Overall Market Size and Trends of China's MRI Industry
In 2024, affected by tightened hospital finances, the approval cycle for MRI equipment procurement projects was extended. Some projects were suspended or delayed, and the accumulated demand is gradually being released in 2025. Coupled with the implementation of ultra-long-term special government bonds, the rollout of hospital equipment renewal projects, and the short-term benefits of policies for replacing old and outdated equipment, the market size of China's MRI industry reached 15.28 billion RMB in 2025, a year-on-year growth of approximately 8.1%. Meanwhile, health commissions in multiple regions have explicitly prioritized the procurement of domestic products in centralized procurement projects, from which domestic brands have benefited more significantly.
The long-term growth potential of the MRI market remains. The growth rate is expected to maintain between 4% and 4.5% from 2026 to 2030, and is projected to exceed 18.9 billion RMB by 2030. The driving forces mainly stem from the expansion of rigid clinical diagnostic needs and the replacement of existing equipment.
Market Size of China's MRI Industry -- Product Segmentation
3.0T: The core driving forces come from two aspects. First, the dividends of policies and centralized procurement, where trade-in subsidies and centralized procurement orders have accelerated the upgrade demand for mid-to-high-end equipment. Second, rigid clinical needs, as 3.0T offers faster scanning speeds and higher image resolution, which can significantly improve examination efficiency and patient turnover rates, thereby strengthening hospitals' willingness to upgrade.
≥1.5T and <3T: This segment mainly benefits from the advancement of tiered diagnosis and treatment, where the construction of county-level medical communities continuously elevates the imaging configuration standards of secondary and county-level hospitals. As the most cost-effective solution, conventional 1.5T can fully meet routine diagnosis and treatment needs, thus forming stable demand. Domestic brands have already established an absolute advantage in this field. Companies such as United Imaging, Neusoft, and Wandong have become the dominant forces in the market, leveraging their cost advantages, localized services, and favorable centralized procurement policies.
Above 3T: MRI equipment is mainly used in the clinical research field. The unit price of the equipment is high. The participating manufacturers for 3.0T mainly include Siemens, GE Healthcare, and United Imaging.
Below 1.5T: The market for low-field MRI products has declined. As the equipment configuration standards for primary-level hospitals increase, low-field products are being rapidly replaced by 1.5T systems. The market space continues to be squeezed, and in the future, it will mainly be limited to remote areas or special scenarios.
Market Size of China's MRI Industry -- Hospital Tier Segmentation
The domestic MRI market takes tertiary hospitals as the core value highland. The demand in tertiary hospitals is driven by the dual engines of "equipment technology upgrades and discipline construction," making them the main purchasers of high-end MRI systems of 3.0T and above. In terms of the competitive landscape, leading manufacturers such as Siemens, GE Healthcare, and United Imaging are the preferred choices for tertiary hospitals. Philips has seen its market share in tertiary hospitals squeezed due to its higher product pricing and lagging R&D iterations.
Procurement in secondary hospitals is dominated by 1.5T equipment. Benefiting from the continuous release of policies to supplement imaging capabilities in county-level and primary-level facilities, the procurement volume in some well-funded and well-equipped hospitals has increased to a certain extent, which is also favorable for domestic brands.
Private hospitals, as an important supplement to the market, have seen a significant decrease in demand mainly due to tight hospital funds caused by the long reimbursement cycles of medical insurance.
The MRI market size in primary hospitals is extremely small. The reason is that most of them are community health service centers, which are mainly equipped with basic imaging equipment such as DR, and are rarely equipped with MRI devices.
Market Size of China's MRI Industry -- Regional Market Segmentation
From a regional perspective, East China is the primary market for MRI equipment, with continuous and stable demand for hospital equipment renewal. Zhejiang has become a highlight in regional growth due to the significant gap-filling effect brought by the relaxation of configuration certificate controls. In other regions, the willingness to procure high-end 3.0T and above models has increased.
Central China benefits from the supplementary allocation of basic equipment in populous provinces and the advancement of county-level medical community construction, leading to a concentrated volume increase in 1.5T models.
South China shows high acceptance of innovative models such as 3.0T and AI-assisted diagnosis systems. The demand in tertiary hospitals in North China remains stable.
Northwest China maintains a good growth rate. Against the backdrop of a low base, the trade-in policy is implemented quickly and takes effect early, leading to a concentrated release of county-level centralized procurement and primary-level equipment renewal. The demand volume in Northeast China is relatively small. Although policy-driven demand has been released in the short term, the sustainability of growth is insufficient.
Note: For detailed multi-dimensional segmentation data, please visit the official website or official WeChat account of GWinner to download and view the shared version of the "2026 China Medical Imaging Equipment Industry Market White Paper - Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI)".
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