| Study Period | 2019 - 2030 |
| Market Size (2025) | USD 4.98 Billion |
| Market Size (2030) | USD 6.97 Billion |
| CAGR (2025 - 2030) | 6.99 % |
| Fastest Growing Market | Asia Pacific |
| Largest Market | North America |
| Market Concentration | Medium |
Major Players
*Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order |
Stock Photography Market Analysis
The Stock Photography Market size is estimated at USD 4.98 billion in 2025, and is expected to reach USD 6.97 billion by 2030, at a CAGR of 6.99% during the forecast period (2025-2030).
- Several key factors, including technology, business needs, and creative demands, are driving the rapid growth of the stock photography market. As digital platforms such as websites, blogs, and social media gain prominence, the demand for high-quality visuals has surged. Businesses, marketers, and content creators now seek compelling images to engage audiences, enhance storytelling, and uphold brand aesthetics, further propelling the demand for stock photography.
- Stock photography serves as a budget-friendly substitute for custom photo shoots, which often come with hefty price tags and significant time commitments. Businesses can swiftly tap into an extensive image library curated for diverse themes and industries, enabling them to conserve resources without compromising on visual quality.
- As ecommerce platforms and digital advertising gain prominence, the demand for product images, banners, and lifestyle visuals has surged. Stock photos offer businesses a variety of ready-made options, bolstering their marketing campaigns and boosting customer engagement. With the rise of remote work, companies are increasingly investing in digital marketing, especially in virtual campaigns. Stock photography plays a crucial role in creating visually engaging content for events, presentations, and advertisements.
- AI-powered search and personalization advancements in stock photography platforms have simplified the process for users to locate relevant images. Furthermore, the availability of high-resolution and 4K images has heightened the allure of stock photography among professional users. Stock photo agencies are broadening their libraries to feature diverse and inclusive images, appealing to global audiences and further propelling market growth. As a result of this trend, the stock photography market is on the rise, allowing businesses and creators to address their visual content needs both efficiently and effectively.
- In January 2024, Getty Images unveiled a groundbreaking service that harnesses AI models trained on Getty's iStock photography and video libraries to produce new licensable images and artwork. Dubbed "Generative AI by iStock," this service, partially fuelled by Nvidia technology, is engineered to prevent the generation of any copyrighted elements, including known products, individuals, or locations, as asserted by Getty. The service, accessible in 75 languages, not only creates new images but also modifies existing ones and offers optional integration with current applications and plugins through an API.
- However, increased competition from free stock image platforms constrains revenue growth for premium providers. Users are also deterred by concerns over copyright misuse and the authenticity of stock images. Moreover, businesses are shifting their focus, increasingly seeking unique, brand-specific visuals. This trend leads them to favour custom photo sources or user-generated content, thereby diminishing their reliance on traditional stock photography.
Stock Photography Market Trends
Growing Demand for Digital Content is Expected to Fuel the Market Growth Opportunities
- The stock photography market is expanding, driven by the rising adoption of digital content. As businesses and individuals increasingly turn to digital platforms for communication, marketing, and entertainment, the demand for high-quality visuals to elevate their content has surged. Stock photography emerges as a cost-effective and convenient solution to fulfil this demand.
- Social media, especially platforms like Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, play a pivotal role in this trend. The emphasis is on visually engaging posts to capture the audience's attention. Content creators, influencers, and brands utilize stock images to build compelling visuals that resonate with their messaging, enhancing both engagement and visibility.
- The rise in e-commerce and digital marketing has intensified this demand. Online retailers and advertisers leverage stock images for product listings, promotional campaigns, and branding materials. With a rising dependence on digital advertisements and search engine optimization, visually captivating stock photography has emerged as a crucial tool for attracting traffic and converting leads.
- Moreover, sectors like education, healthcare, and real estate are increasingly embracing digital content strategies. They're utilizing stock photography for virtual learning materials, telemedicine platforms, and property showcases. The growth of the market is also attributed to the availability of diverse and inclusive stock images, enabling businesses to resonate with a broader audience and stay attuned to cultural trends. Technological advancements, such as AI-driven search tools and subscription-based licensing models, have enhanced the accessibility of stock photography, propelled its adoption and driven market expansion in the digital era.
- In May 2024, ServiceStock unveiled its Kickstarter campaign, set to transform how individuals discover and engage with premium stock images and creative service providers. As a holistic online digital marketplace, ServiceStock serves a diverse clientele, from IT and tech firms to creative agencies, e-commerce platforms, film industry players, news media, bloggers, writers, and businesses seeking essential website content. The platform boasts a vast array of creative offerings, enabling users to seamlessly access and purchase services ranging from stock photography and graphic design to videography, cinematography, and filmmaking.
