RFID 2026-2036: Forecasts, Players and Opportunities

The complete analysis of the global RFID industry.

Show All Description Contents, Table & Figures List FAQs Pricing Related Content
IDTechEx has been researching the RFID industry for nearly two decades. "RFID Forecasts, Players, and Opportunities 2026-2036" is the most recent RFID market research study, offering a thorough review of passive RFID (for UHF, HF, and LF bands), battery assisted passive, active RFID, and chipless RFID technologies, players, and markets. This report provides an unbiased analysis of primary data gathered through interviews with key players throughout the value chain (many of whom supply data to IDTechEx under non-disclosure agreements that allows aggregation of the data into a total) as well as secondary data from all available sources, and it builds on IDTechEx's RFID industry expertise. This report provides in-depth forecasts and analysis that no other source can match.
 
Current market and outlook
The future of RFID is looking bright, the global RFID market is expected to expand further in 2025; according to IDTechEx, the market will be worth US$15.6 billion in 2025, up from US$15 billion in 2024. This comprises RFID labels, cards, fobs, and any other form factors, as well as tags, readers, and software/services for both passive and active RFID.
 
In the UHF sector, the retail business, the largest RFID application sector in terms of tag numbers, adopting RFID continues to grow strongly. According to IDTechEx study, retail apparel alone will require over 31 billion RFID tags in 2025 - though there is still some way to go, with RFID accounting for only about 40% of the total addressable market for apparel. Furthermore, IDTechEx anticipates that the general retail market will continue to grow driven by mandates such as Walmart's on tagging retail items other than apparel. This is anticipated to continue to generate significant volume growth for the sector.
 
Contactless card sales remain the most successful in the HF sector, driven primarily by contactless payment, transit, and secure access applications, with 3.14 billion cards anticipated to be demanded in 2025. However IDTechEx expects a decrease in demand for this as mobile wallets continue to replace contactless cards.
 
Animal tagging (such as pigs, sheep, and pets) remains important in the LF sector because it is still a legal requirement in many more areas, with around 930 million tags expected to be used in this sector in 2025.
 
Overall, IDTechEx forecasts that around 55 billion passive RFID tags will be sold in 2025, up from 50 billion in 2024, indicating a 10% year on year increase. The bulk of this growth is due to passive UHF RFID labels. However, in 2025, UHF (RAIN RFID) tag sales by value will be 60% of HF tag sales (including NFC), due to the higher price point of HF tags used for security (such as payments, access, etc) against the cheaper, largely disposable UHF (RAIN) tags used for tagging items. However, the gap between the overall tag sales is shrinking due to increased activity in UHF market and decline of HF market.
 
Total RFID Market Size 2024-2031, Source: IDTechEx report "RFID 2026-2036: Forecasts, Players and Opportunities"
 
Geographic Growth Opportunities and Market Distribution
The distribution of passive RFID tag market value by end use across regions is explored in detail within RFID Forecasts, Players and Opportunities 2026 to 2036. This analysis by IDTechEx focuses on four key regions: the Americas, Europe, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa (MEA).
 
In 2025, the Americas and Asia-Pacific are the two largest markets for passive RFID tags, with the Americas accounting for 38 percent of global end use and Asia-Pacific close behind at 37 percent. The Americas holds a slight lead, driven by strong adoption of UHF RFID, which makes up over 60 percent of global UHF tag use. This is largely due to widespread deployments in retail, apparel, and logistics by companies such as Walmart and UPS. Asia-Pacific's position is supported by historically high volumes of HF RFID used in contactless cards. However, the region saw a nearly 7 percent decline in HF tag use from 2024 to 2025 as the growing use of mobile wallets began to reduce card issuance.
 
Europe ranks third in the passive RFID market overall, accounting for 20% of global end use in 2025. The region's market is primarily driven by UHF RFID, with Europe making up nearly 30% of global UHF end use. Growth is supported by large-scale deployments in sectors such as retail and apparel, as well as upcoming regulatory changes including the EU Digital Product Passport, which mandates item-level traceability for select product categories starting in 2026.
 
The Middle East and Africa region is the smallest and least penetrated market for passive RFID, accounting for four percent of global end use in 2025. The region's largest RFID segment is HF, mainly driven by the digitalization of payment systems, a shift away from cash, and growing adoption of contactless cards.
 
More detailed insights into the regional breakdown and market trends can be found in the report "RFID 2026-2036: Forecasts, Players and Opportunities".
Passive RFID Tag Market by Geography in 2025. Source: "RFID 2026-2036: Forecasts, Players and Opportunities" report.
 
