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Executive Summary: Water Purifier Market Report [2026]

  • Industry Growth Overview: The global home water filtration unit market size is projected to reach USD 50.89 billion by 2033, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 11.2% from 2025 to 2033. On a micro-level, the database, the water purification market, recorded a -0.12% yearly growth in the last year.
  • Manpower & Employment Growth: The sector employs more than 650 000 professionals worldwide. It added over 110 new employees in the last year.
  • Patents & Grants: Innovation intensity remains high, with companies holding approximately 102 200 patents, filed by around 59 600 applicants. The water purification segment received more than 968 grants.
  • Global Footprint: Industry activity is concentrated in major water infrastructure and technology ecosystems. The US, India, the UK, Canada, and Australia lead at the country level. London, New York City, Bangalore, Dubai, and Singapore serve as key city hubs supporting research, deployment, and commercialization.
  • Investment Landscape: The average investment value within the water purification sector stands at USD 26.5 million per round. More than 1200 investors participated in over 1600 funding rounds.
  • Top Investors: Leading investors deployed more than USD 2.17 billion into the water purification ecosystem. Major contributors include the European Investment Bank, Deutsche Bank, PNC, and more.
  • Startup Ecosystem: Five innovative startups in this water purification segment include Nuvoe (UV purification and self-cleaning water bottle), Schrodinger Technologies (solar-powered community purification systems), CareDale (hardness and chlorine filtration for household water), Cleartide (bottle-free point-of-use hydration systems), CareDale (hardness and chlorine filtration for household water), and Cersip (industrial solid-particle water filtration systems).

 

 

Methodology: How we created this Water Purifier Market Report

This report is based on proprietary data from our AI-powered StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, which tracks 9 million global companies, 25K+ technologies and trends, as well as 190M patents, news articles, and market reports.

This data includes detailed firmographic insights into approximately 9 million startups, scaleups, and tech companies. Leveraging this exhaustive database, we provide actionable insights for startup scouting, trend discovery, and technology landscaping.

For this report, we focused on the evolution of the water purifier over the past 5 years, utilizing our platform’s trend intelligence feature. Key data points analyzed include:

  • Total Companies working in the sector
  • News Coverage and Annual Growth
  • Market Maturity and Patents
  • Global Search Volume & Growth
  • Funding Activity and Top Countries
  • Subtrends within water purifier

Our data is refreshed regularly, enabling trend comparisons for deeper insights into their relative impact and importance.

Additionally, we reviewed trusted external resources to supplement our findings with broader market data and predictions, ensuring a reliable and comprehensive overview of the water purification market.

What Data is used to create this Water Purification Market Report?

Based on data provided by the StartUs Insights Discovery Platform, we observe that the water purification market stands out in the following categories relative to the 25K+ technologies and trends we track.

These categories provide a comprehensive overview of the market’s key metrics and inform the future direction of the market.

  • News Coverage & Publications: The database records strong visibility, with more than 1207 publications released in the last year.
  • Funding Rounds: The sector demonstrates sustained investment activity, with 1600 funding rounds tracked in the database.
  • Manpower: The water purification segment employs more than 650 000 workers globally and added over 110 new employees in the last year.
  • Patents & Grants: Innovation intensity remains high, supported by 102 200 patents filed across water purification technologies. The segment benefits from 960+ grants.
  • Yearly Global Search Growth: The water purification market interest continues to rise, with 190.14% yearly global search growth.

Explore the Data-driven Water Purification Industry Outlook for 2026

According to Grand View Research, the global home water filtration unit market size is projected to reach USD 50.89 billion by 2033, growing at a CAGR of 11.2% from 2025 to 2033.

 

 

The water purification market comprises approximately 1447 startups within a broader ecosystem of 8900 companies. Although the water purification sector records a slight yearly growth decline of -0.12%.

However, the innovation activity remains strong, as it is supported by 102 200 patents filed by 59 600 applicants and 968 grants that continue to advance filtration, treatment, and reuse technologies. Also, patent growth continues at a yearly growth rate of 4.91%.

Moreover, China leads patent issuance with 73 824 patents, followed by the US with 5642 patents. The data shows the dominance of the Asia–Pacific region alongside steady innovation output from North America.

