The market for mobile digital x-ray systems is projected to grow at a 7.1% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) through 2026, with North America continuing to dominate, according to market research firm Future Market Insights.
North America's revenue share of the global market was nearly 32% in 2016, and growth is expected to continue, primarily due to orthopedic and chest imaging, the firm said. The increasing geriatric population will drive the growth, as well as a rising incidence of orthopedic diseases and bone injuries; the World Health Organization (WHO) estimates the global prevalence of arthritis to be between 0.3% and 1%.
Tempering growth is the high cost of clinical trials, stringent regulations, a lack of adequate imaging infrastructure in developing countries, and the high cost associated with initial setup and installation.
By type, mobile digital x-ray devices will continue to outsell handheld devices. In 2016, of the $7.67 billion worth of digital x-ray devices sold, 91.5% were mobile devices. However, owing to their small base size, demand for handheld digital mobile x-ray devices will grow at a higher CAGR than mobile devices, the firm said.
![Representative example of a 16-year-old male patient with underlying X-linked adrenoleukodystrophy. (A, B) Paired anteroposterior (AP) chest radiograph and dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) report shows lumbar spine (L1 through L4) areal bone mineral density (BMD). The DXA report was reformatted for anonymization and improved readability. The patient had low BMD (Z score ≤ −2.0). (C) Model (chest radiography [CXR]–BMD) output shows the predicted raw BMD and Z score in comparison with the DXA reference standard, together with interpretability analyses using Shapley additive explanations (SHAP) and gradient-weighted class activation maps. The patient was classified as having low BMD, consistent with the reference standard. AM = age-matched, DEXA = dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry, RM2 = room 2, SNUH = Seoul National University Hospital, YA = young adult.](https://img.auntminnie.com/mindful/smg/workspaces/default/uploads/2026/04/ai-children-bone-density.0snnf2EJjr.jpg?auto=format%2Ccompress&dpr=2&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