In-depth market analysis
IDTechEx assesses the RFID industry in a variety of ways using new and unique information gathered globally by IDTechEx research analysts. Each market is thoroughly examined, with detailed historical data by application type provided from 2012 to 2024, followed by a prediction from 2026 and every year thereafter until 2031. IDTechEx also provides a long-term forecast for 2036. Key forecasts included in this report are: 10-year prediction of tag numbers, average sales price, and market value of Passive RFID, Battery-assisted Passive RFID, Active RFID, and RFID readers, Forecast for the Passive tag market size by end use geography.
 
Forecasts for passive RFID are given separately for each of the application areas listed below:
 
Passive RFID Market Forecast by Frequency and Application Segmentation. Source: "RFID 2026-2036: Forecasts, Players and Opportunities" report.
 
Additionally, the report provides units, average selling price and total value for RFID readers in the following categories:
  • UHF fixed portal
  • UHF embedded and handheld
  • HF and LF handheld, fixed, embedded
  • LF vehicle
  • NFC cellphone
 
The research conducted by IDTechEx ultimately provides ten-year forecasts by application area including tags, readers, software and services for the following markets:
  • Retail
  • Healthcare and medical
  • Passenger transport/automotive
  • Land, sea logistics and post
  • Animals and farming
  • Airlines and airports
  • Financial, security
  • Manufacturing
  • Leisure/sports
  • Consumer products
  • Other
 
Data is also provided for other sectors including trends by territory, value chain positioning, NFC, chip vs chipless and more. Cumulative sales of RFID are analyzed. Progress of key companies is provided in addition to a matrix of hundreds of suppliers. A price teardown is conducted for the two main types of passive RFID inlays - UHF and HF RFID.
 
Key questions answered in this report
IDTechEx evaluates the key data in this report to answer key questions such as:
  • What is the market size for passive RFID tags by end use and geography, and how is it expected to evolve over the next decade?
  • Which industries are thriving, and which are underperforming?
  • Who are the most profitable suppliers, and why?
  • Which industries are gaining the most traction?
  • How will emerging low-cost RFID technologies such as flexible ICs impact the RFID market and its applications?
  • What are the remaining barriers to large-scale adoption?
  • What emerging technologies pose a threat to RFID?
  • What are the company profiles of key and emerging players in the RFID industry?
 
For example, IDTechEx discovered that there are now established leaders in most places of the value chain across the various technologies after conducting comprehensive interviews with suppliers, but that only a few businesses had revenues of more than US$100 million. There are still numerous opportunities, which are evaluated in this report. IDTechEx's level of detailed analysis allows us to account for data throughout the value chain, for example, inlay sales lag the number of IC sales by several months which is considered in our forecasts.
 
Key market forecasts include:
10-year Market forecast of RFID segmented by each frequency and corresponding application sectors
 
1. Passive UHF tag numbers and market value segmented in the following sectors:
  • Retail apparel and footwear
  • Retail - other
  • Medical/healthcare
  • Assets, logistics containers
  • Air baggage
  • Access Control/ticketing
  • Sensors and embedded
  • People
  • Other
 
2. Passive HF tag numbers and market value segmented in the following sectors:
  • Contactless cards/fobs
  • Smart tickets
  • Books
  • Medical
  • Assets/tools
  • Passports
  • People
  • NFC
  • Other
 
3. Passive LF tag numbers and market value segmented in the following sectors:
  • Livestock and pets
  • Access control
  • Vehicle immobilizers
  • Medicals
  • People
  • Other
 
4. Active RFID
 
5. RFID readers
 
6. Passive RFID market value segmented in the following regions:
  • Americas
  • Europe
  • Asia Pacific
  • Middle East & Africa
Report MetricsDetails
Historic Data2012 - 2024
CAGRThe global market for RFID is projected to grow at a CAGR of approximately 4% between 2025 and 2036, reaching a market size of US$23 billion by 2036.
Forecast Period2026 - 2036
Forecast UnitsMarket Size (Revenue) (US$Billion), Annual Tag Number (Billion)
Regions CoveredWorldwide
Segments CoveredRFID Technologies: • Passive UHF (RAIN RFID) • Passive HF (13.56 MHz, including NFC) • Passive LF (125-134 KHz) • Active RFID • Battery-Assisted Passive RFID (BAP) • RFID Readers and Infrastructure • Flexible IC and Printed RFID Applications Covered: • Retail and Apparel • Financial and Security • Logistics and Supply Chain • Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals • Automotive and Industrial • Animals and Farming • Smart Packaging • + Many More
Analyst access from IDTechEx
All report purchases include up to 30 minutes telephone time with an expert analyst who will help you link key findings in the report to the business issues you're addressing. This needs to be used within three months of purchasing the report.
Further information
If you have any questions about this report, please do not hesitate to contact our report team at research@IDTechEx.com or call one of our sales managers:

AMERICAS (USA): +1 617 577 7890
ASIA (Japan and Korea): +81 3 3216 7209
EUROPE (UK) +44 1223 812300
1.EXECUTIVE SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS
1.1.Brief History of RFID
1.2.RFID Market to 2036
1.3.Total RFID Market Size 2024-2036, $ billions
1.4.Market size by tag value by application 2024-2036, $ millions
1.5.Market size by tag value by application 2024-2036, $ millions
1.6.Market size by application, hardware and software 2024-2036, $ billions
1.7.Largest markets in 2025 vs 2036
1.8.Favourite RFID frequencies
1.9.Value chain and RFID tag types
1.10.Passive UHF (RAIN) RFID tag numbers 2024-2036, millions
1.11.Passive UHF (RAIN) RFID tag numbers 2024-2036, millions
1.12.Average sales price of passive UHF (RAIN) RFID by application 2024-2036, US cents
1.13.Total Value of UHF (RAIN) RFID inlays by application 2024-2036, $ millions
1.14.Total Value of UHF (RAIN) RFID inlays by application, 2024-2036, $ millions
1.15.Walmart Grows its RFID Mandate
1.16.UHF (RAIN) RFID: The Highlights
1.17.UHF (RAIN) RFID: Forthcoming Developments
1.18.Passive HF (13.56MHz, NFC) RFID tag numbers 2024-2036, millions
1.19.Passive HF (13.56MHz, NFC) RFID tag numbers 2024-2036, millions
1.20.Average sales price of passive HF (13.56MHz) RFID by application 2024-2036, US cents
1.21.Total value of HF (13.56MHz) RFID inlays and cards by application 2024-2036, $ millions
1.22.Total value of HF (13.56MHz) RFID inlays and cards by application 2024-2036, $ millions
1.23.The use of contactless cards is decreasing with the advent of mobile wallets
1.24.Flexible Integrated Circuits May Scale NFC for Smart Packaging
1.25.HF/NFC RFID: The Highlights
1.26.Passive LF (125KHz, 134KHz) RFID tag numbers 2024-2036, millions
1.27.Passive LF (125KHz, 134KHz) RFID tag numbers 2024-2036, millions
1.28.Average sales price of passive LF (13.56MHz) RFID by application 2024-2036, US cents
1.29.Total value of LF RFID inlays and cards by application 2024-2036, $ millions
1.30.Total value of LF RFID inlays and cards, by application 2024-2036, $ millions
1.31.LF RFID: The Highlights
1.32.RFID market forecasts for battery assisted passive RFID, active RFID tag numbers 2024-2036, millions
1.33.RFID market forecasts for battery assisted passive RFID, active RFID tag numbers 2024-2036, millions
1.34.Total value of battery assisted and active RFID by application 2024-2036, $ millions
1.35.Change in active RFID systems due to BLE and LPWAN
1.36.Top Level Market Value of Passive RFID inlays and end use Geography, 2024-2036, $ millions
1.37.Americas RFID Use: Key Conclusions
1.38.Asia-Pacific RFID Use: Key Conclusions
1.39.Europe RFID Use: Key Conclusions
1.40.Middle East & Africa RFID Use: Key Conclusions
1.41.RFID companies by gross sales
1.42.Impediments to the growth of RFID markets
1.43.Outlook for RFID
2.INTRODUCTION, HISTORIC RFID SALES, AND ADDRESSABLE OPPORTUNITY
2.1.RFID
2.2.RFID system choices
2.3.RFID technologies: The big picture
2.4.The RFID value chain
2.5.Passive RFID
2.6.Passive RFID Systems
2.7.Battery Assisted Passive /Semi Active tags
2.8.Examples of Battery Assisted Passive (BAP) RFID sensors
2.9.RFID sensors
2.10.Active RFID
2.11.Distinguishing things a long way away with active RFID
2.12.Real Time Locating Systems (RTLS)
2.13.Change in active RFID systems due to BLE and LPWAN
2.14.Historic Passive LF (125KHz, 134KHz) RFID tag sales 2012 to 2024
2.15.Passive LF (125KHz, 134KHz) RFID tag sales in units, 2012- 2024
2.16.Passive LF (125KHz, 134KHz) RFID tag Average Selling Price, 2012- 2024
2.17.Passive LF (125KHz, 134KHz) RFID tag market size, 2012- 2024
2.18.Historic Passive HF (13.56MHz, NFC) RFID tag sales 2012 to 2024
2.19.Passive HF (13.56MHz, NFC) RFID tag sales in units, 2012- 2024
2.20.Passive HF (13.56MHz, NFC) RFID tag Average Selling Price, 2012- 2024