The water purification segment employs around 650 000 professionals globally and reports over 110 employee growth in the last year. The data shows workforce expansion despite modest company growth.

From a geographic perspective, activity concentrates in key country hubs, including the US, India, the UK, Canada, and Australia. Also, the leading city hubs, such as London, New York City, Bangalore, Dubai, and Singapore, collectively anchor research, commercialization, and deployment across residential, industrial, and infrastructure-driven water purification markets.

Explore the Funding Landscape of the Water Purification Market

The water purification sector shows sustained investor engagement, with an average investment value of USD 26.5 million per funding round. Also, more than 1200 investors actively participate in the ecosystem that collectively closed over 1600 funding rounds.

In parallel, this capital flows into more than 550 companies, which shows a diversified investment landscape that spans residential, industrial, and infrastructure-focused water purification solutions.

Who is Investing in the Water Purification Market?

The top investors in the water purification segment collectively deploy more than USD 2.17 billion. Below is a breakdown of their contributions:

 

 

  • European Investment Bank invests in 5 companies with a total commitment of USD 339.9 million. EIB works with nine multilateral development banks to align USD 19.6 billion in global water security investments.
  • SLR Capital Partners commits across at least 1 company with USD 300 million.
  • ATS Global invests in 2 companies with a combined value of USD 265 million.
  • Perceptive Advisors invests in at least 1 company with USD 259.9 million.
  • Inflection Point Acquisition provided at least 1 company with USD 220 million. It entered a business combination agreement with A1R WATER, which designs atmospheric water generation systems that produce clean drinking water from air humidity.
  • PNC Bank invests in at least 1 company with USD 183.3 million.
  • Deutsche Bank invests in at least 1 company with USD 150 million. The company partners with Watershed Organisation Trust (WOTR) to implement groundwater recharge and water conservation projects. It also partners with the Centre for Collective Development (CCD) to restore local water bodies, expand water storage, and improve irrigation reliability for farmers.
  • Chemtrade Logistics offered at least 1 company USD 150 million. Chemtrade acquired Polytec, a U.S.-based provider of turnkey water treatment solutions, in a USD 150 million deal financed through its credit facility.
  • Bedrock Industries invests in at least 1 company with USD 150.0 million.
  • First National Bank invests in at least 1 company with USD 0.15 billion.

Top Water Purification Innovations & Trends

Discover the emerging trends in the water purifier market along with their firmographic details:

 

 

  • Sustainable water purification emerges as a priority segment as industries and municipalities focus on reducing water waste, energy use, and chemical dependency. The segment spans 325 companies and collectively employs 18 200 professionals, with 6 new employees added in the last year. Sustainable water purification grows at an annual rate of 2.44%. The segment focuses on water reuse systems, low-energy filtration, solar-powered purification, and circular water management to improve long-term resource efficiency.
  • The nanofiltration segment is growing as a precision-driven purification approach that removes divalent ions, organic compounds, and micropollutants. The segment includes 692 companies and supports a workforce of 50 300 employees, with 10 new employees added in the past year. The nanofiltration segment records an annual growth rate of 0.25%. Different sectors like pulp and paper, food and beverage, power generation, and more deploy it across wastewater treatment, drinking water purification, and desalination pre-treatment applications.
  • Carbon nanotube-based purification technologies advance material-level innovation within the water purification segment. It comprises 664 companies and employs 61 300 professionals, with 13 new employees added last year. It highlights ongoing research, manufacturing, and pilot-scale deployment efforts. With an annual growth rate of 2.13%, carbon nanotubes enable high-surface-area filtration, enhanced contaminant adsorption, and membrane performance in advanced purification systems.

5 Top Examples from 1440+ Innovative Water Purification 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.

Nuvoe designs UV purification and Self-cleaning Water Bottles

Australian startup Nuvoe designs the UV Pod, which is an ultraviolet-C (UVC) powered water purification device to fit inside a reusable water bottle. The UVC light inactivates bacteria and viruses in the water and disinfects the bottle’s interior through automated purification cycles that activate every two hours.

