Global Diaper (Adult and Baby Diaper) Market (by Product Type, Distribution Channel & Region): Insights & Forecast with Potential Impact of COVID-19 (2022-2026)

Diapers are frequently used by infants and people suffering from abnormal health problems such as diarrhea, incontinence, mobility restrictions, or dementia. Diapers are soft absorbent fabrics or clothes worn by people that allow them to urinate or secrete without using restrooms.

The diaper market is expanding globally as people become more concerned of personal and infant cleanliness. At the moment, rising birth rates in developing nations and an increase in the number of ageing people in affluent countries are driving the demand for diaper. Diapers have grown in popularity mostly as a result of increase in female participation in labor force and increased awareness about personal hygiene and infant hygiene, particularly in North America. The global diaper market is likely to reach US$99.16 billion in 2023, growing at a CAGR of 8.75% during the forecast period.

Segment Covered

By Segment: The report provides the bifurcation of the market into two different categories based on the type of users: baby diapers, and adult diapers. The baby diaper space segment held the highest share, as parents are becoming more aware of the need of newborn cleanliness.

By Product Type: The report splits the both baby diaper market and adult diaper market into four different types based on the type of product: baby diapers (disposable diaper, training nappies, cloth diapers, and others) and adult diaper (pant type diapers, pad type diapers, tape type diapers, and others). Disposable diaper segment holds the dominant share in baby diaper market, while tape type adult diaper segment is the fastest growing segment during forecast period, due to the rapid advancement in the tape type adult diaper.

By Distribution Channel: On the basis of distribution channel, the market has been segmented into two segments: offline and online. In both markets, the fastest growing c distribution channel is online.

Geographic Coverage

According to the report, the global market can be divided into five major regions, on the basis of geographical areas: North America, Latin America & MEA, Asia Pacific (China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, and Rest of Asia Pacific), and Europe (UK, Germany, France, Spain and Rest of Europe). The countries covered in North America region include the US, Canada, and Mexico, while Latin America & MEA includes Brazil and Rest of Latin America & MEA. Moreover, China, India, Indonesia, Japan, Australia, and Rest of Asia Pacific are included in the Asia Pacific region. The North American baby diaper market enjoyed the largest share in the global market, primarily owing to the region's high literacy rates and widespread awareness of personal hygiene. On the other hand, the Asia Pacific adult diaper market is the fastest emerging region in the global market, due to the rising number of cases of urine incontinence in Asian countries such as China, Japan, and India.

Top Impacting Factors

Growth Drivers

• Growing Number of Working Women
• High Birth Rates in Emerging Economies
• Rapid Urbanization
• Growing Number of Geriatric Population

Challenges

• Outbreak of Skin Rashes

Trends

• Smart Diapers
• Increasing Focus on Ingredient Transparency
• Rise in the Demand for Biodegradable Diapers
• Continuous Research And Development (R&D) Activities

Driver: Growing Number of Working Women

The increase in the number of working women provides a chance for countries to expand their workforce and achieve greater economic growth. As the number of working women increases, so will the market for baby diapers. Furthermore, diapers become a practical, safe, and time-saving material that is a blessing for working mothers because they are disposable and do not require washing nappies for reuse. As a result, household demand for diapers has been growing, especially among less affluent consumers.

Challenge: Outbreak of Skin Rashes

Diaper rash is a common form of inflamed skin (dermatitis) that appears as a patchwork of bright red skin on users’ bottom. It is often related to wet or infrequently changed diapers, skin sensitivity, and chafing. This has been a major drawback for the global diaper market. The painful rashes and skin breaks often causes irritation, and a cause for infection which is injurious for the users. Growing health concern due to the presence of harmful chemicals in the baby diapers is projected to restrict market growth. Sodium polyacrylate is basically used in the baby diapers and this has allergic reactions on the baby skins. Moreover, prolonged use of diapers can also lead to the darkening of the skin around the diaper areas. All of these factors hamper the market growth.

Trend: Rise in the Demand for Biodegradable Diapers

Rising environment concerns represents a key factor driving the demand of biodegradable diapers. Unlike biodegradable diapers, traditional diapers do not degrade well in a landfill. Moreover, they can take around hundreds of years to decompose. The huge amount of untreated waste added to the landfills every year through plastic diapers can also pollute the groundwater. Some of the other major factors driving the market include increasing awareness about personal hygiene, decreasing mortality rate among infants, rising demand for adult diapers, increasing government initiatives, etc. Therefore, the demand for biodegradable diapers is increasing and will be a driving factor in coming years.

The COVID-19 Analysis

The COVID-19 pandemic had a mixed impact on the global diaper market. As a result of the pandemic, an increase in demand for diaper was observed especially in baby diaper market. The impact of prolonged lockdown had created a sudden gap in supply and demand of the diaper industry. The COVID-19 created awareness about eco-friendly products and usage of adult diaper was redefined. In the coming years, the market is predicted to grow at a faster rate and recover to the pre-COVID marks. With the increased understanding of the benefits of adult diapers, large number of private companies involvement in adult diaper industry, and changes in marketing techniques has been observed in the industry.

Analysis of Key Players

The global diaper market is a fragmented market. However, country specific diaper market such as Indonesia and Japan are found to be dominated. The key players of the global diaper market are Johnson & Johnson Inc., Kimberly-Clark Corporation, The Procter & Gamble Company, Unicharm Corporation, Ontex Group, Hengan International Group Company Ltd, Essity Aktiebolag, Bumkins and Nobel Hygiene.

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