2.21.Passive HF (13.56MHz, NFC) RFID tag market size, 2012- 2024
2.22.Historic Passive UHF (RAIN) RFID tag sales 2012 to 2024
2.23.Passive UHF (RAIN) RFID tag sales in units, 2012- 2024
2.24.Passive UHF (RAIN) RFID tag Average Selling Price, 2012- 2024
2.25.Passive UHF (RAIN) RFID tag market size, 2012- 2024
2.26.Historic Active RFID tag sales 2017 to 2024
2.27.Active tag sales in units, 2017- 2024
2.28.Active tag Average Selling Price, 2017- 2024
2.29.Active tag market size, 2017- 2024
2.30.Historic Passive RFID Interrogators (Readers) tag sales 2012 to 2024
2.31.Passive RFID Interrogators sales in units, 2012- 2024
2.32.Passive RFID Interrogators market size, 2012- 2024
2.33.RFID Standards (ISO)
2.34.HF RFID & NFC Applications
2.35.HF RFID/NFC Growth
2.36.UHF (RAIN) RFID Trends
2.37.Four Drivers of RAIN RFID
2.38.EPC Gen2v3
2.39.RFID Systems/Middleware
2.40.RFID Software Business (1)
2.41.RFID Software Business (2)
2.42.RFID Software business (3)
2.43.Impediments to highest volume RFID
3.MARKETS BY APPLICATION AND VALUE CHAIN POSITION
3.1.Total RFID Market Size 2024-2036, $ billions
3.2.Market size by tag value by application 2024-2036, $ millions
3.3.Market size by tag value by application 2024-2036, $ millions
3.4.Market size by application, hardware and software 2024-2036, $ billions
3.5.Current and future forms of payback by applicational sector
3.6.Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals
3.7.RFID in Healthcare and pharmaceuticals
3.8.RFID Applications in Healthcare and Pharmaceuticals
3.9.Real Time Locating Systems in Hospitals
3.10.Example of RFID paybacks Healthcare and pharmaceuticals
3.11.New Regulations and Adoption Barriers
3.12.Case Studies of Healthcare & Pharmaceuticals
3.13.Plymouth NHS, UK, uses RFID to Track Their Medical Devices
3.14.Bluesight Scales RFID Medication Tracking Across 2,400 Hospitals
3.15.Becton Dickinson Prototypes RFID for Item Level Tracking of Pre-Filled Syringes
3.16.RFID Streamlines Implant Logistics at Implantcast
3.17.Barriers of RFID adoption in healthcare sectors
3.18.IDTechEx Outlook: RFID Current Role within Medical / Healthcare
3.19.Retail & Consumer Packaged Goods
3.20.Pallet/case tagging: False start
3.21.Retail apparel, item level (1)
3.22.Retail apparel, item level (2)
3.23.Retail General & Apparel
3.24.Retail & Apparel Lead in Global UHF RFID Penetration
3.25.EU Digital Product Passport (DPP) Drives Item-Level Traceability Requirements
3.26.The impact from Walmart's mandate
3.27.Walmart Grows its RFID Mandate
3.28.M&S RFID roll-out
3.29.Retail Apparel Payback
3.30.RFID for anti-counterfeiting
3.31.Case Studies of Apparel & Retail
3.32.Examples of retailers using RAIN RFID and growing
3.33.Retail Companies Who have implemented RFID since 2023
3.34.Retail Companies Who have implemented RFID since 2023
3.35.METI, Japan, target 100 billion tags/year by 2025 is not be realized
3.36.Case Study: RFID Demand Pull (1)
3.37.Case Study: RFID Demand Pull (2)
3.38.RFID in Retail & Apparel Quick Summary
3.39.Retail Food & Drink
3.40.Using RFID to Tag Food and Drink
3.41.Current Challenges and Obstacles and why adoption remains low
3.42.US FDA Mandated Food traceability by January 2026
3.43.Kroger's RFID Rollout Targets Freshness and Sustainability
3.44.Aviation Industry
3.45.Airports and Airlines use RFID for baggage claim
3.46.Airline and Airport for RFID Growth
3.47.Competing technologies to RFID: Computer vision
3.48.AirAsia Tracks Life Jackets Using RFID
3.49.Secure access and contactless payment
3.50.NFC and HF RFID within Financial Transactions
3.51.Secure access and contactless payment
3.52.Smart ticketing
3.53.Smart ticketing
3.54.Smart ticketing vs contactless payments
3.55.Benchmark of competing technologies for smart ticketing
3.56.Logistics, Parcels & Postal: Asset Tracking, Manufacturing
3.57.Logistics and Parcel Handling Are Emerging Frontiers for RFID Growth
