Medical Clothing Market Size, Share & COVID-19 Impact Analysis, By Product (Surgical Drapes, Scrubs and Gowns, Gloves, Facial Protection, Sterilization Wraps, Protective Apparels, and Others), By End-user (Hospitals & Physicians’ Offices, Outpatient Facilities, and Others), and Regional Forecast, 2021-2028

The global medical clothing market size stood at USD 86.14 billion in 2020 and is projected to grow from USD 94.29 billion in 2021 to USD 140.64 billion in 2028, exhibiting a CAGR of 5.9% in the 2021-2028 period. Based on our analysis, the market exhibited a significant increase of 36.1% in 2020. The impact of COVID-19 has been unprecedented and staggering, with medical clothing witnessing a huge demand across all regions amid the pandemic. The growth in CAGR is attributable to the market returning to pre-pandemic levels once the pandemic is over.

Medical clothes offer safety from contaminants and bodily fluids, especially during disease treatments at hospitals and medical facilities. Occupational risks for medical professionals such as nurses, doctors, and medical staff include sharp injuries, blood-borne pathogens, latex allergy, laser plumes, hazardous chemicals, and others. To protect oneself from these hazards, one has to wear medical apparel to avoid any damage or adverse effects of diseases. Various types of protective clothing are used in the hospital and medical facilities, including surgical gowns, scrubs, drapes, protective facemasks, aprons, boots, coverall, eye gear, and caps.

Increasing Medical Clothing Demand to Boost Market amid COVID-19 Pandemic

COVID-19 has recently created multiple opportunities for the market. The growing importance of safety and hygiene has spurred market growth across the globe. Growing concern about the patient’s protection is also expected to boost the development of the market during the forecast period. For example, as of April 2020, China produced 116 million masks a day, 12 times its supply prior to the outbreak. In addition, according to various new reports such as the New York Times, the Chinese government at the beginning of the epidemic has offered to export protective equipment to Italy and other countries. Moreover, growing investment in medical apparel by hospitals will aid the growth of the market. Some of the other factors such as increasing competition among manufacturers, raising awareness about the advantages of medical garments, a growing number of surgeries, and rising chronic disease cases are expected to drive the market in the forecast period.

LATEST TRENDS

Pandemic Outbreaks (Covid-19, SARS, Avian Influenza, and Swine Flu) to Propel Market Growth

Most people are unaware of epidemics and pandemic outbreaks. Lack of awareness among people led Covid-19 to spread like wildfire, broader than SARS in 2003. Most of the RNA viruses, such as swine flu, bird flu, and coronavirus, can adapt and change the host system and may infect more complex biological systems such as humans. Currently, the majority of research and development activities are focused on coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Working on such infectious strains of viruses requires a unique set of skills and highly protective medical clothing. An increase in awareness about pandemic outbreaks, escalating research activities, and protective clothing in research activities propels the market growth. 

DRIVING FACTORS

Increase in the Incidence of Zoonotic Diseases to Drive the Medical Clothing Market Growth

Zoonotic diseases are naturally transmitted from animals to humans and vice versa. These diseases can be transmitted either by consuming polluted food and water, acquaintance to the pathogen in the course of preparation, or by direct connection with humans or infected animals. Zoonotic diseases have a noteworthy result on public health globally, displaying a higher prevalence rate in the developing countries owing to a lack of control strategies and unawareness among the communities. According to the Centers for diseases control and Prevention (CDC), about 75% of the emerging infectious disease in humans originates from animals. In January 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported that the outbreak of COVID-19 was caused by the coronavirus. This virus is suspected to have originated from bats or snakes. Moreover, WHO declared COVID-19 as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC). The rise in the incidence of infectious diseases is expected to drive the demand for medical apparel.

Rise in Hospital Acquired Infections to aid Market Growth

Healthcare facilities have seen a rise in the cases of hospital-acquired infections among patients. These hospitals acquired infections (HAIs) could be caused by fungal, bacterial or viral pathogens. The incidence of hospital-acquired infection is highest in developing countries. This rise in HAI has increased the focus on the use of appropriate medical clothing apparel to prevent transmission of disease from individuals admitted to the hospital.

According to the recent fact sheet released by the World Health Organization, around 10% of hospitals in developing countries and 7% of hospitals in developed countries have at least one HAI case at any given time. The incidence of ICU-related infections is 2-3 times higher in developing countries when compared to developed ones.

RESTRAINING FACTORS

Strict Regulatory Policies to Hinder the Demand for Many Types of Clothing Products

Several medical clothing-like gowns, gloves, masks, and scrubs are categorized under medical devices and are subjected to FDA approval. According to the risk involved, they are generally made to meet the protection levels from minimal risk to high risk. There are many stringent regulations involved in the approval of medical clothing, such as pathogen resistance, tensile strength, tear-resistant, and barrier level. These strict policies and approval add extra costs to the product manufacturing process that may obstruct the market growth.

