Autoimmune Disease Diagnostics Market Size & Share Analysis - Growth Trends and Forecast (2026 - 2031)

Global Autoimmune Disease Diagnostics Market Trends and Insights

Rising Prevalence of Autoimmune Diseases

Global incidence continues to climb, with rheumatoid arthritis affecting 18 million adults in 2025, up from 16 million in 2020.^{[1]World Health Organization, “Global Autoimmune Disease Burden,” who.int} Systemic lupus erythematosus prevalence climbed 12% over the same span, mainly among women of childbearing age, while Type 1 diabetes diagnoses in children under 15 increased 3% annually across OECD nations. Environmental factors such as urbanization and dietary change now feature prominently in multi-year cohort studies across Southeast Asia. Payers are expanding coverage for autoantibody panels, citing evidence that early diagnosis can delay biologic therapy by up to 3 years.

Advances in Immunoassay & Molecular Diagnostics

Chemiluminescent immunoassays now achieve greater than 95% sensitivity for anti-CCP antibodies, surpassing the sensitivity of first-generation ELISAs.^{[2]Clinical Chemistry, “Advances in Chemiluminescent Immunoassays,” clinical-chemistry.org} Next-generation sequencing of T-cell receptor repertoires reveals clonal expansions in inflammatory bowel disease up to six months before lesion appearance. Siemens Healthineers’ Atellica IM, cleared in March 2025, merges immunoassay and molecular modules, reducing sample handling and cutting per-test labor costs by 25%.^{[3]Siemens Healthineers, “Atellica IM Analyzer,” siemens-healthineers.com}

Growing Awareness & Early-Detection Initiatives

China mandated thyroid autoantibody screening for all pregnant women in January 2025, resulting in an additional 15 million annual tests. India is piloting adolescent Type 1 diabetes screening across five states, while South Korea’s national checkup program now includes anti-nuclear antibody testing for 25 million adults. These policies convert latent need into laboratory orders, especially where previous out-of-pocket costs suppressed asymptomatic testing.

Expansion of Automated Multiplex Testing Platforms

Bio-Rad’s BioPlex 2200, CE-marked in June 2025, runs 200 samples per shift with limited operator input. Abbott’s upgraded Alinity i, launched September 2025, integrates a 15-autoantibody panel, barcode tracking, and auto-dilution to decrease pre-analytical errors by 40%. Laboratories deploying these systems report a 30% faster turnaround and a 20% reduction in repeat tests.

High Cost of Advanced Diagnostics in LMICs

Multiplex panels priced at USD 150–300 remain out of reach in many low-income markets where per-capita health spending averages USD 50. Public laboratories rely on donated single-plex assays, which extends the median time-to-treatment by 18 months compared to high-income countries. Pooled procurement pilots in East Africa negotiate 40% discounts yet still cover less than 10% of regional need.

Lack of Standardized Criteria / False Positives

ANA positivity in healthy individuals reaches 15%, causing diagnostic ambiguity. Updated 2024 classification criteria attempt to curb false positives, but 35% of ANA results in U.S. primary care yield no definitive diagnosis after one year. Insurers now restrict reimbursement to cases meeting defined clinical thresholds, which risks underdiagnosing atypical presentations.

Segment Analysis

By Product Type: Instruments Gain as Labs Consolidate

In 2025, assay kits and consumables captured 52.31% of the autoimmune disease diagnostics market share, benefiting from recurring demand for reagents. Instruments are, however, expanding at a 10.06% CAGR, as reference laboratories replace manual microscopes with fully automated systems that run 500 samples per day. Beckman Coulter’s DxI 9000 Access, launched August 2025, merges chemiluminescent and immunofluorescence workflows on one platform.