3.58.Postal and courier services
3.59.UPS to deploy RFIDs through its facilities
3.60.Logistics, Asset Tracking, Manufacturing
3.61.Tracking Logistics Containers
3.62.RFID tracks automotive body panels
3.63.Case studies of RFID in food and other logistics industry
3.64.Chipotle Uses Pallet-Level RFID for Traceability and Food Safety
3.65.McDonalds uses RFID for Sustainability & Efficiency
3.66.Laundry/rented textiles
3.67.Laundry/rented textiles
3.68.Others
3.69.E-Passports
3.70.Animal Tagging
3.71.RFID provides more consumer engagement and enables more data use
3.72.RFID embedded in consumer electronics devices (1)
3.73.RFID embedded in consumer electronics devices (2)
3.74.RFID Sensors
3.75.RFID Sensor Types
3.76.RFID Sensors: Main choices
3.77.Powercast's RFID Sensor
3.78.Passive RFID Sensors (Electronic): Case studies
3.79.Passive UHF RFID sensors with printed electronics
3.80.LG Sensing Smart Card: Commercial product with a printed antenna to test water salinity. Launched in Korea
3.81.Thin finger print sensors using organic photodetectors
3.82.Smart Packaging
3.83.Functional applications of NFC Within Smart packaging on Consumer goods
3.84.NFC Smart Packaging & Apparel within the Luxury Sector
3.85.Barriers To NFC Smart packaging Adoption
3.86.Smart packaging with flexible hybrid electronics
3.87.Flexible Integrated Circuits May Scale NFC for Smart Packaging
3.88.Flexible IC Pilots and Case Studies for Circular Economy
3.89.NFC for product registration and authentication
3.90.'Sensor-less' sensing of temperature and movement
3.91.NFC Smart Packaging & Apparel within the FMCG Sector
3.92.SharpEnd using NFC for connected experiences
3.93.RFID and Smart Packaging: SWOT analysis
3.94.RFID and smart packaging: Conclusions
4.PASSIVE RFID: TAG COST TEARDOWN, MARKET VALUE AND EMERGING TECHNOLOGY OPTIONS
4.1.Passive RFID tags, total number 2024-2036, billions
4.2.Passive RFID tags, market value, 2024-2036, $ millions
4.3.RFID Range versus cost
4.4.Passive RFID: Technologies by operating frequency
4.5.Anatomy of passive HF and UHF tags
4.6.Challenges in contacting HF/NFC coils
4.7.Antenna Technology Choices
4.8.Antenna Manufacturing Technologies: Comparison Table
4.9.RFID Antennas: New Technologies
4.10.Printed RFID antennas struggle for traction: Is copper ink a solution?
4.11.Conductive ink requirements for RFID and smart packaging
4.12.IC Attachment
4.13.IC attachment processes
4.14.Inlay assembly today
4.15.Label Conversion
4.16.RFID Manufacturing trends
4.17.Passive RFID price teardown, HF and UHF
4.18.Surviving in a commodity inlay market
4.19.Fully printed ICs have struggled to compete with silicon
4.20.Current approaches to printed logic
4.21.Flexible metal oxide ICs
4.22.Benefits of flexible/printed logic
4.23.Save on IC attach cost?
4.24.Investment into metal oxide ICs continues
4.25.Pragmatic FlexIC further plan to revolutionises UHF and NFC Applications
4.26.SWOT analysis: Evaporated metal oxide ICs on flexible substrates
5.THREATS TO PASSIVE RFID
5.1.Passive RFID - SWOT Analysis
5.2.QR codes/Barcodea - SWOT Analysis
5.3.Machine vision - SWOT Analysis
5.4.Threats to passive RFID: Machine vision?
5.5.Amazon Fresh Replaces RFID technology within Amazon Fresh Stores
5.6.Facial recognition system
5.7.Combine RFID and computer vision?
5.8.Passive Bluetooth
6.MARKET DATA FOR PASSIVE UHF (RAIN) RFID
6.1.Passive UHF (RAIN) RFID tag numbers 2024-2036, millions
6.2.Passive UHF (RAIN) RFID tag numbers 2024-2036, millions
6.3.Average sales price of passive UHF (RAIN) RFID by application 2024-2036, US cents
6.4.Total Value of UHF (RAIN) RFID inlays by application 2024-2036, $ millions
6.5.Total Value of UHF (RAIN) RFID inlays by application, 2024-2036, $ millions
6.6.UHF (RAIN) RFID: The Highlights
6.7.UHF (RAIN) RFID: Forthcoming Developments
