Water-Wastewater Treatment Market Report 2026

The water-wastewater treatment market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $349.6 billion in 2025 to $395.97 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.3%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to rising industrialization leading to higher wastewater generation, increasing urban population driving municipal water treatment demand, tightening environmental regulations on effluent discharge standards, expansion of centralized sewage treatment infrastructure, growing awareness of waterborne disease prevention and sanitation.

The water-wastewater treatment market size is expected to see rapid growth in the next few years. It will grow to $657.12 billion by 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.5%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increasing adoption of smart water management systems with ai analytics, expansion of decentralized wastewater treatment solutions in rural and remote areas, rising investments in water reuse and recycling infrastructure, integration of advanced sensor-based real-time monitoring systems, growing demand for sustainable and energy-efficient treatment technologies. Major trends in the forecast period include rising adoption of ai-enabled predictive maintenance systems in wastewater treatment plants, increasing deployment of iot-based smart water quality monitoring networks, expansion of energy-efficient membrane filtration and advanced treatment technologies, growing implementation of circular water reuse and zero-liquid-discharge systems, integration of digital twin models for real-time optimization of treatment operations.

The increasing water scarcity is expected to propel the growth of the water-wastewater treatment market going forward. Water scarcity refers to the condition in which the available freshwater resources are inadequate to meet the demands of a region or population. The growing water scarcity is driven by climate change-induced declines in rainfall, which disturb natural water availability and limit the replenishment of freshwater resources. Water-wastewater treatment helps reduce water scarcity by facilitating the recycling and reuse of treated wastewater, thereby enhancing the availability of usable water resources and decreasing reliance on freshwater sources. For instance, in November 2024, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, a France-based non-profit organization, roughly half of the world’s population experiences severe water scarcity for at least part of the year, and millions lack access to safely managed water resources. With 3.6 billion people currently facing water shortages, projected to exceed 5 billion by 2050. Therefore, the increasing water scarcity is driving the growth of the water-wastewater treatment market.

Leading companies operating in the water-wastewater treatment market are focusing on developing advanced solutions, such as next-generation ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technologies, to improve contaminant removal efficiency, reduce energy consumption, and enhance operational reliability in water purification systems. Next-generation ultrafiltration (UF) membrane technologies refer to advanced filtration systems designed to effectively remove suspended solids, bacteria, and macromolecules from water while improving energy efficiency, permeability, and operational performance in water and wastewater treatment. For instance, in March 2023, DuPont, a US-based science and technology company, launched DuPont Multibore PRO, a next-generation ultrafiltration (UF) membrane developed to improve filtration performance and operational efficiency in municipal and industrial water treatment applications. The solution improves fouling resistance, enhances membrane durability, and lowers lifecycle costs, enabling water utilities and industries to achieve more dependable and energy-efficient water purification and wastewater treatment results.

In May 2023, Xylem Inc., a US-based provider of water and wastewater treatment technologies and services, acquired Evoqua Water Technologies for approximately $7.5 billion. Through this acquisition, Xylem aims to establish the world’s largest pure-play water technology company, expand its global presence, and strengthen its ability to address critical water challenges such as scarcity, water quality, and resilience. Evoqua Water Technologies is a US-based provider of comprehensive water and wastewater treatment solutions for municipal and industrial customers.

Major companies operating in the water-wastewater treatment market are Hitachi Ltd., Veolia Environnement S. A., Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd., 3M Company, Danaher Corporation, Ecolab Inc., Doosan Enerbility, Solenis LLC, Xylem Inc., Alfa Laval AB, SNF Group, Grundfos Holding A/S, Pentair plc, Sulzer Ltd., Fluence Corporation Limited, Ovivo Inc., Aquatech International LLC, VA Tech Wabag Limited, IDE Technologies Ltd., Kurita Water Industries Ltd., Metito Holdings Limited, BWT Aktiengesellschaft.

Asia-Pacific was the largest region in the water-wastewater treatment market in 2025. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in the water-wastewater treatment market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa. The countries covered in the water-wastewater treatment market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.

The water-wastewater treatment market consists of revenues earned by entities by providing services such as sludge dewatering and handling, membrane filtration system maintenance, biological treatment optimization, disinfection, and pathogen removal. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. The water-wastewater treatment market also includes sales of activated carbon filters, pressure vessels, flow meters, valves, control panels, and dissolved air flotation units. 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 that 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.

This product will be delivered within 1-3 business days.