Hand Protection Equipment Industry Data Book - Disposable Gloves, Disposable Medical Gloves, Nitrile Gloves, Rubber Gloves and Nonwoven Disposable Gloves Market Size, Share, Trends Analysis, And Segment Forecasts, 2023 - 2030

Database Overview

Grand View Research’s hand protection equipment industry database is a collection of market sizing information & forecasts, trade data, pricing intelligence, competitive benchmarking analyses, macro-environmental analyses, and regulatory & technological framework studies. Within the purview of the database, such information is systematically analyzed and provided in the form of outlook report and summary presentations on individual areas of research.

Hand Protection Equipment Industry Data Book Scope

Hand Protection Equipment Industry Data Book Coverage Snapshot

Hand Protection Equipment Industry Outlook

The economic value generated by the hand protection equipment market was estimated at approximately USD 23.8 billion in 2022. The rising demand is attributed to the increasing concerns about hand hygiene and the product's efficiency in limiting the spread of COVID-19 in various end-use industries.

Durable gloves are mainly used in the construction and manufacturing industries to avoid injuries arising from burns, cuts, and hazardous chemicals. Durable gloves, which were formerly restricted to the industrial, construction, and healthcare industries, are now accessible to the general population, thereby propelling their demand. The disposable gloves segment is expected to witness a significant CAGR during the forecast period. These gloves are mainly used in the food and healthcare industries for protection against the transmission of infection. The burst of COVID-19 cases has caused a rise in demand and a shortage in the supply of disposable gloves. The rising occurrence of healthcare-associated infections, such as COVID-19 and swine flu, coupled with increasing demand for disease control, drive the product demand.

Source: Grand View Research 

Economies that have been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, such as the United States, have implemented specific regulations like the Defense Production Act (DPA), which provides local enterprises the duty of manufacturing hand protective equipment for healthcare professionals. Strict government regulations regarding the health and safety of doctors, nurses, and working professionals, coupled with a rise in COVID-19 cases, have prompted workers to use these products for protection against any kind of health hazards and healthcare-associated infections. Several government authorities, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, issued guidelines regarding the use of sterile barrier precautions, such as the use of hand protection equipment. These aforementioned factors are expected to fuel the market demand for hand protection market over the forecast period.

Disposable Gloves Market Analysis And Forecast

The global disposable gloves market is anticipated to grow significantly over the coming years on account of several factors including favorable occupational safety regulations, increasing importance of safety and security at workplaces, rising healthcare expenditure, and the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Occupational safety regulations play a crucial role in driving market growth. Mandated policies by agencies for companies to maintain employee safety in workplaces are expected to drive the demand for disposable gloves. These regulations mention the type of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) required for protection during different industrial or commercial activities.

On the basis of end-user, the global industry has been further categorized into medical & healthcare and non-medical. The medical & healthcare end-use segment dominated the industry in 2022 and accounted for the maximum share of 73.6% of the global revenue. Disposable gloves are widely used across medical industry. They help protect doctors and patients from cross-contamination and transmission of pathogens during medical examination and surgeries. They provide barrier protection against the risk associated with on-the-job transmission of germs, blood borne pathogens, and other environmental contaminants. In addition, these gloves are intended for single-use, which further lowers the risk of contamination. Rapid spread of the COVID-19 across the globe is anticipated to increase the demand for examination gloves used by frontline healthcare workers for testing and examination purpose.

Disposable Medical Gloves Market Analysis And Forecast

The healthcare industry is expected to grow significantly due to which the demand for medical & healthcare products is expected to witness exponential growth over the projected period. The growing health concerns caused by unhealthy lifestyles are expected to drive the demand for healthcare services and the need for advanced medical infrastructure, which, in turn, is expected to drive the demand for medical products and devices over the forecast period.

Increasing incidences of viral and infectious diseases are expected to fuel the demand for disposable medical gloves in healthcare industry over the coming years. On account of the rapid outbreak of COVID-19 globally, several government authorities and agencies are recommending social distancing measures, including the use of gloves, which are further anticipated to have a positive impact on market growth.

Rising healthcare expenditure in various countries globally, including the U.S., France, Germany, and Italy, is expected to have a positive impact on the demand for disposable medical gloves over the forecast period. In addition, improving healthcare infrastructure in the emerging economies in the Asia Pacific region, coupled with rising disposable incomes and an increasing number of people availing healthcare services, is further anticipated to benefit market growth over the forecast period. 