6.8.RAIN RFID ICs versus tag numbers sold
6.9.Comment on methodology
7.MARKET DATA FOR PASSIVE HF (AND NFC) RFID
7.1.Passive HF (13.56MHz, NFC) RFID tag numbers 2024-2036, millions
7.2.Passive HF (13.56MHz, NFC) RFID tag numbers 2024-2036, millions
7.3.Average sales price of passive HF (13.56MHz) RFID by application 2024-2036, US cents
7.4.Total value of HF (13.56MHz) RFID inlays and cards by application 2024-2036, $ millions
7.5.Total value of HF (13.56MHz) RFID inlays and cards by application 2024-2036, $ millions
7.6.HF/NFC RFID Market Trends
8.MARKET DATA FOR PASSIVE LF (125KHZ, 134KHZ) RFID TAG
8.1.Passive LF (125KHz, 134KHz) RFID tag numbers 2024-2036, millions
8.2.Passive LF (125KHz, 134KHz) RFID tag numbers 2024-2036, millions
8.3.Average sales price of passive LF (13.56MHz) RFID by application 2024-2036, US cents
8.4.Total value of LF RFID inlays and cards by application 2024-2036, $ millions
8.5.Total value of LF RFID inlays and cards, by application 2024-2036, $ millions
9.MARKETS AND PROFITABILITY OF ACTIVE RFID
9.1.Active RFID Market
9.2.Change in active RFID systems due to BLE and LPWAN
9.3.How many competing LPWAN technologies?
9.4.Overview of wireless technologies
9.5.Comparison of WLAN networking protocols
9.6.Comparison of LPWAN capabilities
9.7.RFID market forecasts for battery assisted passive RFID, active RFID tag numbers 2024-2036, millions
9.8.RFID market forecasts for battery assisted passive RFID, active RFID tag numbers 2024-2036, millions
9.9.Total value of battery assisted and active RFID by application 2024-2036, $ millions
10.MARKET FOR RFID INTERROGATORS
10.1.(RFID readers)
10.2.Overview
10.3.Qualcomm Announces UHF Integration into Snapdragon Platform
10.4.RFID Interrogator (reader) numbers 2024-2036, millions
10.5.RFID Interrogator (reader) price 2024-2036, US cents
10.6.RFID Interrogator (reader) market value 2024-2036, $ millions
10.7.RFID Interrogator (reader) market value 2024-2036, $ millions
11.MARKETS BY GEOGRAPHY
11.1.Total Value of Passive LF (125KHz, 134KHz) RFID inlays by Geography, 2024-2036, $ millions
11.2.Total Value of Passive LF (125KHz, 134KHz) RFID inlays by Geography, 2024-2036, $ millions
11.3.Total Value of Passive HF (13.56MHz, NFC) RFID inlays by Geography, 2024-2036, $ millions
11.4.Total Value of Passive HF (13.56MHz, NFC) RFID inlays by Geography, 2024-2036, $ millions
11.5.Total Market Value of UHF (RAIN) RFID inlays by Geography, 2024-2036, $ millions
11.6.Total Value of UHF (RAIN) RFID inlays by Geography, 2024-2036, $ millions
11.7.Total Value of Passive RFID inlays by Geography, 2024-2036, $ millions
11.8.Total Value of Passive RFID inlays by Geography, 2024-2036, $ millions
11.9.Top Level Market Value of Passive RFID inlays and end use Geography, 2024-2036, $ millions
11.10.Top Level Market Value of Passive RFID inlays and end use Geography, 2024-2036, $ millions
11.11.Americas RFID Use: Key Conclusions
11.12.Asia-Pacific RFID Use: Key Conclusions
11.13.Europe RFID Use: Key Conclusions
11.14.Middle East & Africa RFID Use: Key Conclusions
11.15.RFID Companies Headquarter Geography
11.16.Comment on methodology
12.SUCCESSES, FAILURES, TRENDS, OPPORTUNITIES
12.1.Dynamics of the RFID value chain
12.2.Tag manufacturing value chain
12.3.Key company acquisition (1)
12.4.Key company acquisition (2)
12.5.RFID profitability (1)
12.6.RFID profitability (2)
12.7.Largest orders, best selling products, dominant suppliers in future
12.8.Largest suppliers of chips
12.9.Largest suppliers of tags, inlets, straps and detailed value chain for high volume
12.10.Examples of companies in the chip to label value chain
12.11.UHF RFID readers
12.12.Equipment supply
12.13.Outlook for RFID
13.RFID SOLUTION PROVIDERS
13.1.The RFID value chain (1)
13.2.The RFID value chain (2)
14.COMPANY PROFILES
14.1.Access to company profiles on the IDTechEx portal
 

