The Asia-Pacific smart metering market is entering a new phase of expansion, with China, Japan and South Korea maintaining their leadership while India emerges as the fastest-growing market through 2030, according to Smart Metering in Asia-Pacific, 7th Edition by Research and Markets.
Key takeaways
- India is set to become the fastest-growing smart metering market through 2030, driven by nationwide rollouts and government-backed programs.
- East Asia remains the most mature region, with China, Japan and South Korea leading large-scale deployments and entering major replacement cycles.
- Smart gas metering is accelerating rapidly, with China dominating today and India emerging as a major growth driver through its massive expansion of piped gas connections.
The report covers 15 countries including China, Japan, South Korea, India, Australia, and key Southeast Asian markets. It forecasts that the installed base of smart electricity meters in Asia-Pacific will rise from 857.6 million in 2024 to nearly 1.3 billion by 2030, representing a 6.8% CAGR.
Growth will be driven by India’s nationwide rollouts and replacement cycles of first-generation meters in China and Japan. Overall, nearly 925 million smart meters are expected to be shipped across the region between 2025 and 2030.
Smart gas metering is also expanding rapidly, led by China and emerging markets in South Asia. The number of connected gas meters is projected to grow from 237.1 million in 2024 to 442.2 million in 2030, at a 10.9% CAGR. India’s push to expand piped natural gas connections from 14 million to 125 million by 2034 will be a major driver of this trend.
East Asia remains the most mature region, accounting for over 90% of installed smart electricity meters. China and Japan have completed nationwide deployments and are now entering replacement phases, while South Korea’s KEPCO aims to finish its rollout by the end of 2025. Taiwan lags behind with about 3.4 million installed meters.
In contrast, South Asia, led by India, will record the fastest growth, with an expected 52% CAGR in installed smart electricity meters through 2030. Government-backed initiatives and smart prepayment programs are propelling adoption.
Southeast Asia is emerging, with Singapore nearing full rollout, Malaysia expanding deployments, and Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines launching large-scale projects. Australia and New Zealand continue to lead smart metering through retailer-driven programs, with over half of Australian meters now smart and New Zealand nearing full saturation.
Technologically,PLC remains dominant in China and South Korea, RF mesh in Japan and Malaysia, and cellular NB-IoT/LTE-M in India and Australasia. Low-power wide-area (LPWA) networks are increasingly used for gas metering.
While local manufacturers dominate, multinational players such as Landis+Gyr, Itron, EDMI and Trilliant have established strong regional presence. The report underscores Asia-Pacific’s role as the world’s largest and most dynamic smart metering market, combining rapid innovation with massive infrastructure growth.
