India Molecular Imaging Market Size, Share, Trends and Forecast by Modality, Application, End Use, and Region, 2026-2034

India Molecular Imaging Market Summary:

The India molecular imaging market size reached USD 186.07 Million in 2025. The market is projected to reach USD 346.77 Million by 2034, growing at a CAGR of 7.16% during 2026-2034. The market is driven by rising cancer incidence necessitating advanced diagnostic imaging for early detection and staging, government healthcare infrastructure investments through schemes like Ayushman Bharat expanding access to molecular imaging facilities, and increasing adoption of hybrid imaging systems such as PET/CT and SPECT/CT integrated with artificial intelligence capabilities for enhanced diagnostic accuracy. Additionally, growing awareness among medical practitioners about the clinical utility of molecular imaging in oncology, cardiology, and neurology applications is expanding the India molecular imaging market share.

India Molecular Imaging Market Outlook (2026-2034):

The India molecular imaging market is poised for robust growth driven by escalating cancer burden requiring precise diagnostic tools, expanding healthcare infrastructure in tier-II and tier-III cities supported by government initiatives, and technological advancements in hybrid imaging systems combining functional and anatomical imaging capabilities. Rising investments from private healthcare chains in establishing dedicated molecular imaging centers, coupled with increasing domestic manufacturing of PET/CT equipment under Production Linked Incentive schemes, will enhance affordability and accessibility. Furthermore, growing medical tourism and strategic collaborations between international imaging technology providers and Indian hospitals will strengthen the market trajectory throughout the forecast period.

Impact of AI:

Artificial intelligence is transforming molecular imaging in India by enhancing diagnostic accuracy and reducing scan times. AI-powered algorithms enable automated image interpretation, improved lesion detection, and standardized protocols across PET/CT and SPECT systems. Leading manufacturers like GE Healthcare and Siemens Healthineers are integrating AI capabilities into their molecular imaging platforms deployed in Indian hospitals, enabling faster workflows and supporting radiologists in identifying subtle abnormalities that may be missed by conventional analysis.

Market Dynamics:

Key Market Trends & Growth Drivers:

Rising Cancer Incidence Driving PET/CT Demand for Early Diagnosis and Staging

India is witnessing an alarming surge in cancer cases, fundamentally reshaping the demand landscape for molecular imaging technologies. The escalating cancer burden has positioned molecular imaging, particularly PET and SPECT modalities, as indispensable diagnostic tools in oncology practice across the country. Cancer has emerged as a leading cause of mortality in India, with the disease burden growing at an unprecedented rate due to demographic transitions, lifestyle changes, and increasing life expectancy. The National Cancer Registry Programme's data reveals a concerning epidemiological shift, documenting India logging 1.46 million new cancer cases in 2024, with projections indicating a 12.8 percent jump by 2025. This substantial increase in incidence reflects both improved detection capabilities and genuine rises in cancer prevalence, creating urgent demand for advanced diagnostic imaging technologies. Molecular imaging technologies enable oncologists to visualize metabolic and biochemical processes at the cellular level, facilitating disease detection even before anatomical changes become apparent through conventional imaging modalities. PET/CT scanners have become particularly valuable in determining cancer staging, assessing treatment response, and detecting recurrence, thereby informing personalized treatment strategies and reducing unnecessary surgical interventions or toxic chemotherapies. The India molecular imaging market growth is further accelerated by increasing awareness among oncologists about the clinical utility of functional imaging in differentiating between viable tumors and post-treatment changes, which conventional anatomical imaging often struggles to accomplish effectively.