About RFID 2026-2036: Forecasts, Players and Opportunities

What is the RFID market size?

The RFID market is worth $15.6 billion in 2025 (USD) and IDTechEx forecast the RFID market to grow to $23 billion in 2036 (USD).

How many UHF / RAIN RFID tags are sold?

In 2025, 48.3 billion UHF / RAIN RFID tags will be sold, according to IDTechEx. IDTechEx forecast this to rise to 89.0 billion UHF / RAIN RFID tags sold in 2030.

How many HF RFID tags are sold?

In 2025, 5.28 billion HF RFID tags will be sold, according to IDTechEx.

What are the main differences between UHF, HF, and LF RFID technologies?

UHF (Ultra High Frequency) RFID, often called RAIN RFID, is widely used in retail for inventory management (such as apparel), and logistics due to its long read range (usually a few meters) and low tag costs.
 
HF RFID (High Frequency), including NFC, dominates in contactless payments, transit cards, and secure access systems. It typically has shorter read range (a few cms) and has widespread reader infrastructure.
 
LF RFID (Low Frequency) is primarily used for livestock and pet tagging.

About IDTechEx reports

What are the qualifications of the people conducting IDTechEx research?

Content produced by IDTechEx is researched and written by our technical analysts, each with a PhD or master's degree in their specialist field, and all of whom are employees. All our analysts are well-connected in their fields, intensively covering their sectors, revealing hard-to-find information you can trust.

How does IDTechEx gather data for its reports?

By directly interviewing and profiling companies across the supply chain. IDTechEx analysts interview companies by engaging directly with senior management and technology development executives across the supply chain, leading to revealing insights that may otherwise be inaccessible.
 
Further, as a global team, we travel extensively to industry events and companies to conduct in-depth, face-to-face interviews. We also engage with industry associations and follow public company filings as secondary sources. We conduct patent analysis and track regulatory changes and incentives. We consistently build on our decades-long research of emerging technologies.
 
We assess emerging technologies against existing solutions, evaluate market demand and provide data-driven forecasts based on our models. This provides a clear, unbiased outlook on the future of each technology or industry that we cover.

What is your forecast methodology?

We take into account the following information and data points where relevant to create our forecasts:
  • Historic data, based on our own databases of products, companies' sales data, information from associations, company reports and validation of our prior market figures with companies in the industry.
  • Current and announced manufacturing capacities
  • Company production targets
  • Direct input from companies as we interview them as to their growth expectations, moderated by our analysts
  • Planned or active government incentives and regulations
  • Assessment of the capabilities and price of the technology based on our benchmarking over the forecast period, versus that of competitive solutions
  • Teardown data (e.g. to assess volume of materials used)
  • From a top-down view: the total addressable market
  • Forecasts can be based on an s-curve methodology where appropriate, taking into account the above factors
  • Key assumptions and discussion of what can impact the forecast are covered in the report.

How can I be confident about the quality of work in IDTechEx reports?

Based on our technical analysts and their research methodology, for over 25 years our work has regularly received superb feedback from our global clients. Our research business has grown year-on-year.
 
Recent customer feedback includes:
"It's my first go-to platform"
- Dr. Didi Xu, Head of Foresight - Future Technologies, Freudenberg Technology Innovation
 
"Their expertise allows us to make data-driven, strategic decisions and ensures we remain aligned with the latest trends and opportunities in the market."
- Ralf Hug, Global Head of Product Management & Marketing, Marquardt

What differentiates IDTechEx reports?

Our team of in-house technical analysts immerse themselves in industries over many years, building deep expertise and engaging directly with key industry players to uncover hard-to-find insights. We appraise technologies in the landscape of competitive solutions and then assess their market demand based on voice-of-the-customer feedback, all from an impartial point of view. This approach delivers exceptional value to our customers—providing high-quality independent content while saving customers time, resources, and money.

