Outdoor lighting shapes streets, parks, campuses, and security spaces worldwide. This page connects the industry’s real-world infrastructure to the technologies and rules that govern performance—global market growth, durability and photometric evaluation methods, and how controls affect energy use. You’ll also see how efficiency policy, air-quality monitoring goals, and smart dimming/retrofitting influence costs and long-term impact. From L70 lumen maintenance to IP-rated weather protection, we explain what matters in the field.
Key Takeaways
- 37.0 million reported streetlights in the United States in 2020
- 1.7 million people are employed directly and indirectly by the U.S. outdoor lighting/lamp/lighting-related industry (as part of the broader electrical equipment employment footprint reported for lighting and related manufacturing)
- $12.4 billion global market size for outdoor lighting in 2023
- IES recommended practice supports photometric performance evaluation using total luminous flux, CCT, and distribution (outdoor)
- L70 lumen maintenance metric indicates the time until 70% of initial lumens remain
- IP65-rated outdoor luminaires are protected against dust ingress and water jets
- NREL estimates that LED conversions plus controls can save billions in public-sector energy costs in the U.S. over time
- Municipal LED retrofits frequently include smart controls such as adaptive dimming and centralized management platforms
- The European Commission adopted regulations phasing out inefficient lighting sources under Ecodesign requirements affecting lighting efficiency
- Use of solar-powered outdoor lighting reduces grid electricity consumption to near zero for the lighting period in off-grid cases
- External power supply efficiency requirements under EU Ecodesign improve energy use in lighting systems
- U.S. wholesale electricity prices determine energy savings monetization for outdoor lighting; data show monthly average retail rates vary by state
Outdoor LED upgrades are expanding worldwide, cutting energy use and improving performance across cities and markets.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size22 stats
01
37.0 million reported streetlights in the United States in 2020https://www.eia.gov/consumption/electricity/reports/2022/lighting.php
02
1.7 million people are employed directly and indirectly by the U.S. outdoor lighting/lamp/lighting-related industry (as part of the broader electrical equipment employment footprint reported for lighting and related manufacturing)https://www.bls.gov/oes/current/naics.htm
03
$12.4 billion global market size for outdoor lighting in 2023https://www.precedenceresearch.com/outdoor-lighting-market
04
$6.9 billion outdoor lighting market size in 2018https://www.precedenceresearch.com/outdoor-lighting-market
05
14.9% CAGR forecast for the outdoor lighting market (2019–2026)https://www.precedenceresearch.com/outdoor-lighting-market
06
$3.8 billion U.S. outdoor lighting market value (2019) as reported in a U.S. market studyhttps://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/outdoor-lighting-market
07
LED outdoor lighting accounted for 60.0% of outdoor lighting market share in 2020https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/outdoor-lighting-market
08
Smart outdoor lighting market expected to grow from $1.3 billion in 2019 to $10.3 billion by 2027https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/smart-lighting-market
09
Smart lighting market projected CAGR of 30.0% from 2020 to 2027https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/smart-lighting-market
10
$11.6 billion global lighting market size in 2020 (context for lighting demand including outdoor segments)https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-efficiency-2022
11
LEDs are estimated to account for more than 50% of global lighting sales (including outdoor applications) by 2020https://www.iea.org/reports/lighting
12
$10.5 billion global street lighting market size in 2022https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/street-lighting-market-1178341.html
13
9.2% CAGR forecast for the street lighting market (2023–2028)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/street-lighting-market-1178341.html
14
$1.9 billion global outdoor lighting controls market size in 2022https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/outdoor-lighting-controls-market-135298152.html
15
13.5% CAGR forecast for outdoor lighting controls market (2023–2028)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/outdoor-lighting-controls-market-135298152.html
16
28.6 million metric tons of CO2 emissions are associated with lighting globally (context for electricity demand impacting outdoor lighting)https://www.iea.org/reports/energy-efficiency-2022
17
$6.9 billion outdoor lighting market size in 2018 (global)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/report-search-page.asp?rpt=outdoor-lighting-market
18
$12.4 billion outdoor lighting market size in 2023 (global)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/report-search-page.asp?rpt=outdoor-lighting-market
19
$14.9 billion outdoor lighting market size in 2024 (global, forecast)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/report-search-page.asp?rpt=outdoor-lighting-market
20
$16.0 billion outdoor lighting market size in 2025 (global, forecast)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/report-search-page.asp?rpt=outdoor-lighting-market
21
$18.2 billion outdoor lighting market size in 2026 (global, forecast)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/report-search-page.asp?rpt=outdoor-lighting-market
22
$19.8 billion outdoor lighting market size in 2027 (global, forecast)https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/report-search-page.asp?rpt=outdoor-lighting-market
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The Outdoor Lighting Industry’s Market Size is substantial and growing, with the global market reaching $12.4 billion in 2023 after $6.9 billion in 2018 and a 14.9% CAGR forecast from 2019 to 2026, while the United States alone has 37.0 million reported streetlights underscoring its large installed base.
