Nanotechnology—the creation and use of materials, devices, and systems through the manipulation of matter at scales of less than 100 nm—is an enabling technology, which is important chiefly due to its impact on established industries and markets. Nanotechnology is not an “industry” or a “market” per se in the same sense that biotechnology is, for example.

The global market for nanotechnology products was valued at about $34.3 billion in 2015 and is estimated to reach $39.2 billion in 2016, growing to approximately $90.5 billion by 2021 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 18.2% during 2016–2021 (Table 1).