The 2024 Water Treatment Industry Outlook provides an overview of activities, including treatment, purification, and recycling of water to meet regulatory standards and environmental requirements. With increasing water scarcity and pollution, as well as increasing global demand, innovative technologies and practices in water treatment are gaining importance. Companies in this field are creating solutions like membrane filtration, UV disinfection, and desalination to tackle these issues. This report explores the water treatment industry, examining market trends, firmographic data, and major participants.
This report was last updated in July 2024.
This water treatment report serves as a reference for stakeholders within the industry, investors, policymakers, and economic analysts, providing a snapshot of the industry’s health to map its trajectory for innovation and growth in the coming years.
StartUs Insights Water Treatment Industry Report 2024
- Executive Summary
- Introduction to the Water Treatment Report 2024
- What data is used in this Water Treatment Report?
- Snapshot of the Global Water Treatment Industry
- Funding Landscape in the Water Treatment Industry
- Who is Investing in Water Treatment?
- Emerging Trends in the Water Treatment Industry
- 5 Water Treatment Startups Impacting the Industry
Executive Summary: Water Treatment Industry Outlook 2024
This report is created using data obtained from the Big Data and AI-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, covering more than 4.7 million global companies, as well as 20K+ technologies and emerging trends. We also analyzed a sample of 1000+ water treatment startups developing innovative solutions to present five examples from emerging water treatment industry trends.
- Industry Growth Overview: The water treatment industry has an annual growth rate of -1.44% and includes over 43200 companies.
- Manpower & Employment Growth: The industry has a workforce of 3.8 million, with an increase of 152000 employees in the past year. This growth indicates the sector’s ability to adapt and expand in response to changing demands.
- Patents & Grants: The sector has over 48800 patents and receives significant support for research and development through 3400 grants.
- Global Footprint: The industry has a presence globally, with important country hubs in the US, India, Germany, the UK, and China and city hubs in Mumbai, Singapore, Dubai, Ahmedabad, and Sydney.
- Investment Landscape: The average investment value in the industry is USD 49 million per round, with more than 2300 investors. Over 5000 funding rounds have been closed and over 2300 companies were invested in.
- Top Investors: Investors such as the European Investment Bank, Franklin Electric, Fluidra, and others have collectively invested more than USD 3 billion.
- Startup Ecosystem: Innovative startup features include Yaquatech (Advanced Water Treatment Technologies), Triwa (Filtration, Purification & Instrumentation), 4Earth (Circular Water Economy), BIO-RAN (Microbe-based Water Treatment), and Zereau (Medical Wastewater Treatment).
- Recommendations for Stakeholders: Government agencies should enforce regulations and provide incentives for sustainable and easy-to-maintain practices. Water utilities should consider investing in advanced treatment technologies, monitoring solutions, and infrastructure upgrades. Companies should develop and adopt solutions like solar-powered purification and decentralized wastewater treatment to enhance water quality.
Explore the Data-driven Water Treatment Industry Report for 2024
The Water Treatment Report 2024 uses data from the Discovery Platform and encapsulates the key metrics that underline the sector’s dynamic growth and innovation. The heatmap presents data from our database that includes 1050 startups and over 43200 companies. The industry saw a 1.44% decline in growth in the previous year. It also has over 48800 patents and more than 3400 grants.
The sector employs 3.8 million people globally, with an increase of over 152500 employees in the last year. The top country hubs are the US, India, Germany, the UK, and China, and the key city hubs are Mumbai, Singapore, Dubai, Ahmedabad, and Sydney.
What data is used to create this water treatment industry report?
Based on the data provided by our Discovery Platform, we observe that the water treatment industry ranks among the top 5% in the following categories relative to all 20K topics in our database. These categories provide a comprehensive overview of the industry’s key metrics and inform the short-term future direction of the industry.
- News Coverage & Publications: The water treatment industry has over 8800 publications tracked in the last year.
- Funding Rounds: The industry’s funding rounds data is over 5000, showing active investment activity.
- Manpower: With a workforce of over 3 million, the industry added over 152K new employees in the past year.
- Patents: The sector has a portfolio of over 48800 patents, indicating its innovative capacity.
- Grants: In addition, the industry has obtained 3400 grants, showing significant support for research and development.
- Yearly Global Search Growth: The yearly global search growth for the water treatment industry is 6.91%, indicating its growing relevance and interest.
A Snapshot of the Global Water Treatment Industry
The sector has a global workforce of 3.8 million individuals, with an increase of 152000 employees in the past year. This growth shows the industry’s adaptability and potential for growth. Further, the industry landscape includes over 43200 companies, representing a varied ecosystem that addresses different aspects of water treatment and management.
Explore the Funding Landscape of the Water Treatment Industry
Regarding investment activity, the average investment value per round is USD 49.6 million, showing financial support for ventures in the sector. The total number of investors is over 2300, indicating investor interest and belief in the industry’s growth potential.
In addition, the water treatment industry has seen numerous funding rounds, with more than 5000 rounds closed. Moreover, more than 2300 companies have received investments showing a wide range of opportunities for investment and collaboration within the water treatment industry.