Government Healthcare Infrastructure Investments and Universal Health Coverage Initiatives

Strategic government interventions in healthcare infrastructure development are catalyzing molecular imaging market expansion across India, particularly in previously underserved regions. The government's commitment to strengthening diagnostic capabilities represents a paradigm shift in healthcare policy, recognizing advanced imaging as essential infrastructure rather than luxury services. Major policy initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat and state-level health insurance programs are democratizing access to sophisticated diagnostic services, enabling patients in tier-II and tier-III cities to benefit from molecular imaging technologies without prohibitive out-of-pocket expenditures. These universal health coverage schemes have removed significant financial barriers, transforming patient referral patterns and encouraging earlier diagnostic workups that include advanced imaging modalities. The Production Linked Incentive scheme for medical devices has emerged as a transformative policy instrument, incentivizing domestic manufacturing of advanced diagnostic equipment including PET/CT and SPECT systems. In March 2024, Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya inaugurated 13 greenfield manufacturing plants for medical devices under the PLI scheme, strengthening domestic manufacturing capabilities for diagnostic imaging equipment and expanding healthcare infrastructure across India. This initiative addresses historical import dependence while simultaneously reducing equipment costs through economies of scale and eliminating currency fluctuation risks. Furthermore, government funding for establishing nuclear medicine departments in government medical colleges and district hospitals is expanding the geographic footprint of molecular imaging services beyond metropolitan concentrations. Public-private partnerships are being leveraged to accelerate infrastructure deployment, with government institutions providing land and regulatory support while private players contribute technical expertise and operational management.

Adoption of Hybrid Imaging Systems and AI-Integrated Technologies

The molecular imaging landscape in India is undergoing technological transformation through widespread adoption of hybrid imaging systems that synergistically combine functional and anatomical imaging capabilities in single platforms. PET/CT and SPECT/CT systems have established themselves as gold standards in molecular imaging, offering clinicians comprehensive diagnostic information by fusing metabolic activity visualization with precise anatomical localization. These hybrid systems address fundamental limitations of standalone modalities, eliminating diagnostic ambiguities caused by physiological false positives and enabling more confident treatment planning across oncology, cardiology, and neurology applications. The integration of artificial intelligence and machine learning algorithms into molecular imaging workflows represents the next evolution, enhancing diagnostic precision while simultaneously improving operational efficiency in high-volume clinical settings. AI-powered solutions are being deployed for automated image reconstruction, motion correction, lesion detection, and quantitative analysis, reducing interpretation time and minimizing inter-observer variability that traditionally challenged molecular imaging interpretation. Leading global manufacturers have recognized India as a strategic market for deploying AI-enabled imaging platforms, with GE Healthcare and Siemens Healthineers actively marketing intelligent imaging solutions that incorporate deep learning algorithms for enhanced diagnostic confidence. The Tata Trusts' expansion programme exemplifies this technological adoption trajectory, as demonstrated by Meherbai Tata Memorial Hospital in Jamshedpur launching their PET-CT imaging facility in Jharkhand. The facility enabled early cancer detection and eliminated the need for patients from the state to travel long distances for PET-CT scans, substantially improving access to advanced molecular imaging in eastern India. Hybrid imaging adoption is further accelerated by theranostic applications, where molecular imaging guides both diagnostic assessment and therapeutic interventions using paired radiopharmaceuticals. This emerging paradigm of personalized nuclear medicine requires sophisticated hybrid imaging capabilities, driving institutional investments in next-generation PET/CT systems equipped with extended axial field-of-view and improved detector technology for ultra-low-dose imaging protocols.

Key Market Challenges:

High Equipment Costs and Limited Affordability in Tier-II and Tier-III Cities

Capital-intensive nature of molecular imaging equipment poses significant financial barriers, particularly constraining market penetration in smaller cities and rural healthcare facilities across India. The economic viability equation becomes particularly challenging for facilities serving predominantly middle-income and lower-income patient populations, where reimbursement rates often fail to cover the true cost of providing molecular imaging services. While government institutions in metro cities can leverage central funding and economies of scale to establish comprehensive nuclear medicine departments, tier-II and tier-III city hospitals struggle to justify investments given uncertain patient volumes and limited payment capacity. The cost dynamics create concerning geographic disparities in access, with molecular imaging services concentrated in metropolitan regions while large rural and semi-urban populations must travel significant distances or forego advanced diagnostic evaluations entirely. Private healthcare chains have partially addressed this challenge through hub-and-spoke models where centralized radiopharmaceutical production facilities supply multiple satellite imaging centers, optimizing isotope utilization and reducing per-scan costs. Additionally, patient affordability remains problematic despite institutional cost-containment efforts, as PET/CT scan prices ranging from INR 10,000 to INR 30,000 represent substantial financial burdens for average Indian families. Although government health insurance schemes theoretically cover advanced imaging, procedural complexities in claim approvals and limited empanelment of molecular imaging facilities create practical barriers that discourage utilization even when technically covered under benefit packages.

