Metamaterials Market Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Global Industry Analysis: By Type (Electromagnetic, Terahertz, Tunable, Photonic, FSS), By Application (Antenna and Radar, Sensors, Cloaking Devices, Superlens, Light and Sound Filtering), By End-User Industry (Healthcare, Telecommunication, Aerospace and Defense, Electronics) and Region Forecast 2020-2031

Metamaterials Market size was valued at US$ 1,133.3 million in 2024 and is expected to reach US$ 4,585.3 million by 2031, growing at a significant CAGR of 22.1% from 2025-2031.  The market for metamaterials is the global industry that involves the manufacture, sale, and design of artificial materials with properties that are found naturally. The demand for metamaterials is boosted by growing demands for new materials in areas such as 5G communication, aerospace, defense, and medical imaging, where their ability to manipulate electromagnetic waves enables the use of technologies like miniaturized antennas, cloak devices, and ultra-sensitive sensors. R&D spending growth, miniaturization trends, and the integration of metamaterials into renewable energy systems are other factors propelling growth in the market.

However, the market is limited by complex and costly production processes, scalability problems, and a need for precise nanoscale fabrication techniques. In addition, management of limited commercial supply and regulatory hazards in defense applications might constrain widespread acceptance despite a high technology potential.

Facts & Figures

• Negative Refraction: Metamaterials can bend light (and other waves) in the opposite direction compared to natural materials, a phenomenon known as negative refraction.
• Electromagnetic Cloaking: They can be designed to make objects invisible to certain wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation by bending the waves around the object.
• Perfect Absorption: Metamaterials can absorb electromagnetic radiation across a specific frequency range, with potential applications in solar energy and stealth technology.
• Manipulation of Wave Behavior: Metamaterials can be engineered to control the reflection, transmission, and other properties of waves like electromagnetic, acoustic, and seismic waves.
• Structure-based Properties: Unlike conventional materials, metamaterials derive their properties from their intricate structure rather than their chemical composition.

Key Developments

• In December 2024, Lumotive (US) and NAMUGA Co., Ltd. (South Korea), a leader in advanced camera module manufacturing, announced a partnership to launch the Stella series of next-generation 3D sensing solutions. These systems use Lumotive's Light Control Metasurface (LCM) technology for solid-state beam steering, delivering improved performance, a compact form factor, and cost-efficiency. The Stella series targets applications in robotics, security, and smart infrastructure, and includes models for both indoor and outdoor use.
• In November 2024, Kymeta Corporation (US) introduced the Goshawk u8, a hybrid terminal supporting geo, leo, and cellular connectivity for mobility across vehicles and vessels. With customizable, network-redundant connectivity and secure software-defined communications, the Goshawk u8 enhances Kymeta’s Multi-X portfolio, catering to global defense and enterprise communication needs.
• In April 2024, BASF Venture Capital (BVC) made an investment in Phomera Metamaterials Inc., a developer of photonic crystal metamaterials. This investment was part of Phomera’s Series A financing round and is intended to facilitate the expansion of the company’s capacity, the exploration of new markets, and the enhancement of its product offerings.
• In October 2023, Berkeley engineers introduced a pioneering technique that leveraged artificial intelligence and additive manufacturing to produce materials with meticulously customized properties. This method aimed to integrate optimal functionality and specific behaviors into these specialized materials.

Metamaterials Market Segmentation

Based on the type

• Electromagnetic
• Terahertz
• Photonic
• Tunable
• Frequency Selective Surface

The electromagnetics metamaterials segment leads the global metamaterials market. Its leadership in this segment is propelled by its widespread applications in optical and microwave technologies, such as beam steerers, modulators, band-pass filters, lenses, microwave couplers, and antennas. The growth of the segment is mostly driven by the rising adoption in aerospace and defense industries, where electromagnetic metamaterials are used for their peculiar properties, including a negative index of refraction and perfect sub-wavelength lensing ability. The materials have shown excellent performance in developing electromagnetic invisibility cloaks and improving the efficiency of antennas, making them indispensable for defense and communication systems today. The field comprises different sub-categories such as single negative metamaterials (SNG), double negative metamaterials (DNG), electromagnetic bandgap metamaterials, and bi-isotropic and bi-anisotropic metamaterials, each for different industrial uses.

Based on the application

• Antenna and Radar
• Sensors
• Light and Sound Filtering
• Cloaking Devices

The antenna and radar segment dominates the global metamaterials market. This segment's prominence is driven by the increasing demand for reliable aerospace, defense, and military communications that depend on advanced antenna technologies. Metamaterials are extensively used in antenna applications to improve performance characteristics, including enhanced bandwidth, increased gain, and coordinating properties of electrically small electric and magnetic dipole reception apparatuses. The segment's growth is further bolstered by the rising implementation of metamaterial surface antenna technology (MSA-T), which enables electronic control of radiofrequency beams rapidly and precisely over wide angles without requiring moving parts or expensive phase-shifting components. Additionally, the use of metamaterials as absorbers to reduce platform radar cross-section (RCS) signatures in defense applications has significantly contributed to its market dominance.

Based on the end user

• Aerospace & Defense
• Healthcare
• Telecommunication
• Consumer Electronics

Aerospace and defense is the biggest market segment in the global metamaterial market. The market is driven by the extensive application of metamaterials in military communications, radar structures, and aircraft components. The leading position of the segment is backed by increased spending on defense upgradation initiatives around the world and the dissemination of metamaterial-based antennas and radar systems to boost surveillance and communication capabilities. The growth of the industry is also supported by rising demand for light and high-performance materials in aircraft manufacturing, as well as the rising focus on stealth technology and electromagnetic warfare capability. Further, applications related to using metamaterials in communications satellites and space exploration continue to grow, particularly in the creation of next-generation antenna systems and radiation-hardened materials for spacecraft.