The Global Disposable Gloves Market is expected to record a positive CAGR of nearly 6% during the forecast period (2022-2030). The market was estimated to be the size of US$7 billion in 2019 and US$10 billion in 2022. It is expected to reach a size of US$15 billion by 2030.
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Key Growth Drivers
- According to the World Health Organization’s 2021 report on Global Health Expenditure, global spending on health more than doubled in real terms from 2000 to 2019, reaching US$8.5 trillion in 2019, equivalent to 9.8% of global GDP.
According to the healthcare industry publication Pharmaceutical Technology, the spending was expected to go further up to US$8.8 trillion in 2021. Increased investment in improving the public healthcare system boosted the market for protective medical equipment, such as disposable gloves.
- The Asia Pacific region is expected to grow fastest in the forecasted period due to the large number of players operating in the region. As per the Malaysian Institute of Chemistry’s August 2022 report, 65% of the global output of rubber gloves will be produced in Malaysia in 2022, followed by 20% in China, 10% in Thailand, and 3% in Indonesia.
- Since the disposable gloves market was boosted by the COVID-19 outbreak, it started decelerating with the fading away of the intensity of the pandemic. For instance, Top Glove, one of the major leading manufacturers of gloves in Malaysia reported sales of US$0.32 billion during the third quarter of FY22, down 64% from US$0.91 billion reported last year. With the Covid19 pandemic slowing down, the market for gloves and protective equipment is consolidating and expected to harm the growth of the disposable gloves market.
- Covid19 pandemic had a positive impact on the disposable gloves market. Rubberex, one of the key manufacturers of disposable gloves, mentioned in its annual report for FY21 that sales volume growth for nitrile disposable gloves saw an increase of 23.6% from 2020 to 2021, with approximately 1.2 billion pieces sold versus 970.5 million pieces in 2020. Also, the average glove selling price increased from US$53/1000 pieces to US$73/1000 pieces from 2020 to 2021. Rubberex completed the acquisition of 2 parcels of leasehold land located in Perak, Malaysia, for the construction of a new nitrile disposable gloves production plant. This plant is capable of producing a combined capacity of up to approximately 7.5 billion pieces of nitrile disposable gloves per annum. Several other companies are expanding their manufacturing plants to cater to the demand of various end-user industries.
Key Trends by Market Segment
By Product: Nitrile holds the largest share of the Global Disposable Gloves market.
- Nitrile is a synthetic rubber material that is commonly used as the base material for disposable gloves.
- Nitrile gloves are in the market for a long time. Yet, declining prices and potential application in multiple new industries make it a potentially high-reward investment opportunity for the future.
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By Form: Powder-free gloves tend to be stronger than powdered gloves. Powdered gloves contain a corn-starch powder that may result in allergies or sensitivity.
- Powdered-free gloves are strongly suited for manufacturing industries, food industries, chemicals, and others.
- Studies show that powdered free gloves held approximately 75% of the market in 2021 and would continue to dominate the disposable gloves’ form segment.
By Application: The surgical segment holds the largest market share by application in the Global Disposable Gloves Market as the number of surgeries is increasing worldwide.
- Increasing Covid19 infections also led to a surge in surgeries. For instance, the total number of procedures done in 2020, in Germany alone, was 858,553, while in Korea 702621 surgeries were conducted.
- Examination disposable gloves are expected to grow in the forecasted period, because of their growing use in various industries, including food processing, chemical, automotive, etc.
- According to data provided by Lancet, nearly 313 million surgical procedures were conducted globally in 2012. The Global Surgery 2030 report, published by the Lancet Commission on Global Surgery, showed that there could be 5,000 procedures per 100,000 population in 2030, resulting in nearly 430 million surgeries worldwide.
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By End-User: Medical and Healthcare industries are the foremost end users of disposable gloves. Disposable gloves are used to prevent cross-contamination between patients and doctors. Since these disposable gloves are one-time usable, they should be dumped after surgical procedures and recycled again.
- Medicals remain the prominent end-user for disposable gloves and hold the major chunk of the market.
- However, as the gloves are getting upgraded as per evolving market demands, it is possible that non-medical end users also become important buyers for the gloves industry.
By Geography: North America accounts for the largest share of the Global Disposable Gloves market. The Asia Pacific region is expected to be the fastest-growing in the forecasted period.