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North America is Expected to Hold Significant Market Share
- The North American stock photography market is witnessing robust growth, driven by multiple factors. Foremost among them is the surge in digital content creation. Businesses, marketing agencies, as well as individual creators are turning to stock images more than ever, using them to bolster their online presence, advertisements, and social media strategies. Additionally, the rising demand for high-quality visuals across websites, blogs, e-commerce platforms, and videos has further propelled this trend in the region.
- As Internet penetration and social media platforms continue to expand, the demand for diverse and engaging imagery has surged. Companies in North America are increasingly pursuing authentic and inclusive visuals that mirror cultural diversity, leading to an increased demand for region-specific stock photos. Furthermore, technological advancements, particularly AI-powered search and listening platforms, have streamlined and made the process of accessing and purchasing stock photography more affordable.
- Furthermore, the cost-effectiveness of stock photography, when contrasted with commissioning custom photos, resonates strongly with businesses operating on tight budgets, such as startups and small enterprises. Additionally, the transition of major stock photo providers towards subscription-based models has further enhanced the accessibility of these services. Moreover, sectors such as education, healthcare, and real estate are progressively utilizing stock imagery in their digital and print marketing materials, driving market growth in the region.
- In December 2023, Getty Images, a global creator and marketplace of visual content, secured the title of Official Photo Distribution and Licensing Provider for the College Football Playoff (CFP). Under this multi-year agreement, Getty Images will manage the distribution and licensing of imagery owned by the CFP. The deal encompasses photo coverage from all forthcoming games and events, prominently featuring the CFP National Championship.
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Stock Photography Industry Overview
The Stock Photography Market is fragmented and has various global and regional players. Some of the major players in the market are Adobe Stock, Visual China Group, Getty Images, and Shutterstock, among others. These market players enhance their product portfolios and cement enduring competitive advantages through strategic partnerships and acquisitions.
Stock Photography Market Leaders
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Adobe Stock
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Visual China Group
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Getty Images
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Shutterstock
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Coinaphoto
- *Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order
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Stock Photography Market News
- July 2024: Shutterstock has introduced a commercial beta of its "Generative 3D" service. This innovative tool empowers designers to swiftly generate 3D assets and 360-degree HDR environments, all from simple text or image prompts. The primary goal of this service is to accelerate the creative workflow, allowing artists to concentrate on design rather than the laborious details of 3D modeling.
- April 2024: Apple has inked a pivotal deal with Shutterstock, a stock photography provider, to license millions of images for training its AI models. This move positions Apple alongside other tech giants in the competitive race to amass extensive data for their AI systems.
Stock Photography Industry Segmentation
Stock photography serves as a vital resource for designers and a lucrative avenue for photographers. Marketing agencies and graphic designers often rely on stock photos for their visual needs. These images inject personality and vibrancy into projects, all without the need for an in-house photoshoot. These images grace advertisements, brochures, websites, and countless other platforms.
The stock photography market is segmented by product type (stock images and stock videos), license (royalty free (RF) and royalty managed (RM)), source (macrostock and microstock), end user (marketers, films and tv producers, media and publishing companies, businesses and individual creators, and others) and geography (North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, New Zealand, and Rest of World). The market size and forecasts are provided in terms of value (USD) for all the above segments.
| By Product Type | Stock Images |
| Stock Videos | |
| By License | Royalty Free (RF) |
| Royalty Managed (RM) | |
| By Source | Macrostock |
| Microstock | |
| By End User | Marketers |
| Films and TV Producers | |
| Media and Publishing Companies | |
| Businesses and Individual Creators | |
| Others | |
| By Geography | North America |
| Europe | |
| Asia | |
| Australia | |
| New Zealand | |
| Rest of World |
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Stock Photography Market Research FAQs
How big is the Stock Photography Market?
The Stock Photography Market size is expected to reach USD 4.98 billion in 2025 and grow at a CAGR of 6.99% to reach USD 6.97 billion by 2030.
What is the current Stock Photography Market size?
In 2025, the Stock Photography Market size is expected to reach USD 4.98 billion.
Who are the key players in Stock Photography Market?
Adobe Stock, Visual China Group, Getty Images, Shutterstock and Coinaphoto are the major companies operating in the Stock Photography Market.
Which is the fastest growing region in Stock Photography Market?
Asia Pacific is estimated to grow at the highest CAGR over the forecast period (2025-2030).
Which region has the biggest share in Stock Photography Market?
In 2025, the North America accounts for the largest market share in Stock Photography Market.
What years does this Stock Photography Market cover, and what was the market size in 2024?
In 2024, the Stock Photography Market size was estimated at USD 4.63 billion. The report covers the Stock Photography Market historical market size for years: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The report also forecasts the Stock Photography Market size for years: 2025, 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029 and 2030.
Stock Photography Industry Report
Statistics for the 2025 Stock Photography market share, size and revenue growth rate, created by Mordor Intelligence™ Industry Reports. Stock Photography analysis includes a market forecast outlook for 2025 to 2030 and historical overview. Get a sample of this industry analysis as a free report PDF download.
