PUBLISHER: The Business Research Company | PRODUCT CODE: 1888466
PUBLISHER: The Business Research Company | PRODUCT CODE: 1888466
Stock images are professionally created photographs, illustrations, or digital visuals that are licensed for specific purposes by individuals or organizations. They are produced in advance and made accessible through online libraries or platforms for marketing, design, and communication needs. These images save time and resources by providing ready-to-use visual content for a variety of creative projects.
The main types of stock images are photography, illustrations, vectors, and videos. Photography involves the art and practice of capturing still images with a camera to document real-life subjects such as people, nature, architecture, and events. The licensing models include royalty-free, rights-managed, and subscription or extended options, and they are distributed via online and offline platforms. Stock images are applied for commercial, editorial, personal, and other uses across multiple end-users, including media and entertainment, advertising, publishing, corporate, and others.
Note that the outlook for this market is being affected by rapid changes in trade relations and tariffs globally. The report will be updated prior to delivery to reflect the latest status, including revised forecasts and quantified impact analysis. The report's Recommendations and Conclusions sections will be updated to give strategies for entities dealing with the fast-moving international environment.
The rapid escalation of U.S. tariffs and the resulting trade tensions in spring 2025 are significantly impacting the media sector, particularly in content production, broadcasting, and digital distribution. Higher duties on imported audiovisual equipment, editing software, and broadcast technology have increased production and operational costs for media companies. Film and television studios face added expenses for sourcing foreign-made cameras, lighting systems, and post-production tools, while news and broadcasting agencies are contending with inflated costs for transmission equipment and satellite services. Moreover, retaliatory tariffs in international markets are restricting the export of U.S.-produced media content, limiting global revenue potential. In response, media organizations are turning to domestic suppliers, expanding digital platforms, and investing in AI-driven content creation to streamline operations and preserve competitiveness in a volatile global trade environment.
The stock images market research report is one of a series of new reports from The Business Research Company that provides stock images market statistics, including stock images industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a stock images market share, detailed stock images market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the stock images industry. This stock images market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.
The stock images market size has grown strongly in recent years. It will grow from $6.71 billion in 2024 to $7.38 billion in 2025 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.0%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to rising internet penetration, increasing social media usage, growing e commerce adoption, expanding smartphone camera usage, and rising demand for royalty free visuals.
The stock images market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $10.65 billion in 2029 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.6%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to increasing demand for visual content in digital marketing, growing need for product imagery in e commerce listings, expansion of internet access across geographies, rising adoption of subscription-based image services, and increasing demand for niche and culturally diverse visuals. Key trends in the forecast period include advancements in AI-based image generation, development of augmented reality and 3D visuals, innovation in user generated and micro-stock models, emergence of interactive and immersive imagery formats, and improvements in real-time image personalization.
The growing adoption of e-commerce platforms is expected to propel the growth of the stock images market going forward. E-commerce refers to the buying and selling of goods or services online, which requires visually appealing, high-quality content to attract and engage customers effectively. The rise in adoption of e-commerce platforms is driven by the expanding online retail sector, increasing smartphone penetration, and consumers' preference for digital shopping experiences, which fuels the need for compelling visual content. Stock images support e-commerce businesses by providing ready-to-use, diverse, and customizable visuals for product listings, advertisements, and promotional campaigns, ensuring higher engagement and conversion rates. For instance, in August 2025, according to the Census Bureau, a US-based government agency, total retail sales reached $1,865.4 billion, with e-commerce accounting for 16.3% of total retail sales, up from 15.5% in 2024. Therefore, the growing adoption of e-commerce platforms is driving the growth of the stock images market.
Major companies operating in the stock images market are focusing on developing advanced solutions, such as AI image generators, to allow users to create and customize unique visuals tailored to specific creative or branding needs. AI image generators are tools that use artificial intelligence to automatically produce realistic or artistic images based on text descriptions or input data. For instance, in January 2024, Getty Images, a US-based visual content creator and marketplace, launched Generative AI by iStock, an AI image generator. The platform enables users to produce customized AI-generated stock photos suited to their specific requirements. It is aimed at small and medium-sized businesses, offering a cost-efficient way to obtain high-quality visuals using Nvidia's text-to-image technology. Beyond creating new visuals, users can also edit existing images for enhanced personalization. The service supports API integration for smooth use within existing apps and plug-ins, with a rate of $15 for every 100 images created.
In October 2023, Freepik, a Spain-based provider of digital visual content, acquired EyeEm GmbH for an undisclosed amount. Through this acquisition, Freepik aims to strengthen its photography offerings and expand its library of authentic and diverse stock images while maintaining EyeEm as an independent business. EyeEm GmbH is a Germany-based stock photography company.
Major players in the stock images market are Adobe Inc., Canva, Getty Images nc., Shutterstock Inc., Stocksy, FreePik Co., Dissolve Inc., Dreamstime LLC, VectorStock Media Ltd., Picfair, Ivory Mix, Startup Stock Photos, Styled Stock Society LLC, Pikwizard, Nappy, Pixistock LLC, Haute Stock, Morguefile, She Bold Stock, Skitterphoto, New Old Stock, ShotStash, The Jopwell Collection, CreateHER Stock, LibreShot, Foca Stock, and ClipSafari.
North America was the largest region in the stock images market in 2024. Asia-Pacific is expected to be the fastest-growing region in the forecast period. The regions covered in stock images report are Asia-Pacific, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East and Africa.
The countries covered in the stock images market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain.
The stock images market includes revenues earned by providing services such as custom photography and shoot services, digital asset management services, image retouching and editing services, content curation, licensing consulting, and AI-based image generation services. The market value includes the value of related goods sold by the service provider or included within the service offering. Only goods and services traded between entities or sold to end consumers are included.
The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).
The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.
Stock Images Global Market Report 2025 from The Business Research Company provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the market.
This report focuses on stock images market which is experiencing strong growth. The report gives a guide to the trends which will be shaping the market over the next ten years and beyond.
Where is the largest and fastest growing market for stock images ? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward, including technological disruption, regulatory shifts, and changing consumer preferences? The stock images market global report from the Business Research Company answers all these questions and many more.
The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, competitive landscape, market shares, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's historic and forecast market growth by geography.
The forecasts are made after considering the major factors currently impacting the market. These include the technological advancements such as AI and automation, Russia-Ukraine war, trade tariffs (government-imposed import/export duties), elevated inflation and interest rates.