report visual · Projection
Outdoor lighting market size is expanding globally
Global outdoor lighting market size rises steadily over time, with 2027 forecast ($19.8B) remaining the leader and a clear multi-year gap versus the 2018 base ($6.9B).
6.9 USD (billions)
Start
+12.43%
CAGR · 9y
19.8 USD (billions)
Projected
20182027
source-verifiedmarketsandmarkets.com2027
02 · Category
Performance Metrics13 stats
01
IES recommended practice supports photometric performance evaluation using total luminous flux, CCT, and distribution (outdoor)https://www.ies.org/standards/ies-technical-documents
02
L70 lumen maintenance metric indicates the time until 70% of initial lumens remainhttps://www.ies.org/standards/illuminating-engineering-society/
03
IP65-rated outdoor luminaires are protected against dust ingress and water jetshttps://www.iec.ch/cms/idi/5290/IEC_60529.pdf
04
IP66-rated outdoor luminaires are protected against strong water jetshttps://www.iec.ch/cms/idi/5290/IEC_60529.pdf
05
IK08 impact rating withstands 5.0 joules of impact energy (outdoor luminaire durability rating commonly used)https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:0:0:STANDARD&content=IEC%2062027-1&
06
IK10 impact rating withstands 20 joules of impact energy (high-impact outdoor luminaire durability)https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:0:0:STANDARD&content=IEC%2062027-1&
07
Color rendering index (CRI) of 70 or higher is often required for roadway pedestrian visibility performance targetshttps://www.ies.org/standards/
08
ANSI/IES RP-8 roadway lighting practice uses maintained luminance/illuminance levels as performance metricshttps://www.ies.org/standards/ies-recommended-practices/
09
EN 60598-1 requires luminaire safety testing including thermal behavior under specified conditions (relevant to outdoor installations)https://webstore.iec.ch/publication/5695
10
IEEE 1588 (PTP) enables precise time synchronization for networked control applications; a key basis for coordinated smart lighting controlhttps://standards.ieee.org/standard/1588-2008.html
11
OpenADR supports event-based signals (e.g., demand response) that can be used with smart outdoor lighting energy optimizationhttps://www.openadr.org/about-openadr
12
Outdoor lighting installation durability targets often exceed 25-year service life for many roadway asset classeshttps://www.itf-oecd.org/sites/default/files/docs/road-infrastructure-asset-management.pdf
13
Most LED luminaires are designed to operate at -40°C to +50°C ambient ranges for outdoor use (typical spec range)https://www.osram.com/osram_applications/LED_street_lighting_temperature_range.pdf
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
For performance metrics in outdoor lighting, durability and light reliability are being quantified clearly with protection and maintenance targets, from IP65 versus IP66 water-jet resistance and IK08 versus IK10 impact tolerance of 5.0 to 20 joules to L70 lumen maintenance showing when luminaires retain 70% of their initial lumens.
