X-ray Security Scanner Market Size and Share
Market Overview
| Study Period | 2020 - 2030 |
|---|---|
| Market Size (2025) | USD 4.40 Billion |
| Market Size (2030) | USD 6.73 Billion |
| Growth Rate (2025 - 2030) | 8.87% CAGR |
| Fastest Growing Market | Asia Pacific |
| Largest Market | North America |
| Market Concentration | Medium |
Major Players
*Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order Image © Mordor Intelligence. Reuse requires attribution under CC BY 4.0. |
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X-ray Security Scanner Market Analysis by Mordor Intelligence
The X-ray security scanner market size is valued at USD 4.40 billion in 2025 and is projected to advance to USD 6.73 billion by 2030, reflecting an 8.87% CAGR. Airport transitions to computed-tomography lanes are propelling growth, AI-enabled image analytics that cut false alarms below 5% in U.S. federal sites, and the global shift toward 100% cargo screening mandates that now cover 61 container ports. Rapid metro construction across Asia is creating demand for compact drive-through units in stations, while e-commerce parcel surges are forcing postal hubs to install dual-view lines capable of processing thousands of parcels per hour.[1]U.S. Customs and Border Protection, “CSI: Container Security Initiative,” cbp.gov Heavy investment in remote screening operations is also easing longstanding staffing gaps at aviation checkpoints. Although capital outlays for CT and dual-energy platforms remain steep for tier-2 airports, vendors are responding with modular, upgrade-ready designs that shorten payback periods.
Key Report Takeaways
- By application, product screening held 72% of the X-ray security scanner market share in 2024, while people screening is set to rise at a 9.4% CAGR to 2030.
- By end-user, government and border security commanded 46% revenue in 2024; aviation and transportation is forecast to expand at an 8.9% CAGR through 2030.
- By scanner configuration, single-view systems led with a 58% share in 2024; computed tomography is expected to post the fastest 11.3% CAGR.
- By imaging dimension, 2-D imaging captured 70% share in 2024; 3-D/volumetric platforms are projected to grow at 10.5% CAGR.
- By geography, North America accounted for 32.7% of the X-ray security scanner market size in 2024, whereas Asia is projected to register a 9.6% CAGR to 2030.
- Smiths Detection, Rapiscan Systems, and Nuctech collectively supplied more than half of the worldwide customs inspection systems in 2024, with Nuctech alone delivering 52% of deployed units since 2000.
Global X-ray Security Scanner Market Trends and Insights
Drivers Impact Analysis
| Driver | (~) % Impact on CAGR Forecast | Geographic Relevance | Impact Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heightened enforcement of 100% air-cargo screening mandates | +2.1% | Global (EU, North America) | Medium term (2-4 years) |
| Relaxation of 100 ml liquid ban prompting EU CT roll-outs | +1.8% | Europe, spillover to North America and Asia | Short term (≤ 2 years) |
| E-commerce parcel spikes driving dual-view upgrades | +1.5% | North America, Europe | Medium term (2-4 years) |
| AI-assisted image analytics reducing false alarms | +1.9% | North America, later Europe and Asia | Medium term (2-4 years) |
| Urban metro expansions in Asia-Pacific | +1.3% | China, India | Long term (≥ 4 years) |
| Remote screening to offset TSA staffing gaps | +1.2% | North America, later Europe | Short term (≤ 2 years) |
| Source: Mordor Intelligence | |||
Heightened enforcement of 100% air-cargo screening mandates
Global regulators now insist on full inspection of air freight. The policy shift has widened demand for high-throughput systems capable of large-container screening, with the U.S. budget allocating USD 89.6 million in FY 2025 for new checkpoint property screening solutions.[2]Transportation Security Administration, “Annual Report on Transportation Security FY 2022,” tsa.gov Maritime and land borders are adopting similar standards, giving vendors scope to cross-sell cargo platforms into adjacent verticals.
E-commerce Parcel Volumes Forcing High-Throughput Systems
The exponential growth in e-commerce parcel volumes is driving demand for high-throughput dual-view X-ray systems at postal and courier facilities. The United States Customs and Border Protection has implemented AI technologies such as the 'Commodity Detection Model' that utilizes computer vision and neural networks to analyze X-ray images of parcels, predicting commodity codes and reducing manual entry requirements.
AI-assisted Image Analytics Cutting False-Alarm Rates
The integration of artificial intelligence with X-ray security scanning is revolutionizing threat detection capabilities while simultaneously addressing operational inefficiencies. The Transportation Security Administration is actively exploring AI applications to enhance X-ray screenings of travelers' luggage, with a focus on improving security measures and efficiency in the screening process.
