Smart water grid market to top $40 billion by 2030

By AI, Created 5:20 PM UTC, May 18, 2026, /AGP/ – The Business Research Company forecasts the global smart water grid market will exceed $40 billion by 2030, driven by utilities’ push for digital monitoring, IoT connectivity and government-funded infrastructure upgrades. North America and the U.S. are expected to lead the market, while hardware remains the largest segment.

Why it matters: - The smart water grid market is moving from niche utility technology to a large-scale infrastructure category. - The market is forecast to surpass $40 billion by 2030, or about 8% of the parent Water Supply & Irrigation Systems market. - The category is also expected to represent nearly 0.4% of the broader Utilities industry by 2030. - The growth points to rising demand for leak detection, real-time monitoring and more efficient water distribution.

What happened: - The Business Research Company released a market outlook on the smart water grid sector on May 13, 2026. - The report says the global smart water grid market is expected to grow at a 13% CAGR through 2030. - North America is projected to be the largest region in 2030, with a market value of $13 billion. - North America’s market is expected to rise from $8 billion in 2025 at a 12% CAGR. - The USA is projected to be the largest country in the market in 2030, with a value of $12 billion. - The U.S. market is expected to grow from $7 billion in 2025 at an 11% CAGR. - The report says hardware will be the largest component segment in 2030, accounting for 41% of the market, or $17 billion.

The details: - Hardware demand is being supported by deployment of smart meters and sensors across distribution networks. - Utilities are also adding automated control systems, communication infrastructure, leak detection devices and pressure management tools. - The market is segmented by component into hardware, software and services. - The market is segmented by deployment model and ownership into utility-operated, private or commercial, public-private partnership and community-operated smart water grids. - The market is segmented by technology into advanced metering infrastructure, SCADA, GIS, IoT-enabled sensors and devices, and data analytics and AI platforms. - The market is segmented by application into water distribution, leak detection, water quality monitoring and energy management. - The market is segmented by end user into municipalities or government, agriculture, commercial enterprises, residential users, public or private utilities, and industrial users. - The report projects the hardware market will grow by $7 billion from 2025 to 2030. - The software market is projected to grow by $7 billion over the same period. - The services market is projected to grow by $4 billion over the same period. - A sample report request is available here. - The full report is available here.

Between the lines: - The forecast reflects a broader shift toward digitized water infrastructure as utilities deal with aging networks, water scarcity and non-revenue water losses. - Advanced monitoring systems are expected to drive about 3.0% annual growth by enabling real-time tracking of flow, pressure and system performance. - IoT integration is projected to contribute about 2.5% annual growth by connecting physical water assets to digital platforms for continuous data collection. - Government digital-water programs are projected to add about 2.0% annual growth through funding, policy support and large-scale modernization projects. - The report’s growth assumptions also point to more cloud-based analytics, predictive maintenance and automated operations across utility networks.

What’s next: - The report expects smart water grid adoption to keep expanding as utilities modernize distribution systems and add real-time analytics. - Hardware, software and services are expected to remain the biggest growth opportunities through 2030. - North America and the U.S. are likely to stay the main revenue centers if current investment and upgrade trends continue. - The Business Research Company says the market’s growth path will be shaped by continued deployment of connected devices, monitoring systems and digital water infrastructure projects.