Saudi Arabia Water Desalination Plant Equipment Market Size & Share Analysis - Trends, Drivers, Competitive Landscape, and Forecasts (2025 - 2032)

Saudi Arabia Water Desalination Plant Equipment Market Trends & Drivers

Integration of Smart Technologies Programs Is Key Trend

• The use of smart technologies, such as IoT and AI to monitor the process of desalination is a key trend in the market.
• SCADA, PLC, and sensors are used to detect early problems, enable automatic chemical dosing, and conduct proactive maintenance via live monitoring.
• These AI-integrated systems are used for enhancing operational efficiency, lower energy consumption, and forecast accurately.
• IoT devices are used to trace power usage, membrane condition, and concentrate salinity.
• The integration of these plants with smart control and a remote system helps manage the entire process efficiently.
• This is widely used for plants located in harsh locations, such as offshore platforms and isolated deserts.

Water Scarcity and High Dependence on Desalination Supply Is Key Driver

• The need for freshwater due to the rising urban population and environmental change is a key driver for the market.
• Its population of 35.95 million is expected to reach almost 45 million by 2040.
• As per reports, the daily water scarcity in the country stands at 500 m³ per capita.
• Being the driest country with 1% freshwater, the government is seeking to invest significantly in desalination technologies.
• Around 60% of the freshwater in Saudi Arabia originates from desalination methods.
• The NWS 2030 focuses on providing enough water by improving desalination plants with eco-efficient solutions.
• The government works in public–private partnerships through the SWPC to develop large water projects.
• According to reports, Saudi Arabia produces 7 million cubic m³ of desalinated water per day, and it has plans to increase it by 8.5 million m³/day by 2025.
• The MEWA has implemented new rules to support energy-saving desalination technologies.

Saudi Arabia Water Desalination Plant Equipment Market Segmentation Analysis

Source Analysis

The seawater category held the largest market share, of 65%, in 2024, and it will have the highest CAGR, of 10.5%, due to the extensive coastline of the country on the Red Sea and the Arabian Gulf. Around 60% of the freshwater for cities and industries is created from seawater. Additionally, the large plants, such as Shoaiba, entirely use seawater. The National Water Strategy aims to process seawater safely and efficiently via RO desalination and meet its sustainable water management targets by 2030. Several global companies are running pilot projects to reuse the salty leftover water from the plants to ensure zero liquid discharge.

The sources analyzed in this report are:

• Seawater (Largest & Fastest-Growing Category) 
• Brackish water
• River water
• Others

Application Analysis

The municipal category held the largest market share, of 60% in 2024, owing to the government support to supply potable water to firms, public services, and urban and rural areas. Additionally, desalinated water is provided to megacities, such as Jeddah, by the SWCC and NWC plants. Moreover, only utilities currently have the financial and technical capacity to operate large-scale desalination plants.

The industrial category will have the highest CAGR, of 11%, due to the rapid growth of various industries, such as oil &gas, chemical, and mining. These industries use huge quantities of water, for which onsite desalination plants are increasingly being set up.

The applications types analyzed in this report are:

• Municipal (Largest Category)
• Industrial (Fastest-Growing Category)
• Others

Equipment Analysis

The desalination device category held the largest market share, of 40%, in 2024, attributed to the critical need for the removal of harmful substances from water. RO plants, such as Rabigh 3 and IWP, are among the largest in Saudi Arabia. These devices are costly, technically challenging, and highly advanced, leading to their market dominance.

The pretreatment system category will have the highest CAGR, of 10.3%. These systems use special filters and chemicals to purify water before entering the RO membrane. To raise the life expectancy of RO plants and reduce energy consumption, pretreatment is a key process. Moreover, advanced pretreatment technologies have been developed to upgrade the safety and overall efficiency of these systems.

The equipment analyzed in this report are: 

• Pretreatment System (Largest Category) 
• Desalination Device (Fastest-Growing Category)
  • Reverse Osmosis
  • Multi-stage Flash Distillation
  • Multi-effect Distillation
• Post-Processing System
• Cleaning System
• Electrical Control System

Production Capacity Analysis

The above 1,500 m³/h category held the largest market share, of 45% in 2024, and it will have the highest CAGR, 11.2%. This dominance is due to the development of megaprojects, such as Al Khalif; and rising demand for high-capacity desalination plants to meet the needs of industries, urban population, rural areas, and businesses.

The production capacities analyzed in this report are: 

• Below 10 m³/h
• 11–100 m³/h
• 101–400 m³/h
• 401–1,000 m³/h
• 1,001–1,500 m³/h
• Above 1,500 m³/h (Largest and Fastest-Growing Category) 

Saudi Arabia Water Desalination Plant Equipment Market Geographical Analysis

The Eastern category held the largest market share, of 40% in 2024, and it will have the highest CAGR, 11.5%. This is due to the presence of huge projects, namely Al-Jubail and Ras Al-Khair. This region is favorable for the construction of large seawater desalination plants because of its proximity to the Arabian Gulf. Further, the growing investment in large water and power–water projects is contributing to the rising demand for newer desalination units.

The regions analyzed in this report are: 

• Central & Northern
• Western
• Eastern (Largest and Fastest-Growing Category)
• Southern

Saudi Arabia Water Desalination Plant Equipment Market Share

The market is fragmented due to the presence of many large and international companies providing various parts, such as pumps, RO membranes, and energy-saving systems. Each stage of water desalination requires various kinds of equipment, which encourages many niche players to come up with new products. Moreover, the strong government push for local products with smart technology supports the presence of new players. As a result, no single company controls the market, and it remains highly competitive.

Saudi Arabia Water Desalination Plant Equipment Market News

• In June 2025, National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) operationalized floating desalination plants on three barges. The potable water produced will be provided to Saline Water Conversion Corporation for USD 2.60 million (SAR 760 million) over 20 years,
• In March 2025, Larsen & Toubro Limited and Lantania secured a contract from ACWA Power to construct the 300,000-m³-per-day-capacity Ras Mohaisen plant in Saudi Arabia for desalination.
• In February 2025, ACWA Power signed various agreements to make the desalination process more efficient, develop green hydrogen, and produce more renewable energy sources.
• In March 2023, Almar Water Solution, Saudi Aramco, and Al Jomaih Energy formed a joint venture to produce 185,000 m³/day water.