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Digital water technologies in Europe have seen a surge in investments in recent years, a trend that will continue over the next decade. Utilities are now more exposed than ever to external threats to water security, business, and service continuity. Geopolitical instability has led to supply chain bottlenecks, spikes in energy prices, and new cybersecurity risks. Additionally, increasingly frequent extreme climate events are straining limited utility resources and jeopardizing service delivery. Strict regulatory standards concerning environmental protection, public health, and cybersecurity further contribute to the growing demand for secure and operational data.

The region is shaped by a diverse array of water systems, regulatory frameworks, asset sizes, and supranational funding. The European Union plays a key role in financing and regulation, promoting digital technologies in the public sector and critical infrastructure. As such, Bluefield Research anticipates strong demand for digital water solutions in Europe, predicting cumulative spending of US$211.85 billion from 2026 to 2036.

The need for greater efficiency—economically, environmentally, and operationally—exacerbates the challenges of aging infrastructure, a diminishing workforce, and new standards for contaminants in drinking water and wastewater, which require enhanced monitoring.

Top tier utilities are shifting from legacy technologies and hardware-heavy solutions, such as meters and sensors, to advanced tools that can monitor and optimize assets to target investments more effectively. Meanwhile, smaller utilities remain focused on enhancing their data gathering and management capabilities.

The business case for digital solutions is clear, as utilities are increasingly implementing advanced metering and monitoring systems to manage drinking water networks and improve overall efficiency.

This Insight Report delivers a comprehensive, bottom-up forecast of the European digital water landscape through 2036, covering hardware, software, services, and connectivity across all major technology segments.