- The Asia Pacific region is expected to be the fastest-growing region among others. The surge is expected to be driven by the presence of large glove manufacturing players in the region and developing economies. In the rubber gloves segment, Malaysia holds the major chunk of the market with 51% of the global share.
- Opportunities in the North American market are driven by the awareness among people regarding infectious viruses, and diverse precautionary measures adopted by national governments. In 2020, the United States ranked as the top net importer with US$455 million worth of rubber surgical gloves.
- As per the World Integrated Trade Solutions (WITS) data, Europe imported nearly 142 million KGs of gloves in 2019. As per EU stats, general government spending in the EU on health amounted to US$1,069 billion, 8% of Europe’s GDP in 2020.
- Latin America Middle East and Africa markets are expected to grow gradually and consolidate in the near future.
Competitive Landscape
The Global Disposable Gloves market is highly competitive with ~200 players which include globally diversified players, regional players as well as a large number of country-niche players having their own niche in disposable gloves, delivering to healthcare and non-medical industries. Most of the country-niche players are dealing in the manufacturing of gloves as a single segment.
Large global players control about 40% of the market, while regional players hold the second largest share. Some of the major players in the market include Ansell Ltd, Hartalega, Top Glove Bhd, Rubberex, Kossan Rubber Industries, Cardinal Health Inc, Sempermed, Sri Trang Gloves, Care Plus, Supermax Corporation Berhad, Synthomer Plc, Comfort Rubber Gloves Industries, and others.
The leading global disposable gloves specialist companies such as Ansell, Hartlega, Top Gloves, and Rubberex are highly focused on providing a full segment of gloves for multiple solutions and for multiple end users.
Recent Developments Related to Major Players
- In March 2022, American Nitrile, LLC, announced a strategic partnership with Orion Infrastructure Capital (OIC) to construct its manufacturing facility in Grove City. Under this agreement, OIC will provide US$105 million to support the completion of 12 production lines with an aggregate capacity of 3.6 billion nitrile gloves per year.
- In March 2021, Hartalega Holdings Bhd announced its plans to invest US$1.7 billion to build 16 new manufacturing plants over the next 20 years. Hartalega currently operates with 12 manufacturing units and aims at increasing the annual production of gloves by 95 billion by 2027.
- In the FY21 annual report, Ansell Ltd. mentioned a US$80 million investment over the next three years in a new Greenfield manufacturing site in Tamil Nadu, India, with a focus on surgical and life science gloves for the Indian domestic market and export.
Conclusion
The Global Disposable Gloves Market witnessed accelerated growth during the 2019-2021 period, primarily driven the by Covid19 virus, growing awareness among people about infectious diseases, and public health initiatives. Although the growth rate is expected to come down in the forecasted period, the use of disposable gloves is anticipated to remain strong as multiple industries are adopting precautionary measures. Though the market is highly competitive with ~200 participants, few global players control the dominant share and regional players also hold a significant share.
Note: This is an On-Demand/Planned report, so the figures quoted here for market size estimate, forecast, growth, segment share, and competitive landscape are based on initial findings and might vary slightly in the actual report. Also, any required customizations can be covered to the best feasible extent for Pre-booking clients and report delivered within a maximum of 2 working weeks.
Ken Research has recently published report titled, Global Disposable Gloves Market Size, Segments, Outlook, and Revenue Forecast 2022-2030, Market is segmented by Product, Form, Application, and End User. In addition, the report also covers market size and forecasts for the region’s four major Regions’ Disposable Gloves markets. The revenue used to size and forecast the market for each segment is USD billion.
Market Taxonomy
By Product
- Latex
- Nitrile
- Vinyl
- Neoprene
- Polyethylene
By Form
- Powdered
- Powder-Free
By Application
- Medical
- Surgical
- Examination
- Clean Room
By End-User
- Hospitals
- Clinics
- Surgical Centers
- Non-Medical
By Geography
- North America (USA, Canada, Mexico)
- Europe (Germany, UK, France, Spain, Italy, Rest of Europe)
- Asia Pacific (China, Japan, South Korea, India, Indonesia, Australia, Rest of Asia Pacific)
- Latin America Middle East, and Africa (LAMEA)
Key Competitors
- Ansell Ltd
- Hartalega
- Top Glove Bhd
- Rubberex
- Kossan Rubber Industries
- Cardinal Health Inc
- Sempermed
- Sri Trang Gloves
- Care Plus
- Supermax Corporation Berhad
- Synthomer Plc
- Comfort Rubber Gloves Industries