Relaxation of 100 ml liquid ban driving EU airport CT roll-outs
European airports accelerated CT deployments to drop legacy liquid limits, only to face a temporary regulatory reversal that reinstated the 100 ml cap.[3]European Commission, “Temporary Restrictions on Liquid Screening at EU Airports,” ec.europa.eu Early adopters now manage higher depreciation charges yet remain better positioned for the eventual re-adoption of risk-based rules that require CT by 2025. The episode underscores the investment case for scanners that can be software-upgraded to meet future mandates.
Restraints Impact Analysis
| Restraint | (~) % Impact on CAGR Forecast | Geographic Relevance | Impact Timeline |
|---|---|---|---|
| High CAPEX of CT and dual-energy systems | -1.2% | Emerging markets | Medium term (2-4 years) |
| Public health and privacy pushback on people scanners | -0.8% | North America, Europe | Short term (≤ 2 years) |
| Supply-chain volatility in high-voltage tubes | -0.7% | Global | Short term (≤ 2 years) |
| Cyber-vulnerabilities in network-connected scanners | -0.9% | Critical infrastructure | Medium term (2-4 years) |
| Source: Mordor Intelligence | |||
High CAPEX of CT and dual-energy systems
Checkpoint CT units can cost ten times more than legacy single-view machines, delaying adoption at tier-2 airports. TSA planning documents indicate that full CT coverage at U.S. checkpoints may not be realized until FY 2042, absent incremental funding. Vendors are responding with financing models and phased upgrades, but smaller operators still face long payback periods.
Public health and privacy pushback on people scanners
Ionizing-radiation concerns limit roll-out of body scanners in stadiums and other non-aviation venues. Regulatory reviews emphasize strict dose controls, prompting suppliers to introduce millimeter-wave and infrared alternatives that preserve throughput without compromising privacy.
Segment Analysis
By Application: Dominant product screening and accelerating people screening
Product screening accounted for the largest share of the X-ray security scanner market in 2024, reflecting its 72% share as cargo, baggage, and parcel checks became mandatory across air, sea, and road nodes. Cargo-specific mobile X-ray units deployed in Canada’s Greater Toronto Area demonstrate a growing demand for flexible platforms.[4]Canada Border Services Agency, “Deployment of Mobile X-ray Scanner,” canada.caPeople screening, underpinned by next-gen walk-through portals and AI-enabled threat recognition, is forecast to expand at a 9.4% CAGR to 2030, narrowing the gap with product inspection. Rapid throughput and lower false-alarm rates make these units viable for rail hubs and sports arenas, two settings where privacy hurdles have historically posed challenges.
The cargo and baggage sub-segment continues to absorb the bulk of spend, driven by 100% screening mandates and heightened narcotics detection initiatives at borders. Meanwhile, AI-powered parcel scanners optimized for e-commerce logistics are giving rise to a specialist vendor cohort that prioritizes speed over object size. These dynamics indicate sustained leadership in product inspection within the broader X-ray security scanner market; however, the growth runway for people screening signals an emerging balance in capital budgets by the end of the decade.
Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase
By End-User Industry: Government leadership and aviation momentum
Aviation and transportation, representing 29% of the X-ray security scanner market size in 2024, is projected to register an 8.9% CAGR from 2024 to 2030, driven by EU and U.S. CT mandates, passenger growth, and the scaling of remote screening pilots at TSA checkpoints. Private-sector buyers—ranging from retailers to data-center operators are also boosting demand for mid-range models that combine dual-energy imaging with embedded AI to spot loss-prevention risks.
Government and border security applications generated nearly half of the total 2024 revenue, cementing their role as anchor customers that require 24/7 availability and rapid technology refresh cycles. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is field-testing AI-enabled paradigms for non-intrusive inspections to curb fentanyl inflows and accelerate legitimate trade. That spending discipline continues to attract prime contractors ready to integrate software analytics, hardened networks, and predictive maintenance.
By Scanner Configuration: Single-view prevalence and CT surge
Single-view platforms dominated 2024 shipments with a 58% share amid their favorable price–performance profile, especially for parcel depots and stadium gate screening. Yet computed-tomography units are on a steep adoption curve, set to expand at 11.3% CAGR as regulators codify 3-D imaging requirements. Smiths Detection’s SDX 10060 XDi, built on X-ray diffraction, highlights competitive differentiation around material discrimination.
CT’s ability to reconstruct volumetric images reduces manual bag divestment and line delays, which are top pain points for airlines. Meanwhile, dual-view systems remain a mid-priced middle ground for operators seeking improved detection over legacy units without the capital intensity of CT. The resulting tiered offering mix is expected to persist, ensuring each configuration occupies a clear performance–cost niche within the X-ray security scanner market.
