The less lethal ammunition market has seen considerable growth due to a variety of factors.
•The market for less lethal ammunition has seen consistent growth over the past few years. The market value is anticipated to increase from $1.06 billion in 2024 to $1.11 billion in 2025, registering a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.9%.
The expansion during the previous period can be credited to factors like civil rights activities and protests, law enforcement demands, tactical and military operations, public influence and advocacy, and growing consciousness about human rights.
The less lethal ammunition market is expected to maintain its strong growth trajectory in upcoming years.
• In the upcoming years, there is a projected robust rise in the market size of less lethal ammunition, with it expected to reach $1.37 billion in 2029, growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.3%.
The projected growth during this period can be associated with rising global security challenges, increasing urbanization and population, ethical and humanitarian factors, strategies for risk reduction, and efforts for resolving international conflicts. Key trends expected during the forecast period comprise the integration of training and simulation, applications in humanitarian efforts and peacekeeping, the introduction of innovative safety features, and improved effectiveness and precision.
The growth of the less lethal ammunition market is anticipated to be fueled by the escalating number of crime incidents. Crimes are defined as illicit actions or behaviors that are in violation of established laws, and thus, punishable by law. They essentially represent any breaches against a specific jurisdiction's established rules and regulations. The surge in crime rates underlines the essentiality for law enforcement's utilization of less lethal ammunition, providing them with a benign way to manage and pacify potential threats, while also mitigating the chances of severe injuries. For example, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, a law enforcement agency based in the US, provided in a report in October 2023 that in 2022, there was an estimated 1.3% increase in robbery across the U.S., when compared to the previous year. Therefore, the escalating incidences of crime play a substantial role in stimulating the expansion of the less lethal ammunition market going forward.
The less lethal ammunition market covered in this report is segmented –
1) By Type: Rubber Bullets, Bean Bag Rounds, Plastic Bullets, Paintballs
2) By Weapon Type: Shotguns, Launchers, Other Weapon Types
3) By Application: Military, Law Enforcement, Other Applications
Subsegments:
1) By Rubber Bullets: Solid Rubber Bullets, Rubber Coated Steel Bullets
2) By Bean Bag Rounds: Standard Bean Bag Rounds, Specialty Bean Bag Rounds
3) By Plastic Bullets: Solid Plastic Bullets, Hollow Plastic Bullets
4) By Paintballs: Standard Paintballs, Specialty Paintballs
The rising trend in the less-lethal ammunition market is the prominence of training and simulation solutions. Major competitors within this market are innovating with new products to solidify their market standing. For example, RUAG Ammotec's Defense and Law Enforcement division (DLE), a subsection of the RUAG Group, a Swiss tech organization, launched a lead-free 9X19 LF Training SX 6.1 g and 94 g ammunition in February 2022. This release was in response to an uptick in the requirement for low-pollutant, lead-free ammunition from police departments. With a strictly controlled charging process, the newly introduced cartridge mirrors the point of impact and recoil of its conventional counterpart, the ACTION 4 cartridge.
Major companies operating in the less lethal ammunition market include:
• Rheinmetall AG
• ALS Technologies
• Axon Enterprise Inc.
• Remington Arms
• Smith & Wesson
• SIG Sauer
• FN Herstal
• Heckler & Koch
• Companhia Brasileira De Cartuchos (CBC)
• Colt's Manufacturing Company LLC
• Safariland
• Glock Ges.m.b.H
• Beretta
• ISPRA Ltd.
• Combined Systems Inc.
• Savage Arms
• Byrna Technologies Inc.
• Security Equipment Corporation
• Federal Ammunition
• PepperBall Technologies Inc.
• Lrad Corporation
• Sage Control Ordnance Inc.
• Nonlethal Technologies Inc.
• Mace Security International Inc.
• Benelli
• Lightfield Ammunition Corporation
• Security Devices International Inc.
North America was the largest region in the less lethal ammunition market in 2024. The regions covered in the less lethal ammunition market report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa