Medical equipment rental market seen reaching $138.17 billion by 2035

Market Research Future projects the global medical equipment rental market will nearly double by 2035, driven by hospital-at-home reimbursement, AI fleet analytics and value-based care. The forecast points to faster adoption in home care, short-term rentals and Asia-Pacific as healthcare systems shift away from equipment ownership.

Why it matters: - The rental model is moving from a niche procurement option to a core part of healthcare operations. - Reimbursement changes, especially for home-based acute care, are pushing hospitals and providers to rent instead of buy. - The shift could lower capital spending, improve equipment access and help providers scale care outside traditional facilities.

What happened: - Market Research Future said the global medical equipment rental market is projected to rise from $70.29 billion in 2026 to $138.17 billion by 2035. - The forecast implies a 7.8% compound annual growth rate from 2026 to 2035. - The market was estimated at $65.20 billion in 2025. - The report links growth to hospital-at-home reimbursement expansion, AI-enabled fleet analytics and value-based care. - The company also provided a free sample request, customization request and full report.

The details: - CMS extended its Acute Hospital Care at Home waiver through September 2030. - The waiver covers more than 300 health systems and 135 qualifying conditions in the U.S. - The program reimburses rental of bedside monitors, infusion pumps and oxygen concentrators delivered to patients' homes. - The American Hospital Association estimates the program shifted $4.1 billion in inpatient spend to home-based care in 2024. - France's Hospitalisation à Domicile program reached 2.3 million patient-days annually, adding a parallel demand path in Europe. - AI-driven utilization tools are reducing idle asset time by 22% to 28% and cutting maintenance expenses by 15%, according to a 2024 KLAS Research study. - Managed rental systems are showing equipment uptime above 96%, compared with 82% to 85% for traditional in-house biomedical engineering models. - Durable medical equipment held about 32.4% of revenue in 2024 and remained the dominant device category. - Surgical and procedural equipment is the fastest-growing device category, with a 6.9% CAGR for 2026 to 2035. - Hospitals and acute-care centers held about 26.2% of revenue in 2024 and remain the largest end-user group. - Home-care patients are the fastest-growing end-user segment, with an 8.4% CAGR for 2026 to 2035. - Long-term rentals held about 34.2% of revenue in 2024. - Short-term rentals are growing fastest, at 8.9% CAGR for 2026 to 2035. - North America held about 33.5% of the market in 2024, with the U.S. generating about 78.2% of regional revenue. - Europe held 31.4% of the market in 2024. - Asia-Pacific is the fastest-growing region, with a 7.1% CAGR for 2026 to 2035. - The Middle East and Africa market was valued at $3.98 billion in 2025. - South America was valued at $4.04 billion in 2025. - The top five operators accounted for an estimated 22% to 28% of global revenue, and the market's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index remained below 600.

Between the lines: - The market forecast is less about new clinical demand and more about changing how healthcare systems pay for and manage equipment. - Reimbursement policy is doing much of the heavy lifting by making rentals the default option for certain services. - AI and connected-device tools are improving fleet efficiency enough to make rental platforms more attractive than legacy ownership models. - Fragmentation leaves room for consolidation, but it also suggests regional and specialized operators still have room to compete.

What's next: - By 2030, the report expects about 60% of large rental operators to use fully autonomous fleet-optimization engines. - McKinsey projects AI-orchestrated logistics could reduce fleet size needs by 15% to 20% while pushing utilization above 90%. - More health systems are likely to expand managed-equipment contracts as value-based care and home-based treatment grow. - Start-ups have raised more than $800 million for healthcare fleet-analytics tools since 2023, pointing to continued investment in the category.

The bottom line: - Medical equipment rental is shifting from a cost-saving workaround to a scaled healthcare infrastructure model, with policy and software now driving demand as much as clinical need.