Who is Investing in the Water Treatment Industry?
The combined value invested by top investors in the water treatment industry is over USD 3 billion, indicating financial support and investor confidence in the sector’s growth potential. Here’s a list of the key investors:
- The European Investment Bank has invested USD 829 million across 8 companies, contributing to infrastructure and technology development.
- Franklin Electric with USD 178 million invested across 9 companies, is involved in advancing water treatment solutions and services.
- Fluidra’s investment of USD 323 million across 2 companies shows its commitment to innovation and leadership in the sector.
- Koch Industries’ USD 252 million investment across 2 companies indicates its dedication to promoting sustainable practices and solutions.
- GIC’s investment of USD 178.5 million across 2 companies shows its support for long-term value creation and industry advancement.
- Energy Impact Partners, investing USD 171 million across 3 companies, promotes the adoption of clean energy solutions within the sector.
- Pentair’s investment of USD 161 million across 3 companies shows its commitment to delivering innovative water solutions for a sustainable future.
Access Top Water Treatment Innovations & Trends with the Discovery Platform
Several trends are driving the growth of the water treatment industry. Here are a few of them along with the firmographic insights:
- Wastewater Treatment is a key area in environmental sustainability efforts, with 13202 companies involved. With a workforce of 1.4 million, the sector added 53200 new employees last year. Despite challenges, the industry continues with a slight decline in growth rate of 0.11%, indicating lingering and ongoing demand for innovative solutions.
- Solar-powered Water Purification is a trend that involves 118 companies. With 3400 employees and 300 new additions last year, the industry has grown at a 10.56% annual trend growth rate.
- Decentralized Wastewater Treatment is also gaining attention with 99 identified companies. Employing 5100 individuals and adding 298 new employees last year, the sector has grown at a 9.22% annual trend growth rate.
5 Top Examples from 1000+ Innovative Water Treatment Startups
The five innovative startups showcased below are picked based on data including the trend they operate within and their relevance, founding year, funding status, and more. Book a demo to find promising startups, emerging trends, or industry data specific to your company’s needs and objectives.
Yaquatech offers Advanced Water Treatment Technologies
Lithuanian startup Yaquatech offers technological solutions to address various water-related challenges. It employs methods such as ozonation for pollutant removal and disinfection, and UV radiation for water disinfection. It also leverages mechanical and active carbon filtration to clean contaminated water in industrial processes. In addition, it utilizes membrane filtration technology across various sectors, from drinking water preparation to pharmaceutical production. Further, its coagulation-flocculation is widely used for raw water purification, industrial wastewater treatment, and domestic processes.
Triwa provides Filtration, Purification & Instrumentation
UAE-based startup Triwa provides water treatment solutions for commercial, municipal, and industrial applications. It offers compact, versatile, and robust filtration solutions for full and side stream filtration, pre or post-treatment, and process water reuse. In addition, the startup offers modular purification systems to meet the growing demand for decentralized mobile units. Triwa also offers instrumentation solutions for measuring water quality, flow, pressure, and temperature.
4Earth enables a Circular Water Economy
US-based startup 4Earth leverages modular design and data-driven systems to create advanced water treatment and reuse technologies. Its plug-and-play water treatment systems use ceramic membranes for filtration, effectively removing impurities, contaminants, and microorganisms from water with minimal pretreatment requirements. The startup’s product line includes Ginseng Nano, Ginseng Mini, Ginseng Mega, and Ginseng MBR. These systems enhance water quality and contribute to safer, healthier communities.
BIO-RAN provides Microbe-based Water Treatment
UK startup BIO-RAN develops the Ydro Process, a microbe-based solution for water treatment. The added bacteria dominate and the added microorganisms produce enzymes to enhance the biological process. The breakdown of complex organic molecules yields volatile fatty acids (VFAs) such as acetic, butyric, and propionic acids. These VFAs are converted to CO2 and H2O in aerobic conditions, or methane (CH4) and hydrogen (H2) in anaerobic conditions, releasing free energy. BIO-RAN’s process optimizes sewer grids by eliminating odors, degrading fats, oils, and grease, and cleaning manholes and pumping stations.
Zereau facilitates Medical Wastewater Treatment
Dutch startup Zereau provides wastewater treatment technology for medical substances and residues in wastewater. Its solutions are implemented in hospital wards, healthcare facilities, and the pharmaceutical industry. For therapies like nuclear medicine, Zereau’s wastewater filtration increases treatment possibilities and capacity within hospitals. Its approach focuses on purification at the source, ensuring sustainable healthcare and the recovery and reuse of valuable medical resources
Gain Comprehensive Insights into Water Treatment Trends, Startups, or Technologies
The 2024 Water Treatment Industry Outlook presents a sector ready for evolution and innovation. With global water challenges becoming more pressing, the industry is likely to see increased adoption of advanced technologies and decentralized solutions. Trends such as solar-powered purification and decentralized wastewater treatment could change the approach to water management, contributing to a sustainable and resilient future. Get in touch to explore all 1000+ startups and scaleups, as well as all industry trends impacting water treatment companies.
