Forensic Medicine Market - Growth, Trends, COVID-19 Impact, and Forecasts (2023-2028)

The forensic medicine market is expected to register a CAGR of 12.01% over the forecast period.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a significant impact on many facets of human existence, including the multidisciplinary, interdisciplinary practical activities of forensic sciences. The various operations, such as crime scene investigation (CSI), autopsies, external exams, and genetic and toxicological analyses of tissues and/or bodily fluids, are quite distinct. According to the NCBI research study published in February 2022, forensic professionals were required to quickly adapt their activities to adequately address the changes imposed by the pandemic. At the same time, forensic experts may come into touch with subjects directly in real life, such as when working with abuse victims (in some cases involving minors), obtaining biological samples from suspects, or physically inspecting subjects. In this circumstance, forensic specialists need to put precautions in place to decrease the danger of SARS-CoV-2 infection, including wearing the proper PPE and working in settings with low infection risks. Consequently, during the pandemic, the costs involved in forensic sciences were substantially increased. Thus, the market was adversely impacted by the pandemic. However, with the decreasing number of COVID-19 cases and the resumption of healthcare services, the market started to gain momentum and is expected to maintain an upward trend over the forecast period.

The forensic medicine market will likely show rapid growth due to the increasing global crime rate, the sophistication of crime, and the increasing demand for forensic technologies. However, homicides and several other violent crimes have decreased marginally in the first half of this year compared to the last. The Council on Criminal Justice (CCJ) released its mid-year 2022 crime report on Thursday and examined crime data from 29 cities. When compared to the same six-month period in 2021, homicides fell by 2.0% between January and June 2022. As homicides reached historic highs in several places in 2020 and 2021, the tiny decline is less satisfactory. Based on information from 23 cities, homicide statistics in the first half of 2022 were still 39.0% higher than they were during the same period. Thus, increasing crime rates are expected to increase the adoption of forensic medicines, such as forensic DNA analysis, fingerprint analysis, etc., to solve crimes.

However, the declining supply of forensic services and regulatory constraints may hinder the market's growth over the forecast period.

Key Market Trends

Fingerprint Analysis Segment is Expected to Witness Considerable Growth During the Forecast Period

Fingerprints are used to identify the suspects and help in solving the crime. They also remain an extremely valuable tool for law enforcement. Fingerprint identification, thus, helps in tracking a criminal’s record and their associated previous arrests to aid in decision-making. For instance, according to an NCBI research report published in December 2021, a human examiner is relied upon to manually match a fingerprint found at a crime scene to those records maintained in a database. Thus, the increasing use of fingerprint analysis for crime detection is expected to propel the segment's growth.

The advantages of fingerprint analysis are the major drivers of the market. For instance, as per the NCBI research study published in 2021, fingerprint analysis is used to identify suspects and solve crimes, and it is regarded as an extremely valuable tool for law enforcement. Fingerprint identification also helps investigators track a criminal’s record, previous arrests, and convictions to aid in sentencing, probation, parole, and pardoning decisions. The same source also stated that the system's redundancy enables it to keep working efficiently even in the event of sporadic and uncommon faults. Thus, such studies provide insight into the advantages of information sharing in fingerprinting analysis. New technology launches are another factor driving the market. For instance, a new subsurface fingerprint biometric technology launched by BitFlow in May 2021 can recognize people from skin layers 200-400 m beneath the surface of the finger. The new technique, known as Frame Grabber, is intended to detect criminals whose fingerprints have been burned or otherwise altered such that they are no longer recognizable by conventional biometric recognition systems. Thus, the increasing use of fingerprint analysis and growing product launches are expected to boost the segment's growth over the forecast period.

North America is Expected to Witness Significant Growth During the Forecast Period

The North American region is expected to witness significant growth over the forecast period. Increasing crime rate, coupled with an increase in product launches, is expected to surge the market's growth. For instance, in July 2022, a research study published by the Council on Criminal Justice indicated an upward-trending cyclical pattern in the homicide rate over time. The rate reached its highest point in July 2021, exceeding earlier maxima during the study period, as there were widespread protests against police brutality following the death of George Floyd in May of that year. In the US cities, there were 1,587 more aggravated assaults in the first half of 2022 than there were in the same period in 2021, a 4.0% increase on average. However, by the end of 2021, robberies started to rise, escalating in the first half of 2022. In the researched cities, there were 5,226 more robberies during the first half of 2022, a 19.0% average increase over the corresponding time in 2021. Thus, the increasing crime rate in the North American region are expected to propel the market's growth over the forecast period.

Key product launches, high concentration of market players or manufacturers, acquisitions and partnerships among major players, and favorable initiatives by key players in the United States are some of the factors driving the growth of the forensic medicine market in the country. For instance, in May 2021, Bode Technology (Bode), a top provider of forensic DNA services, and Gene By Gene, a pioneer in genetic testing and proprietor of the FamilyTreeDNA database, announced that forensic genealogy services (FGS) will be offered in New York. These services are now open to law police, attorneys, and innocence networks after being approved by the New York Department of Health. By combining Gene By Gene's cutting-edge SNP testing with the FamilyTreeDNA database and Bode's forensic expertise, FGS offers a potent investigation tool. Thus, owing to favorable initiatives, the US market is expected to register considerable growth over the forecast period.

Competitive Landscape

The forensic medicine market is moderately competitive. The presence of a considerable number of companies is significantly contributing to the market's growth. New product launches, mergers and acquisitions, partnerships, and collaborations are the key strategies adopted by these companies for sustainable growth. Some of the key market players are Agilent Technologies, Bode Cellmark Forensics, and Eurofins Medigenomix GmbH.

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