The World Market for Consumer Health

October 2024

The global consumer health industry continues to be sluggish in 2024, reflecting persistent consumer pullback due to still widespread concerns about pricing and inflation. Both OTC and vitamins and dietary supplements are seeing headwinds as a result, though emerging markets are helping to prop up near-term growth. Looking forward, we expect a return to historic rates of growth as consumers come back to the category and as nascent trends stifled by inflation have room to flourish.

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Key findings

OTC and vitamins and dietary supplements at parity with divergent growth

In 2024, OTC and vitamins and dietary supplements remain the two largest sectors of consumer health, with both commanding around USD140 billion in sales. Both are expected to see softer forecast growth than over the historic period, but vitamins and dietary supplements are expected to rebound over the forecast period behind stronger growth in emerging markets.

Sports nutrition leads consumer health, with strong category and geographic growth

Sports nutrition continues to ride a wave of consumer interest with upwardly mobile consumers in emerging markets as well as non-core consumer groups in lynchpin markets like the US. On the other hand, weight management and wellbeing continues to lag due to cannibalisation from sports nutrition, dietary supplements and, increasingly, prescription weight loss drugs.

2024 witnessing rebounding M&A rates—but largely in Asia

Mergers and acquisitions in 2023 and the first half of 2024 in North America and Western Europe slowed markedly, leaving Asia as the one region with dynamic changes to the competitive landscape. Unlike in prior years, consolidation in that region only involved regional players, with the global multinationals focused instead on internal restructuring.

Consumer health growth expected to rebound in the forecast but not as high as pre-COVID-19 rates

The forecast for 2025-2029 expects higher growth than the period immediately preceding 2024 that was marked by COVID-19 and the resulting global inflationary shock, as consumers resume purchasing behaviour inhibited by these recent events. However, the industry will be hard-pressed to recreate the growth of the 2010s, without stronger rates of innovation.

E-commerce to continue to drive growth, eating into store-based sales

E-commerce is expected to continue to sustain strong growth, as delivery and subscription options ease the process for product discovery, selection, and purchase. The global expansion of services that have seen interest in regions like Asia, especially livestreaming and social selling, will also drive interest in popular categories in dietary supplements and sports nutrition.

Our expert’s view of consumer health in 2024
Key findings
Consumer health, despite slow growth in 2024, has promising avenues for future growth
Top five trends in consumer health
Top five trends uncovered
Drivers of consumer markets and impact on consumer health
Consumer health faces increased competition, inspiration from adjacent categories
Inflationary impact still presents headwinds for global consumer health
Sports nutrition surges, vitamins and dietary supplements strong in emerging markets
Asia Pacific and North America off in 2024, other regions return to healthy growth
OTC sees soft growth in 2024, vitamins and dietary supplements look to newer markets
As the industry plans pathways for growth, where consumers go for information matters
Global industry leaders see slower growth and cede opportunities to regional players
Consumer health’s top 10 companies are looking within to jumpstart stalled growth
Kirin Holdings paves the way for a new generation of acquisitions in Asia
Despite hiccups, fastest-growing companies cluster in Asia Pacific and active nutrition
New product launches stagnate from 2021-2022: signs of rebound in 2024?
Product claims have also softened, but lifestyle claims are positioned for growth
Sustainability claims in consumer health still markedly behind adjacent industries
E-commerce becomes second largest channel, with no signs of slowing down in 2024
The US leads in e-commerce, vitamins and dietary supplements continues strong growth
Sports nutrition to see the strongest forecast gains
Despite slowdown, the US will dominate forecast consumer health sales
Sales forecasts expected to outpace historic rates in most regions, but not in Asia
Vitamins and dietary supplements to outpace OTC throughout the forecast period
The consumer health industry has several paths to rebounding rates of growth
Opportunities for growth
Our expert’s view of consumer health to 2029

Consumer Health

It is the aggregation of OTC, Vitamins and Dietary Supplements (VDS), Sports Nutrition, and Weight Management and Wellbeing

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