the incorporation of smart technology and Internet of Things capabilities. Smart street lights equipped with sensors, cameras, and connectivity modules enable real-time monitoring, adaptive lighting controls, and data analytics. These features optimize energy consumption by adjusting brightness based on traffic or ambient light levels and enhance public safety through integrated surveillance. IoT-enabled lighting networks also facilitate remote management and predictive maintenance, reducing operational costs. This digital transformation is revolutionizing urban lighting infrastructure, making cities smarter and more sustainable.
• Renewable Energy Sources: Environmental concerns and regulatory pressures are driving a growing trend toward sustainable street lighting solutions powered by renewable energy. Solar-powered street lights, often combined with energy storage systems, are gaining popularity in off-grid or remote locationsand reducing dependence on conventional electricity grids. These systems not only contribute to lowering carbon footprints but also enhance energy security and resilience. Additionally, there is increased emphasis on using recyclable materials and designing energy-efficient lighting products to support circular economy principles, reflecting the global commitment to sustainable urban development.

Smart Street lights are the fastest-growing product type in the global street light market because they offer advanced energy efficiency and reduced maintenance costs through IoT connectivity and intelligent controls.

Unlike conventional street lights, smart street lights are equipped with sensors, communication modules, and adaptive control systems that allow real-time monitoring and management of lighting conditions. This technological upgrade leads to significant energy savings by adjusting brightness based on factors such as pedestrian or vehicular traffic, time of day, and ambient light levels. Another key factor fueling the rapid adoption of smart street lights is the reduction in maintenance and operational expenses. Traditional street lights require routine manual inspections and often suffer from delayed fault detection, leading to longer downtimes and increased costs.

Smart lighting systems, however, can perform self-diagnostics and send alerts when maintenance is needed, enabling predictive maintenance strategies that reduce repair time and extend the lifespan of lighting components. Technological advancements and the rising prevalence of Internet of Things infrastructure further accelerate the market growth for smart street lights. As cities invest in digital transformation, the deployment of connected devices and cloud-based platforms makes it easier and more cost-effective to implement smart lighting systems at scale.

The interoperability of smart street lights with other urban IoT applications such as smart parking, waste management, and traffic systems enhances their value proposition, making them integral to broader smart city ecosystems. The benefits of improved user experience and community engagement also contribute to the increasing popularity of smart street lights. Residents benefit from better-lit public spaces that enhance safety and comfort, while municipalities gain greater control and transparency over their lighting assets.

The Less Than 50W wattage category is the largest in the global street light market because it effectively meets the energy efficiency, cost, and lighting needs of residential areas, rural roads, pathways, and smart city applications without overconsumption.

The low-wattage street lights provide sufficient illumination for areas that do not require high-lumen output, such as local streets, footpaths, parks, small lanes, and suburban neighborhoods. In such environments, lower wattage lighting minimizes energy use while still maintaining the required safety and visibility standards, making it a practical and economical choice for both governments and private developers. Another major reason for the dominance of < 50W lights is the widespread shift from traditional lighting systems to LED-based technologies, which are inherently more efficient and capable of delivering better brightness even at lower wattage.

A 30W or 40W LED street light, for example, can often replace a 100W traditional light in terms of luminance, making it a highly attractive option for infrastructure upgrades. Governments and city planners across both developed and developing nations are prioritizing LED retrofits in large-scale public lighting programs most of which favor lower wattage models due to their balance of performance and energy savings. In developing economies, cost is a critical factor in decision-making, and less than 50W lights provide a viable solution for extending lighting infrastructure without straining public or utility budgets.

These lights are often easier to install, require less complex wiring and power infrastructure, and consume less electricity over their lifecycle, making them ideal for wide-scale deployment. In off-grid areas or cities transitioning to renewable energy, low-wattage lights are more compatible with solar panel systems due to their lower power requirements and extended battery life. Solar street lights in this wattage range are easier to install, maintain, and operate independently of the grid, making them especially suitable for countries with limited energy infrastructure or for environmentally driven smart city initiatives.

Highways are the fastest-growing end-use segment in the global street light market due to the surge in large-scale infrastructure development, increased vehicular traffic, and the need for improved road safety through efficient, high-visibility lighting systems.

