Consumer Health

Rising health awareness amongst consumers in India is set to lead to double-digit current value growth in consumer health in 2023. In the wake of the pandemic, people have undergone a transformative shift in their priorities, emphasising health and…

While consumer health in Hungary is set to post robust growth in total current value sales in 2023, this is primarily due to inflationary pressures fuelled by the global recovery from the pandemic, the fallout of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the…

Post-pandemic 2023 saw lifted restrictions lead to the return of tourists to Hong Kong and a rebound in tourism consumption, particularly for OTC products. Mainland Chinese tourists, who were once a key consumer group for these products, began to…

Consumer health in Honduras experienced a year of growth in value terms in 2023 that was in line with the country's inflation. Categories such as analgesics, cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies, dermatologicals, and sports nutrition…

Consumer health has seen demand dampened by consumers being confronted with very high inflation. The rate of 9.2% in 2022 was the highest experienced in decades. As a result, more consumers have been forced to prioritise household spending on…

Inflation is a key factor influencing the consumer health market in Greece, with price hikes being seen across most categories. Even though increases in prices vary by brand, most products have been subject to hikes. This has not had the same effect…

In 2023, Ghana is witnessing inflation, leading consumers to choose more affordable options like herbal/traditional products due to their more affordable prices. Similar to other sub-Saharan African markets, the use of herbal/traditional products is…

Consumer health in Germany was recording moderate current value growth in 2023. While OTC was performing better than vitamins and dietary supplements, it was being outperformed by categories such as sports nutrition and weight management and…

Consumer health is expected to register moderate constant value growth in 2023. Continuing economic uncertainty as a result of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and high inflation is continuing to have an effect and consumers are expected to be highly…

Consumer health in France continues to experience growth in 2023. Due to the pandemic, consumers’ immune systems have been negatively impacted. The French healthcare system remains weak and 2022 and 2023 have faced multiple challenges, including a…

Consumer health in Finland is seeing moderate current value growth in 2023. On one hand, prices have increased due to inflation, but, at the same time, the poor economic outlook has made consumers cautious in their purchases. Overall, the OTC segment…

A high rate of inflation, averaging 30% in 2023, forced consumers to cut down on spending on non-essential items, and even to reconsider the food they purchased to reduce their expenditure. Rx medications continued to be widely purchased under the…

Many OTC categories in Estonia, including cough and cold, experienced strong decline during COVID-19; however, sales are returning to their pre-pandemic performance in 2023 as viral illness are circulating more following the lifting of pandemic…

Sales growth of consumer health in El Salvador in 2023 varied across categories. While OTC performed well, growing at above inflation, preventive health categories such as vitamins, dietary supplements and weight management recorded significant…

Egyptian consumer health is set to post positive growth in 2023, with analgesics boosting retail value sales, benefiting from an ongoing demand due to the variety of symptoms it treats. Aligned with the rising health trends, vitamins and dietary…

Ecuador is expected to register only a slight increase in current value sales in 2023. Ecuador is grappling with rising crime rates and political instability, with runoff elections scheduled in October. This is all leading to economic uncertainty and…

Despite persistent inflationary pressures in the country and wages that have not yet caught up with market conditions, consumer health recorded growth in 2023. Growth was supported by solid categories, including cough, cold and allergy (hay fever)…

Consumer health in Denmark is registering solid current value growth in 2023, albeit at a slightly slower rate than seen in the latter half of the review period; however, this growth is partly driven by strong inflation, which has resulted in price…

With high inflation as a result of the war in Ukraine, as well as the aftermath of COVID-19, prices have risen sharply, driving value sales growth in consumer health in Croatia. Volume sales, meanwhile, are beginning to return to their pre-pandemic…

In 2023, urbanisation, population growth and health and wellness drove retail sales. Most consumers self-medicated as the cheaper option and due to limited access to doctors outside of key cities. An overburdened public health sector and expensive…

In 2023, increased socialising and the return to post-pandemic habits support the growth of several OTC categories. However, high inflation and a fluctuating exchange rate continue to create uncertainty. Inflation in Costa Rica was 8.27% in 2022, the…

In 2023, Colombians returned to their familiar routines, with increasing social activity and hectic lifestyles leading to an increase in cases of cold and benefiting most OTC categories. However, the opposite trend is being observed in vitamins and…

Consumer health in China recorded high single-digit current value growth in 2022, mainly due to the COVID-19-related sales surge for OTC products, and this growth trend is set to continue in 2023, mainly due to rising health awareness. In terms of…

Consumer health in Chile experienced a notable slowdown in value growth in 2022 compared to the previous year's performance. In 2021, the pandemic-induced liquidity in the local market and the shift towards preventive habits among consumers drove…

In 2023, still relatively high inflation continues to impact prices of essentials, such as groceries, as well as consumer health products, including OTC remedies, vitamins and dietary supplements and sports nutrition. However, consumer demand remains…

