Global Body Armor Market Size, Share, Trend, Forecast Analysis, and Growth Opportunity: 2023-2028

The body armor market is estimated at US$ 2.67 billion in 2022 and is likely to grow at a CAGR of 3.7% during the forecast period to reach US$ 3.4 billion in 2028.

What is body armor?

Armor was historically made of metals and alloys. These armors, which were typically constructed of steel, were cumbersome, clumsy, and useless. Heavy metals resulted in increasing the armor's weight, which made it difficult for carriage for an extended period.

However, there has been a shift from the conventional metallic heavy body armor to extremely lightweight and comfortable body armor over the years, which is developed using Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE) materials. With defense expenditure and law enforcement budgets rising in both developed and developing countries, a sizeable amount is inevitably allocated to procuring these advanced body armor, which aids in fending off threats to the physical safety of the personnel.

Body armor is basically of two types:

Soft armor: Soft body armor constitutes of flexible panels made up of synthetic fiber materials like aramid and polyethylene, typically designed to protect against handgun ammunition, and are primarily worn by law enforcement officials while carrying out regular paramilitary operations.

Hard armor: hard body armor is made up of hard, ballistic-resistant panels and plates, and is intended to provide additional protection as compared to soft armor. Typically, hard body armor is thicker and heavier than soft body armor, as it is a combination of a hard armor plate with a soft armor panel.

These two types of body armor are designed to effectively absorb and fend off physical assaults and ballistic ammunition.

The body armor market is driven by a host of factors, some of which are noted below:

• Increase in terrorism, mass shootings, and gun violence across the globe.
• Law enforcement officers and military personnel have come to heavily rely on body armor, in order to ensure their protection and survival, during anti-terrorist military operations.
• Cross-border conflicts and geopolitical tensions are on the rise around the world.
• The Russia-Ukraine crisis serves as a recent example. Such factors propel the development and sales of body armor products globally.

Segment Analysis

Armor Type

The market is segmented into hard body armor and soft body armor. under these hard body armor segment is expected to remain dominant, accounting for a market share of more than 65% in 2022.

Hard body armor consists of plates usually made up of steel, ceramic, or composite materials, which are covered and interlocked with one another via a more pliable armor shell, the demand for hard body armor is primarily being driven by the rising geopolitical conflicts coupled with the growing threat of terrorism, across the world.

Product Type

The market is segmented into ballistic-resistant armor, stab-resistant armor, combined-resistant armor, and ICW armor. Among these armor types, ballistic-resistant armor held a significant share of more than 45% in 2022, owing to its large usage in hard as well as soft body armor and wide application in military and law enforcement operations.

Concurrently, combined resistant armor is expected to witness the fastest growth during the forecast period, owing to its additional soft protection level and high demand for law enforcement applications.

Material Type

The market is segmented into UHMWPE, aramid, ceramic, and others. Among these materials, UHMWPE occupied the major market share of more than 45% in 2022, owing to its several advantages, such as improved ballistic resistance, lighter weight, higher durability, and strength, and slower decay from air and water as compared to the other materials.

Level of protection Type

The market is segmented into level IIA, level II, level IIIA, level III, level IV, SP1/KR1, SP2/KR2, SP3/KR3, level IIA + SP/KR/SP-KR, level II + SP/KR/SP-KR, level IIIA + SP/KR/SP-KR, level III+ level IIIA/II, and level IV + level IIIA/II.

The level IV+ level IIIA/II protection accounted for a market share of more than 30% in 2022, as it provides protection against the steel-core armor-piercing rifle ammunition as well as offers additional soft armor protection. As a result, it is likely to record a huge demand from the military and law enforcement authorities.

End-user Type

The market is classified as military, homeland security, and commercial. Among these end-users, the military Segment held the largest market share of almost 50% in 2022, owing to the increasing investments by the US DHS (Department of Homeland Security) and other law enforcement agencies of different countries for the safety of their police officers and other law enforcement personnel. The end-use type is also likely to witness the fastest market growth in the coming five years.

Mode of operation Type

The market is segmented into covert operations and overt operations. As most of the military and homeland security operations follow an overt mode of operation, making it the dominant sub-segment in the market with a share of more than 60% in 2022.

On the contrary, covert operation is estimated to witness faster growth during the forecast period, owing to their concealable nature, which generates a large demand in homeland security operations.

Regions Analysis

North America is expected to remain the largest market, accounting for a share of more than 55% in 2022. This growth is majorly attributed to the large expenditures by the US Department of Defence (DoD) and the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on body armor products for the protection of their armed troops and homeland security personnel.

The region is also home to body armor market-leading companies, such as Point Blank Enterprises, Inc., Safariland, LLC, and Armor Express, which are also the major contractors for the US DoD and the US DHS.

Likewise, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to witness the fastest market growth, during the forecast period, driven by increasing military expenditure in the countries such as China and India, coupled with rising terror threats and geopolitical tensions.

Also, the presence of local companies, such as Beijing Tongyizhong New Material Technology Corporation and Senken Group Co., Ltd, is increasing the regional market attractiveness.

Key Players

The following are the key players in the body armor market:

• Point Blank Enterprises, Inc.
• Safariland, LLC.
• Armor Express
• Mehler Vario System
• Beijing Tongyizhong New Material Technology Corporation
• XTEK Group
• U.S. ARMOR CORPORATION
• Mars Armor
• Senken Group Co., Ltd
• Craig International Ballistics Pty. Ltd.

The market is fairly consolidated with the presence of some global and regional players. As most of the companies are US based, their primary focus is to tap the domestic market and gradually increase their regional penetration. These companies predominantly compete based on their product quality, weight, comfort level, price, and the level of protection offered.

Several companies are shifting towards the use of UHMWPE, due to the large demand for lightweight body armor, which further increases the market competition globally. Some companies are providing complete body armor solutions including soft armor, hard armor, and armor plates.

Research Methodology

This strategic assessment report provides a comprehensive analysis that reflects today’s body armor market realities and future market possibilities for the forecast period.

The report segments and analyzes the market in the most detailed manner in order to provide a panoramic view of the market. The vital data/information provided in the report can play a crucial role for the market participants as well as investors in the identification of the low-hanging fruits available in the market as well as to formulate the growth strategies to expedite their growth process.

This report offers high-quality insights and is the outcome of a detailed research methodology comprising extensive secondary research, rigorous primary interviews with industry stakeholders, and validation and triangulation with an internal database and statistical tools.

More than 1,000 authenticated secondary sources, such as company annual reports, fact books, press releases, journals, investor presentations, white papers, patents, and articles, have been leveraged to gather the data.

The analyst conducted more than 15 detailed primary interviews with the market players across the value chain in all four regions and industry experts to obtain both qualitative and quantitative insights.