The startup integrates the pod with the Nuvoe Bottle, where the UV Pod operates continuously during daily use and travel without altering the user’s water-drinking routine.

 

Credit: Nuvoe

 

The UV Pod eliminates tested germs, prevents odor, operates as a self-cleaner, offers 24-hour ice-cold insulation, contains a soft-touch elastomer sleeve, and has a built-in magnet to secure the pod.

Schrodinger Technologies specializes in Solar-powered Water Purification Systems

Nigerian startup Schrodinger Technologies offers the RienLight water box, which is a solar-powered water purification system that changes saline and polluted water into safe drinking water.

The solar energy with advanced filtration and reverse osmosis processes treats water independently of grid infrastructure across rural, emergency, and industrial settings.

Moreover, the startup extends its technology to under-sink purifiers, high-flow water box units, solar-powered reverse osmosis plants, and UV-C disinfection bottles. It also designs boreholes, community water stations, and wastewater treatment systems.

Moreover, RienLight water boxes, including water purifiers, boreholes, community water stations, wastewater treatment plants, and industrial plumbing systems, integrate water quality monitoring and portable, scalable configurations.

CareDale creates a Water Filter for Skin and Hair

CareDale is an Indian startup that provides water filtration systems using its CareTec advanced filtration technology for household water treatment.

The startup offers products such as the CareDale filter for municipal water for total dissolved solids up to 800 parts per million and the CareDale filter for borewell and tanker water, which is designed for high hardness up to 1800 parts per million. It also offers compatible replacement cartridges for municipal water applications and borewell water.

The CareTec advanced filtration technology neutralizes calcium and magnesium hardness salts and reduces chlorine through filtration media that alter water behavior rather than relying on conventional softening methods. It further limits the hardness compound binding on hair and skin, which reduces dryness and breakage during regular use and maintains safe water quality.

Cleartide enables Eco-Friendly Hydration for the Workplace

US-based startup Cleartide develops bottle-free point-of-use water purification and hydration systems that offer purified water, temperature control, and ice from existing water lines.

The water purification and hydration systems treat incoming tap water through integrated processes including reverse osmosis, ultrafiltration, activated carbon filtration, UV and UV-C sterilization, and antimicrobial protection. These systems further direct or dry chill cooling to ensure consistent water quality and hygiene.

 

Credit: Cleartide

 

Moreover, the startup applies these integrated processes across a broad portfolio comprising the Clear1, Clear2, Clear3, and Clear4 water treatment systems.

Its products also include the Clear4 advanced point-of-use water dispenser, Clear900 ice and water system, Deep Sparkle+ and DEEP SPARKLE+ sparkling water units, PureTap+ dispenser, and C120i ice and water. It offers C120i freestanding systems and the C125i and C165i countertop ice and water dispensers.

These products offer on-demand hot, cold, ambient, and sparkling water, integrated nugget or bullet ice production, compact installation formats, self-sanitizing operation, and reduced reliance on bottled water logistics.

Cersip develops Solid Particle Filtration Systems

Spanish startup Cersip operates industrial water filtration systems that treat and recover solid particles generated during material processing activities. It manufactures equipment that separates suspended solids from process water by filtering and extracting material particles originating from stone, marble, ceramic, metal, and similar industrial operations. This enables water recovery and reuse within production cycles.

The startup offers semi-automatic systems that aspirate and retain solid particles while remaining compact and mobile. It further provides column systems that use pressure-based filtration with configurable columns, filter fabrics, and programmable control panels for small and medium enterprises.

Additionally, the startup provides automatic filter press systems that apply high-pressure filtration plates to separate large volumes of suspended solids in high-output industrial environments.

Gain Comprehensive Insights into Water Purification Trends, Startups, and Technologies

The water purification market 2026 progresses through innovation-driven technologies that strengthen performance, adaptability, and reliability. Advanced membrane engineering, next-generation adsorption materials, and enhanced ultraviolet disinfection systems improve contaminant removal and microbial control across use cases. Digital monitoring, sensor-enabled quality tracking, and automated system controls increase operational precision and reduce downtime.

Get in touch to explore 1440+ startups and scaleups, as well as all market trends impacting water purifier companies worldwide.