SEGMENTATION

By Product Analysis

Growing Awareness about Spread of Infection is Likely to Augment Surgical Drapes and Gowns/Scrubs Segment Growth

Based on type, the market is segmented into surgical drapes and gowns, gloves, facial protection, sterilization wraps, protective apparel, and others. The surgical drapes and gowns segment dominated the global market in terms of value and market share in 2020. Surgical gowns/scrubs and drapes decrease skin flora transmission and help shield the medical staff against patients' blood-borne pathogens. Therefore, proper surgical wear is vital and forms an integral part of any healthcare procedure. Moreover, surgical drapes' demand is growing due to increasing awareness about the spread of infections, an uprising patient pool, rising hygiene awareness, and technological innovation. Besides, the increasing prevalence of diseases is driving the demand for more technologically efficient products.

On the other hand, the medical gloves segment is expected to see a balanced rise in the coming years. This can be attributed to the increasing incidence of acute and chronic diseases, rising incidence of hospital-acquired infections, growing concerns about safety and hygiene, stringent regulations about the usage of personal protective equipment (PPE), and an increase in the number of hospitals in developing countries.

By End-user Analysis

Growing Surgical Procedures at Hospitals to Facilitate the Segment Growth

By end-user, the market is classified into hospitals, outpatient facilities, physician offices, and others. In 2020, the hospitals held the leading position in the market. The dominance is attributed to the growing demand for surgical procedures by the patient population at hospitals.

On the other hand, the outpatient facilities segment is anticipated to showcase a faster growth during the forecast period owing to the growing number of surgeries that spread infections. It will result in significant market growth during the forecast period. The physicians’ offices and other segments that include ambulatory surgical centers will show substantial growth during the forecast period. Currently, in the U.S., there are more than 9,000 ambulatory surgical centers, which are estimated to increase in the future.

REGIONAL INSIGHTS

The market size in North America stood at USD 35.77 billion in 2020. In 2020, the market in North America was leading in 2020 in terms of medical clothing market share and value. Advanced hospital infrastructure, the rising incidence of several chronic diseases, and the presence of key players are the factors contributing toward the growth of the market. COVID-19 pandemic also has a significant impact on the consumption of these products in the region. Stringent government guidelines to use masks in public areas has skyrocketed the market in European countries. The German government has requested clothing companies to manufacture facial masks and medical clothing equipment. This outbreak has facilitated different companies to pave their way into the market.

On the other hand, Asia Pacific is anticipated to exhibit the highest growth rate due to improving healthcare infrastructure and raising awareness about safety and hygiene among people in the region. Furthermore, the increasing focus on clothing products by prominent players in the Asian market is an added factor compelling the growth. However, emerging countries such as India and China provide substantial growth opportunities to medical clothing manufacturers. Countries in South America, the Middle East and Africa have also witnessed significant growth over the past year. The GCC countries are actively investing in their healthcare sector. Additionally, the healthcare sector is one of the highest revenue-generating markets for countries like the UAE where there is a rise in medical tourism.

KEY INDUSTRY PLAYERS

Advent of Several Medical Clothing Players has led to a Fragmented Market

Some of the protruding companies operating in the global market have resorted to product differentiation, aggressive pricing, and product upgrades to gain competitive strength. Besides these, several companies are creating distribution partnerships aimed at reaching wider audiences, thereby expanding their regional and global footprint. The market is growing towards the high value-added products in medical uses.

Besides, due to the exponential increase in the number of infections worldwide, stocks of protective equipment, which includes medical apparel, are rapidly dropping. Supply bottlenecks and failures aggravated this. Several textile and clothing manufacturers such as Eterna Mode Holding GmbH, Zara, Rösch Fashion GmbH & Co. KG, the Trigema Inh. W. Grupp e.K. and others are currently converting and manufacturing protective masks and protective medical clothing in their production facilities. In many cases, these are not filtering facepiece (FFP) masks that safeguard against viruses, but masks that can considerably reduce the risk of infection and are a good measure for caregivers, private individuals, and companies.        

LIST OF KEY COMPANIES PROFILED:

• Cardinal Health, Inc.(U.S.)


• Halyard Health (U.S.)


• Barco Uniforms (U.S)


• Superior Uniform Groups (U.S)


• Semperit AG Holding (Austria)


• Ansell Healthcare LLC (Australia)


• 3M company (U.S)


• Medline Industries (U.S)


• Mölnlycke Health Care (Sweden)


• Other prominent players

KEY INDUSTRY DEVELOPMENTS:

• January 2020 – Cardinal Health announced that it is voluntarily recalling 9.1 million surgical gowns produced by an unnamed contract manufacturer after discovering quality issues with the product. Several of these gowns were also not registered with the FDA and were not qualified by Cardinal Health.


• July 2020 – Herida Healthcare, in collaboration with North Tees & Hartlepool Solutions, joined forces with NHS to manufacture highly sterilized medical gowns owing to the increasing demand for PPE.

REPORT COVERAGE

The global medical clothing market report provides a detailed market analysis. It focuses on key aspects such as leading key players, product types, and leading applications of the types. Besides this, the report offers insights into the market trends and highlights key industry developments. In addition to the aforementioned factors, the report encompasses several factors that have contributed to the growth of the market over recent years. It further highlights some of the growth-stimulating factors and restraints, helping the reader to gain in-depth knowledge about the market.

Report Scope & Segmentation