Consumer Health

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, 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…

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…

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…

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…

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, 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…

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…

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…

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)…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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 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 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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Overall consumer health is set to maintain growth in current value terms in 2023, although this is expected to be slower than in the previous three years. The pandemic has ceased to have a notable impact in Indonesia, and there are many categories…

The stabilisation of the Iraqi dinar in 2023 and rising local production led to price drops across consumer health in 2023, boosting demand across the board. Tighter regulation and more control over imports benefited the industry generally, while the…

Consumer health is witnessing another strong performance in 2023 as the category continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic following the removal of all pandemic-related restrictions. As Irish people shift back to normal living habits without…

Consumer health is expected to register a healthy pace of current value growth in 2023. After a successful vaccination programme in 2021, society opened up quickly in Israel. With society returning to greater normality in 2023, common illnesses are…

Consumer health is set to record moderate single-digit growth in current value terms in 2023. With the pandemic officially over, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Italians are keen to get back to their pre-COVID-19 lifestyles and this…

Sales of OTC products in Japan continue on the path to recovery in 2023 as the country sees an end to the pandemic. With the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring the pandemic to be over in early 2023 there have been increased opportunities to go…

In 2023, consumer health products in Jordan are witnessing notable changes driven by a combination of factors. The industry has experienced a decline from its peaks in 2020 and 2021 when Jordanians rushed to purchase OTC products like analgesics and…

In general, consumer health in Kazakhstan is performing well towards the end of the review period. However, high inflation, increases in the costs of raw materials for the production of medicines and changed or disrupted logistics/supply routes have…

Consumer health is expected to register healthy current value growth in 2023, although constant value growth is expected to grow only marginally. Kenyans are moving away from seeking healthcare services at hospitals and are keen to self-medicate,…

The harsh climatic conditions in Kuwait with extreme heat, rising pollution and large amounts of dust continue to play a key role in driving demand across key OTC categories, in particular analgesics and cough, cold and allergy (hay fever) remedies.…

In 2023, health sensitivities among consumers in Laos, due to local diet and weather, have led to increased demand for consumer health products. Likewise, the prevalence of self-medication persists due to limited hospital access, leading consumers to…

Emerging from the pandemic, Latin America moved into a period of high inflation, with both factors hitting consumer health sales in 2022. The large Brazilian market was facing new health challenges in the form of arboviruses, especially dengue, in…

Consumer health in Latvia continues to recover from the pandemic in 2023, with major categories seeing demand patterns rebalance as lifestyles shift back normality. Economic uncertainty is prevailing with inflation remaining high in 2023, a trend…

The socioeconomic crisis remained a drag on growth in consumer health in 2023. High inflation, currency depreciation and restricted access to foreign currency are affecting the entire economy. Political instability has made the situation worse as…

2023 marks the final year that the outbreak of COVID-19 impacts results. Product areas that gained sales due to the COVID-19 pandemic are returning to purchasing levels and behaviours seen before 2020. Similarly, those negatively impacted by the…

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, Malaysian consumers have been increasingly focused on preventative health measures, and this trend continued into 2023. Alongside the adoption of healthier diets and exercise behaviours, consumers sought out vitamins…

In 2023, after three years of placing health at the forefront due to the pandemic, Mexicans have finally found some respite and are shifting their focus away from health concerns. While the public healthcare system grapples with supply shortages,…

Although cost-of-living crises have been putting pressure on consumers’ purchasing power in a number of countries in Middle East and Africa, they can also provide momentum for consumer health sales. Some consumers, unable to afford visits to a…

Total current value sales growth for consumer health in Morocco in 2023 is expected to be up considerably on 2022. While this is partly due to inflationary pressures fuelled by the global recovery from the pandemic and the fallout of Russia’s…

Consumers are increasingly adopting a preventative approach to maintaining good health, which continues to drive interest in vitamins and dietary supplements in 2023. Established brands continue to dominate sales as brand loyalty is relatively high…

The consumer health industry in New Zealand continued to witness robust growth in current value terms in 2023. The year marked a return to a semblance of normality in the country, following the reopening of borders and the lifting of COVID-19…

The harsh economic environment continued in 2023, challenging retail value sales in Nigeria and bolstering the use of counterfeit options in consumer health. However, barriers to healthcare increased the self-medication trend, driving the sale of OTC…

Despite higher standards of living in North Macedonia, economic challenges resulting in low disposable incomes remain, with the situation further exacerbated by the ongoing war in Ukraine. This has led to double-digit inflation, which is increasing…

2023 saw a repeat of the moderate, sustainable growth that was registered in most categories of consumer health during 2022, with the prevailing background trends characterised by a return to some semblance of pre-pandemic normality in the daily…