Consumables account for a larger share of revenue, with each installed instrument generating USD 200,000–400,000 in yearly reagent sales. Yet payer-driven consolidation favors labs that invest in closed-ecosystem analyzers, locking in multi-year service contracts. Smaller hospital laboratories continue to rely on open-platform reagent purchases, but their 6.5% growth lags the overall autoimmune disease diagnostics market.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By Disease Type: Localized Conditions Outpace Systemic

Systemic diseases held a 66.73% share in 2025, but localized autoimmune disorders are predicted to drive a 10.72% CAGR on the strength of mandated thyroid and Type 1 diabetes screening. China’s policy alone accounts for an additional 15 million thyroid tests per year. The localized segment’s contribution to the autoimmune disease diagnostics market size will therefore accelerate faster than systemic testing, especially as U.S. NIH-funded pilots screen 500,000 high-risk children by 2027.

Inflammatory bowel disease panels that differentiate between Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis with 80% accuracy support treatment stratification. Thyroid autoantibody testing volumes in the Asia-Pacific region are rising at a 15% annual rate, cementing localized conditions as the fastest-growing area within the autoimmune disease diagnostics market.

By Technology: Point-of-Care Testing Disrupts Centralized Models

Immunoassays led with a 31.48% share in 2025, anchored in hospital workflows. Point-of-care (POC) devices are, however, expected to advance at a rate of 8.79% through 2031, fueled by the approval of Roche’s Elecsys Anti-CCP POC test in April 2025. India’s June 2025 rollout of thyroid POC testing across 5,000 primary-health centers highlights the appeal of decentralized diagnostics.

Indirect immunofluorescence remains the reference standard but scales poorly. Multiplex assays that simultaneously quantify ≥20 autoantibodies reduce turnaround time by 40% and are gaining market share in the autoimmune disease diagnostics market. Molecular diagnostics represent <5% of commercial testing, hampered by cost and reimbursement gaps.

Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase

By End User: Clinical Laboratories Surge on Payer Mandates

Hospitals and clinics commanded a 44.46% share in 2025. Yet clinical laboratories, buoyed by payer preference for high-throughput sites, are poised for a 12.69% CAGR. Quest Diagnostics logged a 25% increase in autoimmune testing volumes in 2025, following the requirement by insurers for prior authorization for hospital testing. Medicare’s July 2025 rule, which reimburses multiplex panels only in CLIA-certified reference labs, accelerates outsourcing.

Academic institutes, though representing just 12% of revenue, often pay premium prices for research-use-only reagents, acting as early adopters of novel markers. Physician-office labs and retail clinics remain underutilized, with less than 10% adoption, due to complexity and regulatory barriers.

Geography Analysis

North America retained a 39.26% share in 2025, with the United States accounting for 85% of regional revenue, primarily due to reimbursement rates exceeding USD 200 per panel. Canada broadened rheumatoid arthritis test coverage, and Mexico initiated lupus screening pilots in high-prevalence states. FDA clearance of 12 autoimmune assays in 2025 underscores sustained innovation, but also highlights longer approval times for multiplex platforms.

Germany’s January 2025 reimbursement for multiplex rheumatoid arthritis panels drove a 30% rise in volumes by mid-year. The United Kingdom boosted capacity by 15% through private-lab contracts, while Spain and Italy piloted POC testing to shorten diagnostic delays. EMA’s 2025 adoption of commutable reference materials streamlines multi-country approvals.

The Asia-Pacific region is the fastest-growing, with a 11.53% CAGR from 2021 to 2031. China’s thyroid screening mandate, India’s adolescent Type 1 diabetes pilot, and Japan’s approval of eight new assays in 2025 collectively expand the size of the autoimmune disease diagnostics market across the region. Australia reduced the POC regulatory timelines from 18 to 10 months to address the needs of remote areas. South Korea added ANA testing for 25 million adults in April 2025.

The Middle East & Africa and South America are smaller but evolving. GCC investments target tertiary centers, while South Africa’s public labs expanded capacity by 10% in 2025. Brazil approved five new assays in 2025, aiming to address the needs of underserved Amazon regions.