India’s elevator market is projected to reach about 4.2 billion dollars by 2030. The global escalator market is forecast to reach 26.4 billion dollars over the same period. Maintenance uptime targets, energy reduction figures, and safety incident patterns supply additional data for operators and owners.
Key Takeaways
- India’s elevator market is projected to grow rapidly; one industry forecast places it at about $1.7 billion in 2023 and forecast growth to about $4.2 billion by 2030
- The global escalator market is forecast to grow from about $13.3 billion in 2023 to about $26.4 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~10.2%)
- The EU Directive 2014/33/EU requires conformity assessment for lift components and lifts, with CE marking as the key measurable compliance outcome
- In the US, approximately 20% of elevator-related accidents involve entrapment, as summarized in NTSB/industry safety analyses referenced by trade publications
- In the EU, the market surveillance system includes specific risk classification and corrective measures; the legal framework includes quantified steps such as surveillance, corrective actions, and withdrawal/recall processes
- The UK’s lift regulation framework is updated via the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations and related elevator safety guidance; the legal regime defines duties for dutyholders and competent persons (quantified by defined duty roles)
- NFPA 70 (NEC) includes grounding and bonding requirements for electrical components supporting vertical transportation systems; the standard is updated on a 3-year revision cycle (2020, 2023, 2024 edition cycle references)
- Approximately 1,000 passenger lifts are installed annually in London, based on data reported by the London Assembly and referenced by the Lift Manufacturers Association (LMA).
- A typical uptime objective for elevator maintenance operators in large buildings is 98–99% availability, reflected in common building operations SLAs published by facility management providers
- Upgrading controllers can reduce leveling errors (landing inaccuracies) measured in millimeters; industry documentation commonly targets reduced leveling within about ±5 mm
- Condition-based maintenance typically measures vibration/temperature; deployments aim to reduce unplanned downtime, quantified in vendor case studies by reductions of around 25% or more
- Regenerative elevator drives can increase system efficiency; case study economics often report payback windows of 3–7 years depending on utilization
- Carbon/operational cost of electricity for elevator operation can be modeled as kWh; energy-efficiency interventions target measurable kWh reductions of 10–30% in typical commercial buildings
- Delays due to elevator downtime have economic costs; building cost models quantify downtime impact as lost tenant productivity/lease risk measurable in dollars per hour in large facilities
- International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61508 is a functional safety standard; the 2010 edition states a design requirement target of reducing risk to tolerable levels using safety integrity levels (SIL 1–4).
Elevator and escalator markets are rapidly growing, while modernization and energy saving improve safety, uptime, and efficiency.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size2 stats
01
India’s elevator market is projected to grow rapidly; one industry forecast places it at about $1.7 billion in 2023 and forecast growth to about $4.2 billion by 2030
02
The global escalator market is forecast to grow from about $13.3 billion in 2023 to about $26.4 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~10.2%)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
From a Market Size perspective, the lifting industry is set for strong expansion with India’s elevator market projected at about $1.7 billion in 2023 and the global escalator market nearly doubling from about $13.3 billion in 2023 to about $26.4 billion by 2030 at roughly a 10.2% CAGR.
02 · Category
Safety & Compliance5 stats
01
The EU Directive 2014/33/EU requires conformity assessment for lift components and lifts, with CE marking as the key measurable compliance outcome
02
In the US, approximately 20% of elevator-related accidents involve entrapment, as summarized in NTSB/industry safety analyses referenced by trade publications
03
In the EU, the market surveillance system includes specific risk classification and corrective measures; the legal framework includes quantified steps such as surveillance, corrective actions, and withdrawal/recall processes
04
The EU Machinery Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2023/1230) introduces updated conformity and market surveillance provisions; it defines compliance timelines and documentation duties
05
OSHA’s general industry electrical standards include measurable requirements for guarding, lockout/tagout, and electrical safety practices relevant to elevator machine rooms and service operations
Interpretation
Safety & Compliance Interpretation
Across Safety & Compliance, enforcement is tightening on both sides of the Atlantic, where the EU’s CE based conformity and updated 2023/1230 market surveillance requirements align with the US finding that about 20% of elevator related accidents involve entrapment, underscoring why rigorous standards like guarding and lockout tagout are increasingly critical.
03 · Category
Industry Trends8 stats
01
The UK’s lift regulation framework is updated via the Lifting Operations and Lifting Equipment Regulations and related elevator safety guidance; the legal regime defines duties for dutyholders and competent persons (quantified by defined duty roles)
02
NFPA 70 (NEC) includes grounding and bonding requirements for electrical components supporting vertical transportation systems; the standard is updated on a 3-year revision cycle (2020, 2023, 2024 edition cycle references)
03
Approximately 1,000 passenger lifts are installed annually in London, based on data reported by the London Assembly and referenced by the Lift Manufacturers Association (LMA).
04
In a large-sample hazard review, falls (from or against elevator/escalator equipment) accounted for 6% of recorded elevator/escalator-related injuries in the studied dataset, per a published safety analysis.
05
Between 2006 and 2015, 7% of elevator-related events studied in a peer-reviewed analysis were categorized as entrapment incidents.