Nitrile Gloves Market Analysis And Forecast

Nitrile gloves are manufactured using synthetic rubber and are stretchable and flexible, increasing their adoption in medical and chemical industries. Rising awareness regarding latex allergies is anticipated to drive the demand for nitrile gloves over the forecast period. Enhanced resistance of nitrile gloves toward puncture and chemicals as compared to that of vinyl and latex gloves is expected to augment the market growth. 

Nitrile gloves are manufactured using synthetic rubber and are stretchable and flexible, increasing their adoption in medical and chemical industries. Rising awareness regarding latex allergies is anticipated to drive the demand for nitrile gloves over the forecast period. Enhanced resistance of nitrile gloves toward puncture and chemicals as compared to that of vinyl and latex gloves is expected to augment the market growth.

Rising awareness regarding the safety and health measures associated with emergency response incidents coupled with the treatment of patients is anticipated to augment the demand for nitrile gloves in healthcare sector. Furthermore, risks related to on-the-job transmission of blood-borne pathogens and germs have led to the increased adoption of gloves in medical & healthcare facilities.

Rubber Gloves Market Analysis And Forecast

Increasing viral and infectious diseases are expected to fuel the demand for rubber gloves in healthcare industry. In addition, on account of the rapid spread of COVID-19 globally, several government authorities and agencies are recommending social distancing measures, including the use of gloves, which are further anticipated to have a positive impact on the market growth.

The rapid spread of the COVID-19 across the globe is anticipated to increase the demand for examination gloves among frontline healthcare workers for testing and examination purposes. Examination gloves have witnessed substantial growth in the medical industry on account of a high demand for various hospital, veterinary, and dental applications.

Furthermore, rubber gloves offer excellent chemical resistance, especially to grease, oil, and gasoline. Growing concerns regarding employee safety and initiatives for reducing injury rates in the automotive sector are expected to drive the demand for rubber gloves over the forecast period

Nonwoven Disposable Gloves Market Analysis And Forecast

The nonwoven disposable gloves market is expected to witness significant growth over the projected period on account of rising product demand from healthcare industry including hospitals, nursing homes and home healthcare. An increasing geriatric population across the developed nations is expected to drive the demand for healthcare spending over the forecast period thereby resulting into market growth 

Healthcare industry in the U.S. and Europe is expected to grow at a faster rate as compared to the GDP owing to which the demand for medical products is expected to witness exponential growth over the projected period. The growing health concerns owing to the unhealthy lifestyles are expected to drive the demand for healthcare services and the need for advanced medical infrastructure, which, in turn, is expected to drive the demand for medical products and devices over the forecast period. The adoption of new practices in medical and healthcare industries and the development of advanced medical care products and devices are expected to have a positive impact on the use of medical services across the globe. In addition, the increasing disposable income in the developing economies is expected to enable them to avail advanced healthcare services and use improved products, which is expected to drive the expenditure in healthcare industry.

Competitive Insights

Major players in the hand protection equipment market include Top Glove Corp. Bhd., Hartalega Holdings Berhad, Superior Gloves, Adenna LLC, MCR Safety, Atlantic Safety Products, Inc., Ammex Corp, Kimberly-Clark Corp, Sempermed USA, Inc., Halyard Health, Inc. The industry focuses on research & development activities to develop new technologies for manufacturing products and integration across various stages of the value chain to gain a competitive edge in the market. For instance, in August 2020, Ansell Ltd. signed a distribution partnership with OneMed, a provider of medical supplies and support systems, with an existing distribution network in the Nordics. Manufacturers have also started expanding their businesses through mergers, acquisitions, and geographical expansions. 

Strategies adopted by the companies includes product portfolio expansion, product development, and distribution network expansion. For instance, in December 2022, Top Glove Corp. Bhd. announced expanding its production capacity to meet the global demand for gloves through strengthening its presence in key strategic markets, technological improvements to drive product innovation & production efficiency, as well as broadening its product portfolio to adjacent & other non-glove products. 

• In March 2020, Ansell Ltd. acquired 50% stake in Careplus (M) Sdn. Bhd., a Malaysian rubber gloves maker, in order to cater to the rising demand for surgical gloves amid coronavirus outbreak. Careplus is a manufacturer of nitrile and latex powder free examination and surgical gloves with an annual turnover of USD 372 million in 2019.

• In March 2020, Hartalega announced the purchase of land to expand its glove production facilities in Sepang, Malaysia, as the demand for hand protection has surged owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The acquisition is expected to empower the company to progressively increase its capacity to meet the growing global demand for gloves.

• In January 2020, Medline Canada, a subsidiary of Medline Industries, Inc., completed the acquisition of Médi-Sélect, a Canada-based distributor of dental and medical supplies. This acquisition has further expanded the former’s presence in the Canadian market.