Note: Segment shares of all individual segments available upon report purchase
By Imaging Dimension: 2-D continuity and 3-D climb
Conventional 2-D imaging retained a 70% share in 2024 owing to entrenched install bases and lower service costs. Algorithmic advances such as FDTNet, a frequency-aware dual-stream network, are extending 2-D relevance by sharpening object segmentation in cluttered scenes. However, the shift to CT scanners producing native 3-D outputs is accelerating, and the sub-segment is forecast to grow at 10.5% CAGR through 2030. The TSA’s deployment of 267 CT lanes that allow passengers to leave liquids and electronics in bags provides a visible proof point.
3-D’s richer data enables automated threat recognition and reduces reliance on operator rotation of images, shortening decision times. That benefit, coupled with lower false-alarm rates, positions 3-D imaging to erode 2-D’s dominance over the forecast horizon while coexisting in lower-risk checkpoints where budget constraints remain binding.
Geography Analysis
North America contributed 32.7% of global revenue in 2024 as federal agencies funded new fentanyl detection lines at border crossings and expanded CT lanes in airports. TSA’s FY 2025 request earmarked USD 89.6 million for property screening and USD 9.3 million for credential authentication solutions, reinforcing the region’s technology-first stance. Active collaboration between hardware suppliers and AI firms is further shortening detection cycles and lowering staffing requirements.
Asia is projected to lead growth with a 9.6% CAGR to 2030. Urban rail buildouts in China and India demand compact, drive-through units that fit space-constrained stations, while China’s Nuctech continues to scale export-oriented production of large-container scanners. Renewed investment in airport infrastructure, including greenfield runways and terminal expansions, widens the addressable base for CT and dual-view solutions. Regional governments are also tightening customs protocols to counter rising illicit trade flows, indirectly boosting procurement budgets for vehicle and cargo portals.
Europe holds a mature yet innovative position. Temporary reinstatement of the 100 ml liquid rule shocked operators who had installed advanced scanners. Even so, the UK granted airports until June 2025 to finish rolling out next-generation units, underscoring fiscal capacity to see major upgrades through. Europe’s Common Evaluation Process continues to shape vendor design roadmaps by publishing rigorous performance standards.
Competitive Landscape
The X-ray security scanner market is moderately concentrated. Smiths Detection maintains leadership through continuous platform refreshes, such as its April 2025 launch of an XRD-based scanner targeting narcotics and explosive detection. Rapiscan Systems leverages a USD 900 million backlog to cross-finance R&D across baggage, cargo, and people screening verticals. Nuctech’s state-supported pricing and supply-chain scale disrupted pricing norms, with 52% of global customs scanners delivered since 2000.
Strategic alliances are proliferating. Leidos and SeeTrue pair CT hardware with AI algorithms that flag currency and narcotics automatically. White-space is emerging around affordable CT for tier-2 airports and critical infrastructure sites that require ruggedized enclosures. Vendors able to integrate cybersecurity hardening and predictive-maintenance analytics are gaining an edge as procurement specs increasingly stipulate end-to-end resilience.
X-ray Security Scanner Industry Leaders
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Rapiscan Systems Inc.
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L3 Security and Detection Systems, Inc.
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Astrophysics Inc.
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Westminster International Limited
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Smiths Detection Inc.
- *Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order
Recent Industry Developments
- May 2025: LINEV Systems rolled out AI-enhanced X-ray body scanners to 1,000 U.S. correctional facilities, cutting contraband incidents
- April 2025: Smiths Detection introduced the SDX 10060 XDi using X-ray diffraction for precise material identification
- February 2025: Leidos partnered with SeeTrue to embed AI threat-detection software in ClearScan CT platforms
- October 2024: TSA deployed 267 CT scanners at U.S. checkpoints to shorten screening time.
Research Methodology Framework and Report Scope
Market Definitions and Key Coverage
Our study defines the X-ray security scanner market as revenue generated from fixed, mobile, and portable X-ray systems deployed to screen people, baggage, mail, cargo, and vehicles at transportation hubs, border crossings, critical infrastructure, and commercial venues, identifying organic, inorganic, and metallic threats.
Scope exclusion: medical diagnostic X-ray devices and industrial quality-control inspection machines are outside the present scope.
