Accurate measurement of bone mass density provides valuable information for assessing, monitoring and treating a range of metabolic bone disorders including osteoporosis. Bone densitometry through dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan has become gold standard method for diagnosing osteoporosis and assessment of individuals’ risk of developing osteoporotic fractures. Rapid rise in prevalence of osteoporosis and increase in volume of hip fractures will lead to increased demand for bone densitometers in the future. According to National Osteoporosis Foundation, approximately 75 million people are affected with osteoporosis in U.S., Europe and Japan. Also, it is estimated that, 30-50% of women and 20-30% of men will suffer from osteoporosis related fracture in their lifetime. Moreover, major industry players are also investing in R&D to develop technologically advanced bone densitometers. Launch of innovative integrated connectivity solutions, automated tools and digital detectors that enhance image quality and patient outcomes is expected to accelerate the growth of the market in the future.

The global bone densitometers market has been segmented based on technology, end-users, and region. Based on technology, the global bone densitometers market is categorized into axial bone densitometry and peripheral bone densitometry. Axial bone densitometry is further categorized into dual energy X-Ray absorptiometry (DEXA) and quantitative computed tomography (QCT). Peripheral bone densitometry is segmented into single energy X-Ray absorptiometry (SEXA), dual energy X-Ray absorptiometry (pDEXA), quantitative ultrasound scanners (QUS), radiographic absorptiometry (RA) and peripheral quantitative computed tomography (pQCT). Axial bone densitometry dominated the global market in 2018 owing to rapid adoption of central DXA based bone densitometers for the diagnosis of osteoporosis and other metabolic diseases. Low radiation dose, low cost, high precision and accuracy by DEXA, has made it a preferred choice for bone mineral density monitoring in clinical practice.

On the basis of end-users, the global bone densitometers market is segmented into hospitals & specialty clinics, diagnostic centers and others. Hospitals & specialty clinics segment dominated the global bone densitometers market in 2018. Presence of well-established infrastructure facilities, high adoption of automated systems, and increase in preference of patients for diagnosis of osteoporosis in hospitals will propel the growth of the segment in the next few years.

The global bone densitometers market is cumulative to North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East & Africa. North America dominated the global bone densitometers market in 2018, however Asia Pacific is expected to grow at a highest pace through 2025.

Increase in incidence of osteoporosis along with rapidly increasing elderly population in the U.S. is major factors expected to drive the bone densitometers market in the region. According to National Osteoporosis Foundation (NOF), approximately 54 million Americans were living with osteoporosis in 2014. The number of adults over age 50 with osteoporosis or low bone mass is estimated to reach 64.4 million by 2020 and 71.2 million by 2030. Similarly, osteoporosis affects approximately 1.4 million Canadians, mainly postmenopausal women and the elderly population. Presence of such large patient population will increase the demand for bone densitometers in the future. Furthermore, favorable reimbursement policies, launch of technologically advanced bone densitometers by key industry players is other major factor likely to boost the growth of the market in North America.

Europe is anticipated to grow at a substantial rate over the forecast period owing to high prevalence of osteoporosis coupled with increase in cases of fractures in the region. For instance, according to International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF), the annual number of fractures in Europe will rise from 3.5 million in 2010 to 4.5 million by 2025, witnessing an increase of 28%. This, in turn, will stimulate the demand for bone densitometers in the next few years.

However, Asia Pacific is expected grow at a rapid pace over the next few years. There is a strong growth potential in the emerging economies such as India, and China. The rapidly rising geriatric population in countries such as India and China provide large market for bone densitometers. According to the United Nations, China and India together were home to over one third of the world’s population aged 60 years or over in 2017. Moreover, osteoporosis is greatly under diagnosed and undertreated in these countries owing to limited availability of bone densitometers in rural areas. According to IOF, osteoporosis affects approximately 70 million individuals aged 50 years and causes 687,000 hip fractures in China every year. Presence of high unmet medical needs along with surge in incidence of osteoporosis in the developing countries, divert the focus of market players to serve the untapped population in these emerging economies. Such factors will escalate demand for bone densitometers over the coming years.