The three largest laparoscopic device companies in 2026 are Medtronic, Ethicon and Karl Storz, based on global market share data from iData Research.
These three names sit at the top of a market built on keyhole surgery, the small-incision approach now used across general surgery, gynecology and urology.
Each of these laparoscopic device companies got there a different way.
Medtronic wins on breadth across the whole procedure.
Ethicon wins on energy devices and deep surgeon loyalty in Europe.
Karl Storz wins on the hand instruments and insufflation systems that almost every laparoscopic case depends on.
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Table of Contents
➤ Who are the top 3 laparoscopic device companies in 2026?
➤ Why Medtronic leads the laparoscopic device market
➤ What makes Ethicon a top laparoscopic device company
➤ Why Karl Storz ranks among the top laparoscopic device companies
➤ How big is the global laparoscopic device market?
➤ Frequently asked questions about laparoscopic device companies
Key Takeaways
- Medtronic, Ethicon and Karl Storz are the top three laparoscopic device companies worldwide, according to iData Research market share rankings for 2025.
- Medtronic held the largest overall share, anchored by leadership in closure devices and direct energy devices.
- Ethicon ranked a close second, holding the top spot in ultrasonic devices and second place in both access devices and closure devices.
- Karl Storz ranked third, leading the hand instrument and insufflation device segments.
- The global laparoscopic device and accessories market was valued at over $12.6 billion in 2025 and is forecast to reach nearly $15.8 billion by 2032.
Who are the top 3 laparoscopic device companies in 2026?
The top 3 laparoscopic device companies in 2026 are Medtronic, Ethicon and Karl Storz, ranked by their share of the global laparoscopic device market in 2025 according to iData Research.
Medtronic is first, Ethicon is a close second, and Karl Storz is third.
No single company owns every category, which is why the ranking is worth understanding segment by segment.
Applied Medical leads access devices and hand-assisted laparoscopic sleeves, Olympus leads laparoscopes, and Stryker leads suction-irrigation devices.
The top three earn their positions by winning the largest and most profitable segments rather than by winning all of them.
Why Medtronic leads the laparoscopic device market
Medtronic was the global market leader in laparoscopic devices in 2025, holding the largest overall share of the market.
Its strongest positions are in closure devices and direct energy devices, the two categories that handle sealing tissue and closing wounds during a procedure.
Medtronic also holds meaningful share in access devices, the trocars and ports that create the entry points for every laparoscopic case.
That combination gives the company a presence in almost every step of a standard procedure, and it is the main reason Medtronic dominates North America.
The company is also pushing hard into robotics.
In December 2025, Medtronic received FDA clearance for its Hugo robotic-assisted surgery system for urologic procedures, bringing a second major soft-tissue robotics platform to U.S. hospitals.
The first U.S. commercial Hugo cases followed at the start of 2026.
That matters for the core business too, because robotic cases still consume access devices, insufflation systems, energy platforms and closure tools.
What makes Ethicon a top laparoscopic device company
Ethicon, the surgical arm of Johnson & Johnson MedTech, ranked closely behind Medtronic in 2025.
It holds the leading global position in ultrasonic devices, the instruments that cut and seal tissue using high-frequency vibration.
Ethicon also holds the second-largest share in both access devices and closure devices, putting it directly alongside Medtronic in the two biggest fights in the market.
Its regional strength is Europe, where an established brand and long-standing surgeon loyalty keep performance steady.
Recent product moves show the strategy clearly.
Johnson & Johnson launched the ETHICON 4000 Stapler in the U.S. in June 2025 and received European CE Mark approval for it in April 2026, covering open and laparoscopic surgery across the EU.
In January 2026, the company filed an FDA de novo request for its OTTAVA robotic surgical system for general surgery.
The stapler was designed to work with OTTAVA, so Ethicon is building its robot around instruments surgeons already know.
Why Karl Storz ranks among the top laparoscopic device companies
Karl Storz remained the third-largest competitor in 2025, and its position rests on a different part of the operating room.
The company leads the hand instrument market, meaning the graspers, scissors and dissectors surgeons hold throughout a case.
It also leads the insufflation device market, which covers the systems that inflate the abdomen with carbon dioxide to create working space.
Karl Storz holds notable positions in powered morcellators and suction-irrigation devices as well.
Add its visualization portfolio and integrated operating room solutions, and you get a company embedded in how minimally invasive surgery is set up, not just how it is performed.
Its robotics path has been less smooth.
Karl Storz acquired Asensus Surgical in August 2024 to enter the surgical robotics market, then announced in June 2026 that it would fully integrate Asensus and discontinue the Senhance and Luna robot programs to refocus on operating room value.
How big is the global laparoscopic device market?
The global laparoscopic device and accessories market was valued at over $12.6 billion in 2025, according to iData Research.
It is forecast to grow at a compound annual rate of 3.2% to reach nearly $15.8 billion by 2032.
Steady rather than explosive growth is the story here, and three forces explain why the top laparoscopic device companies compete the way they do.
The first is the continued global shift from open surgery to minimally invasive approaches across general surgery, gynecology and urology.
The second is robotic-assisted laparoscopy, which reshapes demand instead of erasing it, because robotic cases still rely on core laparoscopic infrastructure.
A 2025 review in the National Library of Medicine found robotic surgery improved precision and reduced conversions to open surgery, while laparoscopy retained advantages in cost and operating time.
The third force pulls the other way.
Bariatric surgery volumes have slowed sharply as GLP-1 weight-loss drugs have taken hold, with gastric band procedures contracting the most.
A national analysis published in JAMA Network Open found GLP-1 prescribing for obesity more than doubled between 2022 and 2023 while metabolic bariatric surgery rates fell 8.7% over the same period.
Because stapling, access and energy products are heavily used in bariatric cases, that shift has moved several segments into a slower growth environment.
Full segment-level rankings and forecasts are available in the iData Research Global Laparoscopic Devices Market Report.
Frequently asked questions about laparoscopic device companies
Which company is the largest laparoscopic device manufacturer?
Medtronic is the largest laparoscopic device manufacturer, holding the biggest overall share of the global market in 2025 according to iData Research.
How many laparoscopic device companies lead the global market?
Three laparoscopic device companies lead the global market: Medtronic, Ethicon, and Karl Storz.
Applied Medical, Olympus and Stryker each lead individual segments without ranking in the overall top three.
Is Ethicon bigger than Medtronic in laparoscopic devices?
No, Ethicon ranked second behind Medtronic in the global laparoscopic device market in 2025, though the gap between them was narrow.
Will robotic surgery replace laparoscopic devices?
No, robotic-assisted procedures still depend on laparoscopic access devices, insufflation systems, energy platforms and closure tools, so robotics reshapes demand rather than removing it.
What is driving growth in the laparoscopic device market?
Growth is driven by rising minimally invasive procedure volumes, wider adoption of disposable devices for infection control, and technological advances in energy devices and visualization systems.
Where can I find laparoscopic device market share data by segment?
Segment-level market share rankings for all eleven laparoscopic categories are published in the iData Research global laparoscopic device market report, with a separate U.S. laparoscopic device market report for North American analysis.
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