06
A study published in the journal Energy reports that elevator energy-use can be reduced by up to 40% through energy-saving control strategies in certain duty cycles.
07
Regenerative drives can recover a portion of energy back to the supply; a peer-reviewed paper reports energy savings of 20–30% for typical traffic patterns under regenerative control.
08
In an industry survey, 73% of building owners/managers reported they consider elevator modernization a priority investment to improve safety and reliability, according to a report by Frost & Sullivan.
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
As an Industry Trends indicator, the evidence shows meaningful safety and efficiency momentum, with falls making up 6% of recorded elevator and escalator hazards, entrapment incidents rising to 7% in elevator related events studied from 2006 to 2015, and elevator energy use potentially cutting by up to 40% through energy saving control strategies.
More related reading
04 · Category
Performance Metrics5 stats
01
A typical uptime objective for elevator maintenance operators in large buildings is 98–99% availability, reflected in common building operations SLAs published by facility management providers
02
Upgrading controllers can reduce leveling errors (landing inaccuracies) measured in millimeters; industry documentation commonly targets reduced leveling within about ±5 mm
03
Condition-based maintenance typically measures vibration/temperature; deployments aim to reduce unplanned downtime, quantified in vendor case studies by reductions of around 25% or more
04
In a peer-reviewed paper on predictive maintenance for elevator systems, machine learning approaches improved prediction accuracy by 15–25% versus baseline threshold methods in tested datasets.
05
A paper in Automation in Construction reports that sensor-based predictive maintenance can reduce unplanned downtime by 30% in transport-conveyance assets under studied conditions.
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
For Performance Metrics, the lifting industry is clearly moving toward measurable reliability improvements, with goals like 98 to 99 percent availability and approaches that can cut unplanned downtime by 30 percent while predictive and machine learning methods boost prediction accuracy by 15 to 25 percent.
05 · Category
Cost Analysis5 stats
01
Regenerative elevator drives can increase system efficiency; case study economics often report payback windows of 3–7 years depending on utilization
02
Carbon/operational cost of electricity for elevator operation can be modeled as kWh; energy-efficiency interventions target measurable kWh reductions of 10–30% in typical commercial buildings
03
Delays due to elevator downtime have economic costs; building cost models quantify downtime impact as lost tenant productivity/lease risk measurable in dollars per hour in large facilities
04
Labor cost inflation affects maintenance; US BLS series shows construction and maintenance labor wage growth can exceed general CPI, with year-over-year wage increases often in the high-single digits during recent years
05
In the US, the National Safety Council’s accident cost estimates place the economic burden of serious injuries at well over $100,000per event for many categories; modernization reduces exposure risk for lift-related incidents.
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analysis in the lifting industry shows that energy upgrades like regenerative elevator drives can pay back in just 3 to 7 years, while electricity and downtime create measurable operating losses and are amplified by maintenance labor inflation and potentially very high accident costs exceeding $100,000 per serious injury.
06 · Category
Regulatory & Standards4 stats
01
International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61508 is a functional safety standard; the 2010 edition states a design requirement target of reducing risk to tolerable levels using safety integrity levels (SIL 1–4).
02
International Building Code (IBC) requires periodic inspection and maintenance provisions for elevators and related equipment; the 2021 IBC references ASME A17.1 for installation and safety rules used to assess compliance.
03
ISO 25745-1 establishes energy efficiency measurement and reporting for lifts; it defines specific test conditions and an energy performance parameter used to quantify improvements.
04
IEC 60204-1 provides safety requirements for electrical equipment of machines; it includes measurable requirements for protective measures and wiring practices relevant to lift control systems.
Interpretation
Regulatory & Standards Interpretation
Across Regulatory & Standards, the lifting industry is increasingly shaped by globally harmonized, measurable requirements such as IEC 61508’s functional safety design targets, the 2021 IBC’s periodic inspection and maintenance expectations for elevators, and ISO 25745-1’s defined energy performance test conditions, showing a clear trend toward quantified safety and efficiency compliance rather than vague guidance.
report visual · Comparison
Global Lift Markets and Accident Patterns
Market growth forecasts for elevators/escalators can be paired with incident-sharing metrics to highlight why safety and modernization are critical as lift usage expands.
India’s elevator market is projected to grow rapidly; one industry forecast places it at about $1.7 billion in 2023 and $1.7 billion
In the US, approximately 20% of elevator-related accidents involve entrapment, as summarized in NTSB/industry safety ana
20%
The global escalator market is forecast to grow from about $13.3 billion in 2023 to about $26.4 billion by 2030 (CAGR ~1
10.2%
In a large-sample hazard review, falls (from or against elevator/escalator equipment) accounted for 6% of recorded eleva
6%
source-verifiedprecedenceresearch.com · ntsb.gov · hindawi.com2023
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Nathan Caldwell. (2026, February 13). Lifting Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lifting-industry-statistics
MLA
Nathan Caldwell. "Lifting Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/lifting-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Nathan Caldwell. 2026. "Lifting Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/lifting-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
29 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+6 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)