Proper illumination on highways is critical not only for visibility but also for minimizing the risk of accidents, supporting nighttime driving, and improving overall road safety. Highways require consistent, high-lumen lighting systems with wide coverage areas and robust weather resistance, which is fueling demand for advanced street lighting solutions such as high-wattage LED lights and smart lighting infrastructure. One of the key drivers of this trend is the global push for transportation infrastructure upgrades, particularly in fast-growing economies across Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, and Africa.

Governments in countries like India, China, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, and Nigeria are investing heavily in highway construction under national infrastructure missions or public-private partnership models. These long stretches of newly constructed or widened highways require comprehensive lighting plans to meet modern engineering standards and safety regulations. The integration of smart lighting solutions is also contributing to the rapid growth of highway lighting. Smart systems with adaptive brightness, motion sensing and remote monitoring capabilities are increasingly being used on highways to reduce energy consumption while maintaining road safety.

These systems can adjust light intensity based on traffic volume, weather conditions, or time of night ensuring optimal illumination without unnecessary energy expenditure. As countries look to build smarter, more sustainable infrastructure, smart highway lighting is becoming a standard feature, further driving investment and deployment. Environmental sustainability is another significant factor. Traditional highway lighting using high-pressure sodium lamps or metal halide bulbs consumes substantial electricity. In contrast, LED-based systems offer longer lifespans, better illumination quality, and up to 60-70% energy savings.

Asia-Pacific is the largest and fastest-growing region in the global street light market due to rapid urbanization and rising adoption of energy-efficient lighting technologies across emerging economies.

Countries across the region especially economic powerhouses like China, India, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines are undergoing rapid population growth and urban migration, leading to the construction of new cities, highways, industrial corridors, and commercial hubs. This boom in infrastructure has created a sustained and growing demand for street lighting to ensure public safety, enable nighttime activity, and improve the quality of urban life. In India, for instance, initiatives like the Smart Cities Mission and the Street Lighting National Programme (SLNP) have led to the installation of millions of energy-efficient LED street lights, replacing outdated, energy-intensive fixtures.

Similarly, China’s Belt and Road Initiative and urban development plans have propelled massive highway and urban construction, each requiring robust and technologically advanced lighting systems. Another critical growth factor is the emergence of smart cities and the integration of IoT technologies into urban infrastructure across the region. Major cities like Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Bangalore are leading in smart urban development, with smart street lighting serving as a foundational layer for wider smart grid and public safety systems.

These lights are equipped with sensors, adaptive brightness features, and remote monitoring capabilities, enabling cities to cut energy usage while collecting valuable data for urban planning. Asia-Pacific benefits from a strong local manufacturing base, especially in China and India, which reduces costs and increases the speed of deployment. This local ecosystem of LED and smart lighting component manufacturers ensures consistent supply and competitive pricing, further driving adoption across the region.

• January 2025: A multi-city initiative in China led by Dunhua Electronics expanded smart lamp post infrastructure. These multifunctional poles now feature environmental sensors, drone docking, emergency call systems, and traffic monitoring tools enabling centralized urban services.
• February 2025: Itron and Lightwell began upgrading street lighting systems across 300 municipalities in Belgium in partnership with Fluvius. The project includes smart lighting controls, real-time energy monitoring, and predictive maintenance systems.
• March 2025: Flashnet announced it had surpassed 1 million streetlights under smart control globally. It also achieved updated ENEC safety certifications and cybersecurity compliance for smart lighting components.
• April 2025: Signify partnered with Cornerstone to deploy a city-wide multi-operator wireless network using street lighting infrastructure. Smart poles will support 4G/5G, IoT devices, CCTV, and public WiFi marking a step forward in turning lighting networks into smart city backbones.
• March 2024: Enel X announced a major smart street lighting deployment in Latin America, incorporating adaptive lighting systems and solar-powered poles into new city infrastructure across Brazil and Colombia.
• April 2024: Philips expanded its smart lighting portfolio with the launch of the Interact City IoT-enabled street light series. These advanced systems are designed to integrate seamlessly into smart city infrastructure, offering features such as remote monitoring, adaptive brightness control, and energy optimization.
• December 2024: Tauron Polska Energia signed an agreement with AI solutions provider Gradis to manage and optimize over 700,000 lighting points in Poland using artificial intelligence for automatic brightness adjustment and predictive maintenance.
• October 2024: The city of New Orleans launched a pilot LED streetlight retrofit program, aiming to reduce energy consumption, improve safety, and lower maintenance costs in historically underserved areas.