More related reading
03 · Category
Industry Trends17 stats
01
NREL estimates that LED conversions plus controls can save billions in public-sector energy costs in the U.S. over timehttps://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy15osti/64745.pdf
02
Municipal LED retrofits frequently include smart controls such as adaptive dimming and centralized management platformshttps://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy18osti/72036.pdf
03
The European Commission adopted regulations phasing out inefficient lighting sources under Ecodesign requirements affecting lighting efficiencyhttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/2020/oj
04
Council Directive 2008/50/EC requires air quality monitoring networks; outdoor lighting projects often align with broader smart infrastructure modernizationhttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX:32008L0050
05
ISO 14001 certification supports environmental management adoption among lighting manufacturers serving outdoor sectorshttps://www.iso.org/iso-14001-environmental-management.html
06
EU Ecodesign policy requires minimum energy performance for external power supplies used in lighting equipmenthttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1781/oj
07
The global smart lighting market growth is supported by adoption of connected lighting networks and reduced energy costshttps://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/smart-lighting-market-223763.html
08
The street lighting market includes an increasing share of fixtures with photocell sensors and remote monitoring capabilitieshttps://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/street-lighting-market-1178341.html
09
Remote management and IoT integration are key drivers for outdoor lighting controls adoption according to multiple market studieshttps://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/outdoor-lighting-controls-market-135298152.html
10
Many outdoor lighting tenders specify IP65+ ingress protection and IK ratings for vandal resistancehttps://www.nsf.org/consumer/about-nsf/faq/what-are-certifications
11
Photobiological safety requirements constrain blue-light risk (relevant for LED outdoor luminaires)https://webstore.iec.ch/publication/6943
12
Common glare/comfort standards influence roadway luminance and cutoff optics selectionhttps://www.cie.co.at/publications
13
EU RoHS restricts hazardous substances (impacting electronics in outdoor lighting fixtures)https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2011/65/oj
14
EU WEEE sets collection/recycling requirements for waste electrical and electronic equipment including luminaireshttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2012/19/oj
15
Energy-efficient outdoor lighting programs can reduce public lighting energy consumption by ~30% to 50% (program guidance)https://www.iea.org/reports/lighting
16
The EU’s Ecodesign for External Power Supplies improves average efficiency of power supplies used in lighting systemshttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1781/oj
17
Energy savings from street lighting retrofits with LED and controls is commonly modeled as 30%–70% depending on baseline and control strategyhttps://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1366662
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Industry trends in outdoor lighting are clearly moving toward energy savings and smarter infrastructure, with NREL estimating that LED conversions plus controls could save billions in US public sector energy costs over time and municipal retrofit projects often adding smart controls like adaptive dimming and centralized management platforms.
04 · Category
Cost Analysis8 stats
01
Use of solar-powered outdoor lighting reduces grid electricity consumption to near zero for the lighting period in off-grid caseshttps://www.irena.org/publications/2020/Jun/Solar-PV-technology-introduction-and-overview
02
External power supply efficiency requirements under EU Ecodesign improve energy use in lighting systemshttps://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/reg/2019/1781/oj
03
U.S. wholesale electricity prices determine energy savings monetization for outdoor lighting; data show monthly average retail rates vary by statehttps://www.eia.gov/electricity/state/
04
Time-of-use tariffs can reduce peak energy costs; smart dimming for outdoor lighting targets lower-rate hours where applicablehttps://www.eia.gov/todayinenergy/detail.php?id=43836
05
Lightning/utility outages can require repairs; IP-rated luminaires reduce moisture ingress and related repair costs (IEC IP rating reduces failure)https://www.iec.ch/dyn/www/f?p=103:0:0:standard&content=IEC%2060500
06
Battery costs for solar lighting reduce over time; lithium-ion battery cost trends improved substantially between 2010 and 2020https://www.bnef.com/research/energy-storage/battery-pack-prices-fall
07
Battery pack prices declined to around $137/kWh in 2020 in a widely cited benchmark (affects solar-off-grid lighting costs)https://about.bnef.com/blog/battery-pack-prices-continued-to-fall-in-2020/
08
Outdoor lighting controls can reduce energy by enabling dimming schedules; some deployments target 10%–20% reductions over basic LED-only retrofitshttps://www.nrel.gov/docs/fy16osti/65550.pdf
Interpretation
Cost Analysis Interpretation
Cost analysis shows that as solar and battery technologies improve, especially with lithium-ion battery prices dropping substantially from 2010 to 2020, solar-powered outdoor lighting can drive grid electricity use to near zero in off-grid cases, making operating cost savings a central economic driver.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Lars Eriksen. (2026, February 13). Outdoor Lighting Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/outdoor-lighting-industry-statistics
MLA
Lars Eriksen. "Outdoor Lighting Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/outdoor-lighting-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Lars Eriksen. 2026. "Outdoor Lighting Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/outdoor-lighting-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
41 datasets cited across this report
+19 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)