Shortage of Trained Nuclear Medicine Professionals and Radiologists

Critical workforce shortages in nuclear medicine and specialized radiology disciplines constrain molecular imaging market expansion and operational efficiency across Indian healthcare facilities. This supply-demand imbalance manifests in intense competition for experienced nuclear medicine physicians, driving compensation levels that strain institutional budgets while simultaneously leaving many molecular imaging facilities understaffed or reliant on part-time consulting arrangements that compromise operational efficiency. The challenge extends beyond physicians to encompass specialized radiologic technologists capable of operating sophisticated hybrid imaging systems, medical physicists essential for quality assurance protocols, and radiopharmacists trained in handling and preparing radioactive tracers under strict regulatory oversight. Training programs have struggled to keep pace with technological evolution, as curriculum development for emerging applications such as theranostics and novel PET tracers requires continuous updates that academic institutions find difficult to implement given resource constraints and bureaucratic inertia. Geographic maldistribution compounds these workforce challenges, with qualified nuclear medicine professionals concentrated in metropolitan teaching hospitals while peripheral facilities in smaller cities face severe recruitment difficulties despite offering competitive compensation packages. The situation creates vicious cycles where inadequate staffing limits service quality and patient volumes, undermining financial viability and further discouraging qualified professionals from accepting positions in these locations. Furthermore, radiologists trained predominantly in anatomical imaging modalities often lack sufficient exposure to molecular imaging interpretation during residency training, creating knowledge gaps that require expensive and time-consuming supplementary training when institutions implement hybrid imaging systems.

Uneven Geographic Distribution of Molecular Imaging Facilities

Stark geographic disparities in molecular imaging infrastructure availability create significant healthcare access inequities across India's diverse regions. The concentration of cyclotron facilities in major metropolitan centers exacerbates geographic constraints, as the short half-lives of commonly utilized PET radiopharmaceuticals necessitate proximity between production facilities and imaging centers for practical isotope distribution. States like Jharkhand, which received its first PET-CT facility only in 2019 at Meherbai Tata Memorial Hospital in Jamshedpur, illustrate how large populations previously lacked any regional access to molecular imaging capabilities, forcing patients to undertake expensive and exhausting interstate travel for diagnostic evaluations. Rural populations face particularly acute access challenges, as molecular imaging services remain almost exclusively urban phenomena with negligible penetration into district-level hospitals serving predominantly agricultural communities. These geographic barriers disproportionately impact economically disadvantaged patients who cannot afford travel costs or accommodations in distant cities, effectively creating a two-tiered diagnostic system where socioeconomic status determines access to advanced imaging technologies. The distribution imbalance also impedes clinical research and epidemiological studies in molecular imaging applications, as patient cohorts enrolled in academic medical centers may not represent India's broader demographic and disease burden characteristics. Regulatory and logistical complexities further entrench these geographic disparities, as establishing new nuclear medicine facilities requires navigating intricate Atomic Energy Regulatory Board licensing procedures, arranging specialized infrastructure including radiation shielding and waste management systems, and securing reliable radiopharmaceutical supply chains. Addressing these distribution challenges demands strategic policy interventions including preferential licensing for facilities in underserved regions, innovative public-private partnership models for satellite imaging centers, mobile PET/CT units serving multiple district hospitals on rotational schedules, and investment in compact cyclotron technologies enabling decentralized radiopharmaceutical production closer to point-of-care delivery.

India Molecular Imaging Market Report Segmentation:

IMARC Group provides an analysis of the key trends in each segment of the India molecular imaging market, along with forecasts at the country and regional levels for 2026-2034. The market has been categorized based on modality, application, and end use.

