Small Animal Imaging Market Seen Reaching $5.53 Billion by 2030

The Business Research Company says the small animal imaging (in-vivo) market will grow from $3.15 billion in 2025 to $3.54 billion in 2026, with further expansion to $5.53 billion by 2030. The report points to rising healthcare spending, preclinical research, AI-assisted analysis and precision medicine demand as key forces shaping the market.

Why it matters: - Small animal imaging supports non-invasive disease monitoring and drug development in biomedical research. - The market’s growth reflects broader spending on preclinical research tools, translational science and diagnostic technology. - Demand for these systems can influence how quickly researchers study disease progression and test therapies.

What happened: - The Business Research Company published a report on the global small animal imaging (in-vivo) market. - The market is estimated at $3.15 billion in 2025 and is projected to reach $3.54 billion in 2026. - The report forecasts the market will climb to $5.53 billion by 2030. - The company links the 2025-2026 expansion to a 12.4% CAGR. - The longer-term outlook from 2026 to 2030 points to an 11.8% CAGR. - The report includes a free sample and the full market report at the company’s sample report and the full market report.

The details: - Small animal imaging uses advanced methods to monitor cellular activity, pharmacological effects and disease progression in live animals without invasive procedures. - The report says growth has been supported by increased preclinical research activity, higher investment in drug discovery, stronger academic research funding, broader use of animal models and more advanced imaging tools. - Looking ahead, the report points to demand for precision medicine research tools, more funding for translational research, expansion in oncology and neurological studies, wider use of AI-assisted diagnostics and more real-time biological imaging. - Notable trends include more multimodal imaging systems, greater use of non-invasive in vivo imaging, AI-based image analysis, longitudinal disease monitoring research and higher-resolution imaging. - The report identifies rising healthcare spending as a major driver of demand. - Technologies such as PET equipment help researchers visualize biological processes in real time, speed drug development and improve disease understanding. - A May 2024 UK Office for National Statistics report showed healthcare spending rose 5.6% nominally in 2023, with long-term health and social care expenditure up 2.8% in real terms in 2022. - North America held the largest market share in 2025. - Europe is expected to be the fastest-growing region during the forecast period. - The report also covers Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, South America, the Middle East and Africa. - The 2026 report edition adds market attractiveness scoring, TAM analysis, company scoring matrix graphics and tables, Excel-based forecasting dashboards, market hotspots infographics, and updated graphics and tables.

Between the lines: - The report’s emphasis on AI, multimodal imaging and non-invasive methods suggests the market is shifting toward faster, more data-rich research workflows. - Stronger healthcare spending and translational research budgets can support more preclinical imaging purchases, especially as drug developers push for better in vivo evidence earlier in development. - Regional growth outside North America may reflect expanding research infrastructure and more investment in biomedical R&D across Europe and other markets.

What's next: - The market is expected to keep expanding through 2030 as precision medicine research, oncology studies and AI-enabled analysis gain traction. - Continued adoption of high-resolution and real-time imaging tools could further strengthen demand across academic and commercial research settings. - The Business Research Company says its updated 2026 materials will add more forecasting and comparison tools for buyers and analysts.