Disposable Gloves Market - Global Outlook and Forecast 2021-2026

Disposable Gloves Market Overview

The global disposable gloves market size is expected to reach USD 32.24 billion by 2026, growing at a CAGR of 10.84%. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the demand for the examination glove has increased amongst physicians and front-line workers worldwide. As a result, the production cost has gone up immensely, creating an imbalance between demand and supply. The medical industry is the biggest market for vinyl exam gloves. Due to COVID-19, the logistics were affected immensely because country borders were sealed all over the world.

In countries such as China and India, with a population of 1.4 billion and 1.35 billion, a slight increase in glove usage will significantly impact the market. Countries such as Thailand, Indonesia, and Vietnam are top producers of the raw material natural rubber and latex. They were also impacted by a pandemic that caused a delay in supplying raw material to the manufacturers. The usage of disposable gloves in the food industry is also increasing because of the new guidelines to prevent cross-contamination and food poisoning. These act as an effective barrier to decrease microorganisms' transfer from hand to food. Players focusing on developing new products and growth in production capacity are expected to fuel the market growth over the forecast period of 2021-2026. Europe is likely to hold a significant disposable gloves market share, approximately 31.15%, by 2026.

Key Highlights

• The rising number of surgery practices is one of the key driving factors of the higher uptake of medical gloves globally. Growing demand for double gloving, mostly while performing surgeries, is another driving growth factor for the global medical gloves market.
• Vendors are increasing focus on enhancing production capacity for medical gloves due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic, contributing to the current spike in sales of these products.
• The nitrile segment witnessed an incremental growth of USD 6.46 billion by 2026 due to its increasing medical applications.
• The impact of medical tourism is expected to boost the sales of disposable gloves by 15% during the forecast period.
• In 2021, the latex powder-free segment accounted for 20%, followed by latex powdered with 13% of its revenue.

Segmentation Analysis

• In 2020, the powder-free type accounted for 68.84% of the global disposable gloves market.
• The medical glove end-user segment accounted for a share of 55.12%. Surgical gloves are sterile to avoid any adverse effects during the surgical procedure. In addition, surgical gloves have a more precise range of sizing than medical examination gloves, which enables ultimate comfort and dexterity during more prolonged surgical procedures.
• In 2020, the examination glove segment accounted for 82.32% of the medical disposable gloves market share. The usage of the examination glove is to prevent the disease transmission of infectious agents between the patients and between the healthcare providers.
• In 2020, B2B/institutional segment accounted for 74.89% of the global disposable gloves market. In the case of the medical gloves, the group purchasing organizations (GPOs) are directly procuring the products in a huge volume at an economical cost from the manufacturers.
• The nitrile segment accounted for 41.55%, followed by latex, vinyl, neoprene, and others.

Geographical Outlook

• Europe: Europe is one of the dominant markets in the disposable gloves market. The major revenue contributors for the disposable glove are the UK, Germany, France, Spain, and Italy. For instance, in Italy, the surge in glove demand is because of strict hygiene guidelines in the food and beverage industry. At the same time, Germany is known for its manufacturing sector, especially in the automobile, machine building, chemical, and food processing industries, creating a demand for disposable gloves.
• Asia Pacific: APAC is seen as a region with substantial market opportunities for players in the disposable gloves market. It is also home to the largest glove manufacturers in countries such as Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia. In addition, China, India, Sri Lanka also contributes to some extent to the global market. The per capita consumption of gloves in these developing countries is low compared to the developed countries. Lack of awareness regarding personal hygiene in the region is one of the significant reasons limiting the usage of medical gloves in this region.

Vendor Analysis

The global medical gloves market is consolidated, with key players contributing to most of the market share. Key players that dominate the market are Top Gloves, Ansell, Kossan, Hartalega Holdings, Rubberex, and other players. These key players account for more than 65% of the share (Tier I), and the other regional and local players are accounting for the remaining share (Tier II) in the market. Established and emerging players develop or commercialize disposable hand gloves with advanced features such as antimicrobial property, temperature-resistant, and more. For instance, in June 2019, Top Glove launched its Biogreen Biodegradable Nitrile Gloves. Moreover, most of the leading players focus on implementing various strategies such as establishing strategic collaborations, increase R&D investment, new product launches and strengthening their distribution networks, and enhancing their profits, share, and presence in the market.

The global disposable gloves market research report includes in-depth coverage of the industry analysis with revenue and forecast insights for the following segments:

Segmentation by Product Type

• Latex
• Nitrile
• Neoprene
• Vinyl
• Others

By Form

• Powdered
• Powder Free

By End-User

• Medical
  • Surgical
  • Examination
• Non-Medical
  • Industrial
  • Chemical
  • Food
  • Others

By Distribution Channel

• B2B/Institutional
• Retail
• Others

By Geography

• North America
  • US
  • Canada

• Europe
  • Germany
  • Italy
  • France
  • UK
  • Spain

• APAC
  • China
  • Japan
  • India
  • Australia
  • South Korea

• Latin America
  • Argentina
  • Brazil
  • Mexico

• Middle East & Africa
  • South Africa
  • Saudi Arabia
  • UAE