The Indian MRI market is heavily import-dependent, with top players Siemens Healthineers, GE HealthCare, Philips, Canon Medical Systems, and Hitachi holding over 91% revenue share.
These companies supply the majority of the ~5,000 installed MRI machines in India (density ~3.5 per million population). For comparison, developed nations often have 25–40 scanners per million. India's MRI installed base lags behind global standards due to high costs and helium dependency.
The private sector (diagnostic centers and private hospitals) accounts for roughly 70–75% of all installations.
Technology Mix:
- 1.5T (Tesla) Scanners: These remain the "workhorse" of the Indian market, making up over 80% of the total installed base.
- 3T Scanners: These high-end machines are concentrated in Tier-1 metro cities (Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore) and account for about 15–20% of the market.
Geographic Concentration: Approximately 60% of all MRI machines are located in the top 10–12 metropolitan areas. Due to the impact of Ayushman Bharat, Government initiatives have accelerated installations in public hospitals and medical colleges in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities to meet referral demands.
Indigenous manufacturing (such as projects by Voxelgrids and SAMEER) is beginning to introduce lower-cost 1.5T scanners, which may significantly boost numbers in the coming years.
Bengaluru-based startup Voxelgrids has developed and deployed India's first fully indigenous 1.5T MRI scanner in 2025 at Chandrapur Cancer Care Foundation. It features helium-free design, making it ~40% cheaper to build and more power-efficient than imported models, with plans for mobile versions and annual production capacity of 20-25 units. Its "journey was bolstered by an exceptional ecosystem: early backing and market access from Tata Trusts (who gave us grant for developing the first magnet); pivotal clinical validation from Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences, Whitefield; competitive grants from Indo U.S. Science and Technology Forum and the Government of India's National Biopharma Mission (which is implemented by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC); early equity from Zoho; and catalytic support from Gates Foundation."
A significant portion of the growth in smaller towns is driven by high-quality refurbished machines from global OEMs, making the technology more affordable for local clinics.