Analysis by Modality:

• Molecular Ultrasound Imaging
• Positron Emission Tomography (PET)
• Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography (SPECT)
• Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) Spectrometer
• Others

The report has provided a detailed breakup and analysis of the market based on the modality. This includes molecular ultrasound imaging, positron emission tomography (PET), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT), nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectrometer, and others.

Analysis by Application:

• Cardiovascular
• Neurology
• Oncology
• Respiratory
• Gastrointestinal

A detailed breakup and analysis of the market based on the application have also been provided in the report. This includes cardiovascular, neurology, oncology, respiratory, and gastrointestinal.

Analysis by End Use:

• Hospitals
• Diagnostic Imaging Centers
• Research Institutes

The report has provided a detailed breakup and analysis of the market based on the end use. This includes hospitals, diagnostic imaging centers, and research institutes.

Analysis by Region:

• North India
• South India
• East India
• West India

The report has also provided a comprehensive analysis of all the major regional markets, which include North India, South India, East India, and West India.

Competitive Landscape:

The India molecular imaging market exhibits a moderately competitive landscape characterized by the presence of established multinational medical imaging corporations alongside emerging domestic equipment manufacturers and specialized diagnostic service chains. Market competition centers around technological differentiation, with leading players emphasizing advanced detector systems, AI-integrated image reconstruction algorithms, and comprehensive service support networks. Major international manufacturers including GE Healthcare, Siemens Healthineers, and Philips dominate the premium equipment segment, leveraging their global research and development capabilities to introduce cutting-edge PET/CT and SPECT systems with enhanced sensitivity and reduced radiation exposure profiles. Domestic players are increasingly competitive in the mid-range segment, benefiting from government Production Linked Incentive schemes that incentivize local manufacturing and reduce import dependencies. The diagnostic services segment witnesses intense competition among hospital chains like Apollo Hospitals, Fortis Healthcare, and HCG Cancer Centres, alongside specialized molecular imaging networks such as Nueclear Healthcare that focus exclusively on PET/CT services.

India Molecular Imaging Industry Latest Developments:

• March 2024: Wipro GE Healthcare announced a USD 960 million investment over five years for medical device manufacturing and research and development in India. This significant investment focuses on expanding production capabilities for advanced imaging systems including PET/CT scanners in Bangalore, strengthening India's healthcare infrastructure and reducing dependence on imports.
• December 2024: Co-Diagnostics and CoSara Diagnostics inaugurated a new oligonucleotide manufacturing facility in Ranoli, Gujarat. The plant manufactures co-primers for molecular diagnostic tests, augmenting in-house PCR test production and advancing efforts in infectious disease diagnostics across India.

India Molecular Imaging Market Report Coverage:

 
Key Questions Answered in This Report:

• How has the India molecular imaging market performed so far and how will it perform in the coming years?
• What is the breakup of the India molecular imaging market on the basis of modality?
• What is the breakup of the India molecular imaging market on the basis of application?
• What is the breakup of the India molecular imaging market on the basis of end use?
• What is the breakup of the India molecular imaging market on the basis of region?
• What are the various stages in the value chain of the India molecular imaging market?
• What are the key driving factors and challenges in the India molecular imaging market?
• What is the structure of the India molecular imaging market and who are the key players?
• What is the degree of competition in the India molecular imaging market?

Key Benefits for Stakeholders:

• IMARC's industry report offers a comprehensive quantitative analysis of various market segments, historical and current market trends, market forecasts, and dynamics of the India molecular imaging market from 2020-2034.
• The research report provides the latest information on the market drivers, challenges, and opportunities in the India molecular imaging market.
• Porter's five forces analysis assist stakeholders in assessing the impact of new entrants, competitive rivalry, supplier power, buyer power, and the threat of substitution. It helps stakeholders to analyze the level of competition within the India molecular imaging industry and its attractiveness.
• Competitive landscape allows stakeholders to understand their competitive environment and provides an insight into the current positions of key players in the market.