Nitrile Gloves Market - Forecasts from 2021 to 2026

The nitrile gloves market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 19.84% from an initial value of US$4,304.244 million in 2019 and is estimated to reach the market size of US$15,279.227 million in 2026. The nitrile gloves market is expected to grow due to the rising awareness of the benefits of nitrile gloves in the healthcare sector.

Nitrile gloves provide various advantages such as being more resistant than natural rubber to chemicals, oils, and acids, and have superior strength. According to the University of Pennsylvania’s Environmental Health and Radiation Safety unit, nitrile is a synthetic rubber that serves as a very good material for general-purpose gloves because of its elasticity and chemical resistance. These properties also make disposable nitrile gloves the most common gloves for handling laboratory chemicals and surgical procedures. Moreover, the rise in the prevalence of latex allergies among healthcare workers has led to an increase in the demand for nitrile gloves, and hence the nitrile gloves are increasingly being used as a replacement for latex gloves around the world.

The COVID-19 pandemic had a positive impact on the nitrile gloves market. The pandemic led to a rise in the demand for nitrile gloves as the experts consider single-use nitrile gloves important for preventing disease spread and keeping both medical and laboratory procedures sanitary. During the pandemic, N95 respirators, medical gowns, and nitrile gloves saw dramatic price increases due to increasing demand and stagnation in supply levels of the raw materials needed to produce them. Looking at the rising demand for nitrile gloves, various companies increased their production, which led to further growth in the nitrile gloves market, and the growth in demand is anticipated to continue owing to the recurring waves of coronavirus. For instance, VIP Gloves Ltd July 2020 announced to boost their production capacity of nitrile gloves by up to 60% with the installation of four additional new production lines over the next 18 months to meet the strong demand for nitrile gloves on the back of the prolonged global COVID-19 pandemic.

The nitrile gloves market has been classified based on type, grade, end-use industry, and geography. By type, the market has been classified based on Powdered and Powder-Free. Based on grade, the segmentation has been done into Medical Grade, Industrial Grade, and Food Grade. By end-use industry, the market has been categorized into Automotive, Food Processing, Construction, Oil and Gas, Chemical, and others. Geographically, the market for nitrile gloves has been distributed into North America, South America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia Pacific.

Growing incidences of latex allergy

The growing incidences of latex allergy among healthcare workers gloves is one of the major drivers of the global nitrile gloves market and is anticipated to surge the growth of the nitrile gloves market during the forecast period. According to the Department of Health, New York, Unites States, latex allergy reactions occur more frequently in high-risk professions due to increased exposure to latex products. In the health care profession, up to 12% of staff may be affected. Also, the increase in latex allergies is believed to be linked to the dramatic increase in latex glove use since the introduction of universal precautions in health care settings to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and hepatitis B. In addition, the use of latex gloves in other settings (e.g., foodservice and restaurants, daycare) has proliferated. The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) stated in 2015 that latex allergy has become an important health concern for workers, especially in healthcare environments. Symptoms can range from mild to severe, such as swelling, irritation, congestion, shortness of breath, or even anaphylaxis, where fatalities have been reported. In the US, as many as 17% of healthcare workers are reportedly sensitized to latex.

According to an article by the Journal of Occupational Health published in the US National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health in 2016, 13.3% of the healthcare workers and 18% of nurses in Thailand have a latex allergy. Also, 22.4% of healthcare workers in Brazil and 14.1% of healthcare workers in the Netherlands reported having latex sensitization. Moreover, 16.3% and 17.9% of healthcare workers from Sri Lanka and Iran respectively reported being allergic to latex. Hence, the growing use of nitrile as a replacement for nitrile gloves is anticipated to propel the growth of the nitrile gloves market during the forecast period.

Powder-free segment to grow at a significant pace

The powder-free segment of the nitrile gloves market is anticipated to witness significant growth which can be attributed to the increasing preference for powder-free gloves across numerous industries including medical, food processing, and chemical. Powder-free nitrile gloves are anti-static in behavior, smart solvent resistant, odour free, and therefore helpful in the food and dairy farm business. Growing cases of allergies associated with powdered nitrile gloves and a rise in cases of powdered gloves causing wound inflammation, severe airway inflammation from inhaling the powder, and post-surgical adhesions from contact with the powder is leading users to switch to powder-free nitrile gloves. Powder-free gloves also account for lesser allergies as their manufacturing involves lower protein and chemical content, which also increases the time for which they can be continuously used. Additionally, taking into account the harmful effects of powdered gloves, in January 2017, the Federal Food and Drug Administration (FDA) placed a ban on powdered patient examination gloves, powdered surgical gloves, and also on powder for lubricating a surgeon’s gloves, thus expected to propel the powder-free segment’s market growth even further.

North America to hold a prominent share in the market

Geographically, North America is anticipated to dominate the global market owing to government regulation that limits the use of latex and powered gloves and supports the use of synthetic material - primarily nitrile-based gloves. Furthermore, growing Latex allergic population and the risk it poses to children and healthcare workers also supports the market growth of Nitrile gloves. However, the Asia Pacific region is projected to grow at a high rate due to surging industrialization and growing demand for nitrile gloves for industrial and medical purposes. The booming construction industry also plays a significant role in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East and Africa segment.

Competitive Insights

Prominent/major key market players in the Nitrile Gloves market include Top Glove Corporation Bhd, Hartalega Holdings Bhd, Kossan Nitrile Industries Bhd, among others. The players in the Nitrile Gloves market are implementing various growth strategies to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors in this market. Major market players in the market have been covered along with their relative competitive strategies and the report also mentions recent deals and investments of different market players over the last few years. The company profiles section details the business overview, financial performance (public companies) for the past few years, key products and services being offered along with the recent deals and investments of these important players in the Nitrile Gloves market.

Segmentation:

By Type

• Powdered
• Powder-Free

By Grade

• Medical Grade
• Industrial Grade
• Food Grade

By Application

• Automotive
• Food Processing
• Construction
• Oil and Gas
• Chemical
• Others

By Geography

• North America
• USA
• Canada
• Mexico
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Others
• Europe
• Germany
• France
• UK
• Others
• Middle East and Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE
• Others
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• South Korea
• Others