Why should we pick IDTechEx research over AI research?

A crucial value of IDTechEx research is that it provides information, assessments and forecasts based on interviews with key people in the industry, assessed by technical experts. AI is trained only on content publicly available on the web, which may not be reliable, in depth, nor contain the latest insights based on the experience of those actively involved in a technology or industry, despite the confident prose.

How can I justify the ROI of this report?

Consider the cost of the IDTechEx report versus the time and resources required to gather the same quality of insights yourself. IDTechEx analysts have built up an extensive contact network over many years; we invest in attending key events and interviewing companies around the world; and our analysts are trained in appraising technologies and markets.
 
Each report provides an independent, expert-led technical and market appraisal, giving you access to actionable information immediately, rather than you having to spend months or years on your own market research.

Can I speak to analysts about the report content?

All report purchases include up to 30 minutes of telephone time with an expert analyst who will help you link key findings in the report to the business issues you're addressing. This needs to be used within three months of purchasing the report.

What is the difference between a report and subscription?

A subscription from IDTechEx can include more reports, access to an online information platform with continuously updated information from our analysts, and access to analysts directly.

Before purchasing, I have some questions about the report, can I speak to someone?

Please email research@idtechex.com stating your location and we will quickly respond.

About IDTechEx

Who are IDTechEx's customers?

IDTechEx has served over 35,000 customers globally. These range from large corporations to ambitious start-ups, and from Governments to research centers. Our customers use our work to make informed decisions and save time and resources.

Where is IDTechEx established?

IDTechEx was established in 1999, and is headquartered in Cambridge, UK. Since then, the company has significantly expanded and operates globally, having served customers in over 80 countries. Subsidiary companies are based in the USA, Germany and Japan.

Questions about purchasing a report

How do I pay?

In most locations reports can be purchased by credit card, or else by direct bank payment.

How and when do I receive access to IDTechEx reports?

When paying successfully by credit card, reports can be accessed immediately. For new customers, when paying by bank transfer, reports will usually be released when the payment is received. Report access will be notified by email.

How do I assign additional users to the report?

Users can be assigned in the report ordering process, or at a later time by email.

Can I speak to someone about purchasing a report?

Please email research@idtechex.com stating your location and we will quickly respond.
 

Ordering Information

RFID 2026-2036: Forecasts, Players and Opportunities

£$¥
Electronic (1-5 users)
£5,650.00
Electronic (6-10 users)
£8,050.00
Electronic and 1 Hardcopy (1-5 users)
£6,450.00
Electronic and 1 Hardcopy (6-10 users)
£8,850.00
Electronic (1-5 users)
€6,400.00
Electronic (6-10 users)
€9,200.00
Electronic and 1 Hardcopy (1-5 users)
€7,400.00
Electronic and 1 Hardcopy (6-10 users)
€10,200.00
Electronic (1-5 users)
$7,500.00
Electronic (6-10 users)
$10,750.00
Electronic and 1 Hardcopy (1-5 users)
$8,600.00
Electronic and 1 Hardcopy (6-10 users)
$11,850.00
Electronic (1-5 users)
元54,000.00
Electronic (6-10 users)
元76,000.00
Electronic and 1 Hardcopy (1-5 users)
元61,000.00
Electronic and 1 Hardcopy (6-10 users)
元84,000.00
Electronic (1-5 users)
¥990,000
Electronic (6-10 users)
¥1,406,000
Electronic and 1 Hardcopy (1-5 users)
¥1,140,000
Electronic and 1 Hardcopy (6-10 users)
¥1,556,000
Electronic (1-5 users)
₩10,500,000
Electronic (6-10 users)
₩15,000,000
Electronic and 1 Hardcopy (1-5 users)
₩12,100,000
Electronic and 1 Hardcopy (6-10 users)
₩16,600,000
Click here to enquire about additional licenses.
If you are a reseller/distributor please contact us before ordering.
お問合せ、見積および請求書が必要な方はm.murakoshi@idtechex.com までご連絡ください。
RFID market to reach US$23 billion by 2036

Report Statistics

Slides 328
Forecasts to 2036
Published Jul 2025
 

Preview Content

pdf Document Sample pages
pdf Document Webinar slides
 

Customer Testimonial

quote graphic
"The resources produced by IDTechEx are a valuable tool... Their insights and analyses provide a strong foundation for making informed, evidence-based decisions. By using their expertise, we are better positioned to align our strategies with emerging opportunities."
Director of Market Strategy
Centre for Process Innovation (CPI)
 
 
 
ISBN: 9781835701379

Subscription Enquiry