Dubai, UAE – January 15, 2026 - Kings Research today released its new report, “Global Antimicrobial Susceptibility Testing Market: Size, Share, Trends & Forecast 2025-2032,” providing quantitative market assessments, technology insights, and competitive dynamics across phenotypic, molecular, and automated AST platforms.
The study serves as a strategic resource for diagnostic laboratories, hospitals, pharmaceutical research facilities, and public health agencies assessing antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and stewardship-driven diagnostic adoption.
According to Kings Research, the global antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) market was valued at USD 5.67 billion in 2024 and is projected to increase to USD 5.95 billion in 2025, reaching USD 8.74 billion by 2032 at a CAGR of 5.65%. The growth is attributed to a rise in antimicrobial resistance, increased infection prevalence, and the development of antimicrobial stewardship programs (ASPs) in healthcare systems.
AST technologies ascertain whether organisms will be sensitive or resistant to antimicrobial agents using phenotypic and genotypic methods to produce susceptibility profiles and minimum inhibitory concentrations. The outcomes of these tests are used to help promote therapy selection, stewardship adherence, infection prevention, and resistance monitoring activities in hospitals, clinical laboratories, and public health networks.
Kings Research identifies the following trends driving the antimicrobial susceptibility testing market:
- Shift Toward Rapid & Automated AST Systems:
Laboratories are moving beyond manual techniques toward automated AST platforms integrated with informatics and supporting scalable microbiology operations. These automated systems significantly reduce turnaround times from days to hours by enabling high-throughput testing and simultaneous analysis of multiple samples
- Expansion of Near-Patient & Critical Care Testing:
Rapid AST systems for bloodstream infections accelerate targeted therapy decisions, particularly in sepsis management. Randomized controlled trials and observational studies consistently show that rapid AST significantly reduces time to results and improves antimicrobial therapy for patients with bloodstream infections (BSIs).
- Increasing AMR Burden Reinforcing Diagnostic Demand:
The rise in antimicrobial resistance demands accurate susceptibility profiling to reduce inappropriate antibiotic use and support stewardship objectives. The CDC estimates AMR contributes to at least 1.27 million deaths globally and more than 2.8 million infections annually in the United States.
- Integration with Stewardship & Surveillance Programs:
Hospitals and public health systems are leveraging AST data to monitor resistance trends, optimize prescribing behavior, and meet regulatory compliance requirements. Clinical laboratories are incorporating AST outputs into stewardship reporting frameworks to support infection control and population-level surveillance.
- Workflow Optimization & Laboratory Digitalization:
Automation, LIS connectivity, and informatics improve throughput and reduce labor intensity for high-volume diagnostic laboratories. Digitally enabled AST workflows are enhancing operational efficiency, replacing manual interpretation, and supporting scalable microbiology automation initiatives.
B2B Impact Across Clinical and Public Health Ecosystems
- Targeted Therapy Optimization: Qualify superior therapeutic results and reduce unnecessary prescriptions.
- Risk & Cost Control: Reduce the cost of complications, hospitalization, and treatment expenditure
- Operational Efficiency: Automation of interpretation eases the workload in the laboratory and reduces variability in turnaround times.
- Resistance Surveillance: Facilitates the implementation of the stewardship program as well as the reporting for public health and epidemiology.
Regional Outlook
The North American market dominated the global antimicrobial susceptibility testing with a share of 36.55% in 2024, at a value of USD 2.07 billion. This growth was led by the presence of sophisticated diagnostic infrastructure, high testing volumes, and the early uptake of automated AST platforms.
The Asia Pacific region is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 6.38% till 2032 because of a high rate of infectious diseases, a general misuse of antibiotics, the expansion of public hospital networks, and the increased adoption of standardized microbiology practices. The growth of diagnostics in emerging economies and urban hospital systems is the main driving force behind the structural demand for AST technologies.
Competitive Landscape
Companies in the market are competing through automation, speed, and clinical integration. They are launching rapid and fully automated AST platforms that deliver faster results directly from positive cultures, addressing critical care and sepsis management needs.
Key players operating in the antimicrobial susceptibility testing market include Accelerate Diagnostics, Inc., Alifax S.r.l., Beckman Coulter, Inc., BD, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., BIOMÉRIEUX, Bruker, Cepheid, Creative Diagnostics, F. Hoffmann-La Roche, Hain Lifescience GmbH, Hardy Diagnostics, HiMedia Laboratories, Liofilchem S.r.l., and Merck KGaA.
To request a sample or access the full report, visit: https://www.kingsresearch.com/report/antimicrobial-susceptibility-testing-market-3015
About Kings Research
Kings Research is a global research and consulting firm that helps organizations navigate emerging markets, evaluate opportunities, and make data-driven decisions through comprehensive market intelligence and analysis.
All market data are sourced from Kings Research proprietary analysis, validated against credible government publications and peer-reviewed research papers. Key references include CDC, BD, and NCBI.