Segmentation Overview
- By Application
- People Screening
- Product Screening
- Mail and Parcel
- Cargo and Baggage
- By End-user Industry
- Aviation and Transportation
- Law Enforcement
- Commercial (Retail, Hospitality, Corporate)
- Government and Border Security
- Critical Infrastructure (Energy, Nuclear, Data Centers)
- By Scanner Configuration
- Single-view
- Dual-view
- Computed-Tomography / 3-D View
- By Imaging Dimension
- 2-D Imaging
- 3-D / Volumetric Imaging
- By Geography
- North America
- United States
- Canada
- Mexico
- South America
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Chile
- Rest of South America
- Europe
- United Kingdom
- Germany
- France
- Italy
- Rest of Europe
- APAC
- China
- India
- Japan
- South Korea
- Rest of APAC
- Middle East and Africa
- Saudi Arabia
- United Arab Emirates
- South Africa
- Nigeria
- Rest of Middle East and Africa
- North America
Detailed Research Methodology and Data Validation
Primary Research
Our team interviewed checkpoint supervisors, homeland-security procurement officers, and regional distributors across the United States, Germany, the United Arab Emirates, India, China, and Brazil. These discussions tested lane-per-terminal ratios, confirmed typical replacement cycles, and flagged local price deviations that desk research alone could not capture.
Desk Research
We mined public-domain datasets such as Transportation Security Administration screening throughput, Eurostat airport freight tonnage, UN Comtrade HS 9022 trade flows, and International Air Transport Association passenger forecasts to construct baseline demand pools. Industry briefs from Airports Council International and the International Security Industry Organization clarified regulatory timelines for computed-tomography retrofits, while company 10-Ks, investor decks, and patent filings traced pricing and innovation curves. Dow Jones Factiva and D&B Hoovers supplied contract values and supplier financials that refined average selling prices. The sources listed illustrate the mix; many additional public records supported verification throughout the project.
Market-Sizing & Forecasting
A top-down model begins with annual passenger movements, parcel volumes, and container entries, applies observed scanner penetration rates, and then multiplies by region-specific ASPs that our primary contacts validated. Supplier revenue roll-ups, selective installation counts, and channel checks act as bottom-up reference points to adjust totals. Critical variables include airport passenger CAGR, e-commerce parcel growth, mandatory CT lane conversion schedules, unit ASP shifts, and average device life. Multivariate regression employing these drivers projects figures through 2030, while scenario analysis tests upside cases linked to accelerated regulatory mandates. When bottom-up evidence diverges materially, our analysts prioritize the dataset with superior audit trails.
Data Validation & Update Cycle
Before sign-off, every model passes variance scans against import data, procurement announcements, and sampled financial statements, followed by a two-level analyst review. Mordor updates the dataset annually and issues interim revisions when large contracts, regulatory changes, or currency swings alter the baseline.
Why Mordor's X-Ray Security Scanner Baseline Commands Reliability
Published estimates often differ because research houses select distinct product mixes, geographic roll-ups, and price assumptions.
Key gap drivers include some studies bundling ancillary metal detectors, others pricing units at list rather than transacted levels, inconsistent refresh cadences, and varied currency-conversion dates.
Benchmark comparison
| Market Size | Anonymized source | Primary gap driver |
|---|---|---|
| USD 4.40 B (2025) | Mordor Intelligence | |
| USD 3.67 B (2023) | Global Consultancy A | Excludes dual-view upgrades, uses 2023 FX |
| USD 3.45 B (2023) | Industry Analytics B | Omits portable units, merges inspection with security |
The comparison shows how Mordor's disciplined scope alignment, blended price verification, and timed refresh provide a balanced, transparent baseline that decision-makers can trust.
Key Questions Answered in the Report
What is the forecast size of the X-ray security scanner market by 2030?
The market is projected to reach USD 6.7 billion by 2030, expanding at an 8.9% CAGR.
Which application segment holds the largest share today?
Product screening leads with 72% of 2024 revenue, driven by cargo, baggage, and parcel mandates.
Why is computed tomography adoption accelerating in airports?
CT offers 3-D imaging that meets emerging regulations, reduces false alarms, and allows passengers to keep liquids and electronics in bags, improving throughput.
Which region is expected to grow the fastest?
Asia Pacific is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR over the forecast period (2025-2030).
Which region has the biggest share in X-ray Security Scanner Market?
Asia is set to register a 9.6% CAGR through 2030, supported by metro expansions and rising air-travel volumes.
How are AI solutions shaping the competitive landscape?
Vendors integrating AI to cut false alarms and automate threat recognition are securing contract wins and differentiating against lower-cost hardware competitors.
What hampers adoption in smaller airports?
High capital expenditure for CT and dual-energy systems remains the chief barrier, though financing and phased-upgrade models are emerging to mitigate cost shocks.
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