Cameroon was not as affected by the energy crisis stemming from the war in Ukraine as many other countries. Rising global energy prices gave a boost to government coffers and helped stabilise the economy. However, ongoing civil conflict, as well as…

In 2023, Cambodia seems to have recovered from the COVID-19 pandemic. Meanwhile, consumer health demand is rising due to modernisation, urbanisation, and health risks from harmful chemicals. Nonetheless, challenges still exist, such as external…

In 2023, the consumer health market in Bulgaria is set to see steady current value growth, with sales set to continue to fall at constant 2023 prices, though at a slower rate than in the previous year in both cases. Consumer preferences are shifting…

Consumer health in Brazil is expected to close 2023 with double-digit growth in current value terms for the third consecutive year. While in previous years, the COVID-19 pandemic boosted demand for cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies, as…

In 2023, consumer health is no longer influenced by the COVID-19 pandemic, as everyday life has normalized in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Some categories, such as cough, cold allergy (hay fever) remedies, which were negatively impacted during the…

Bolivia has managed to protect itself to a large extent from inflation by continuing to have a fixed exchange rate against the dollar. However, there has been challenges for the economy in 2023, with sharp falls in foreign currency reserves and this…

Consumer health in Belgium continues to see steady growth in current value terms in 2023, albeit at a slightly slower pace than in the previous year. Among the most dynamic categories are analgesics, sleep aids (driven by high stress levels among the…

In Bangladesh, consumer health faces the challenge of inflation across various categories in 2023. Meanwhile, consumer preferences are shifting towards modern medicine due to its perceived quick effectiveness, leading to a decline in demand for…

Consumer health in Azerbaijan is seeing something of a resurgence in 2023. New entrants are livening up the marketplace, and fresh medications are making their mark. The once-stringent Tariff Regulatory Authority has taken a step back, loosening the…

The World Health Organisation declared the end of the COVID-19 health crisis in 2023 with this having an overall negative impact on sales of consumer health in retail volume terms. For example, demand for products with a strong focus on immune health…

With the ending of lockdowns, border closures, and other COVID-19-related restrictions over the course of 2022, Australia has begun to see a return to normality in 2023, with Australians settling into their new hybrid routines and lifestyles.…

During 2023, Argentina was plunged into an economic crisis, with the rate of inflation soaring to more than 100%, one of the highest in the world. With the country already struggling to comply with the conditions of a loan package from the…

The depreciation of the local currency made imports more expensive at the end of the review period. This had a significant impact on the supply of and demand for imported products, in a country where the majority of medication is imported.…

The overall picture is expected to be positive in consumer healthy in 2023, as the economy performs well. The increase in natural gas export prices has helped offset the dip in oil prices. However, inflation remains high and the currency has devalued…

The pandemic boosted demand for analgesics in Vietnam, as consumers believed that it was necessary to store analgesics at home as a precautionary measure. Adult and paediatric acetaminophen performed particularly well in 2020 and 2021, as…

Analgesics in Uzbekistan is still developing with growth opportunities in several subcategories. Current value sales remained in double-digits in 2023 continuing the trend seen throughout the review period. Analgesics tend to be purchased in…

Though current value sales are expected to rise, constant value sales are expected to fall, as continuing rising operating costs cut into profitability. In 2023, with concerns about COVID-19 abating, demand for analgesics reduces to more normal…

While its demographic profile remains one of the most youthful in Europe, Turkey is steadily aging, with a gradually rising median age of population. Turkish people are living longer, with life expectancy rising. As such, the growth in the…

Sales of analgesics in Tunisia are in decline in retail volume terms in 2023 which can be attributed to several factors. Firstly, there has been a stagnation in prices since 2019, which has limited the potential for revenue growth in the sector.…

There are interesting developments in terms of diverging performances within adult systemic analgesics. In 2023, acetaminophen is set to drive current value growth, and significantly outpace the overall performance of adult analgesics. Growth in…

Analgesics is recording another strong year of current value growth in 2023, albeit at a slower rate than in 2022. Growth is particularly dynamic in the paediatric segment, especially for acetaminophen and ibuprofen, driven by the outbreak of…

In the United Arab Emirates, analgesics can be categorised into two groups: products from international brands, and those from regional brands, which tend to be priced lower. By the end of the review period, the majority of analgesics brands were…

Towards the end of the review period, demand for analgesics was supported by the widening of the consumer base for these products as the advantages of using analgesics to manage headaches and other moderate types of pain became better known among the…

While most categories of analgesics are set to witness decreases in retail volume sales over 2023, this is largely due to spikes in sales in the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as stress and anxiety levels increased. In 2023, many…

The market witnessed the shortage of some paediatric analgesics towards the end of the review period, causing alarm among parents in the Czech Republic. For example, the shortage of children's fever suppositories (Paralen Sup), which was most…