Nitrile Gloves Market Size, Share & Trends Analysis Report By Type (Powdered, Powder-free), By Product (Disposable, Durable), By End-use (Automotive, Oil & Gas), By Region, And Segment Forecasts, 2024 - 2030

Nitrile Gloves Market Size & Trends

The global nitrile gloves market size was estimated at USD 4,568.9 million in 2023 and is expected to grow at a CAGR of 9.6% from 2024 to 2030. Increasing awareness among industry participants regarding the importance of worker safety and security at workplaces, coupled with stringent regulations and high costs associated with workplace hazards, is anticipated to drive industry growth. The importance of worker safety has significantly increased owing to the rising employment in industries across the globe.Furthermore, growing awareness regarding the safety and health measures associated with emergency response incidents is anticipated to augment the demand for nitrile gloves in the healthcare sector. In addition, risks related to on-the-job transmission of blood-borne pathogens and germs have led to increased product adoption in medical & healthcare facilities.

In the U.S., the presence of a large geriatric population, sophisticated healthcare infrastructure, and relatively higher disposable income levels of patients are vital drivers of the healthcare industry. In addition, the country has the highest healthcare spending globally. Thus, the aforementioned factors are likely to have a positive impact on product demand in the healthcare industry. Ongoing innovations coupled with advancements in the field of surgery, such as standardizing procedures, technical advancements, and high-reliability organizing (HRO), are anticipated to boost the growth of the hospital sector as well as propel the demand for medical-grade gloves.

Stringent government norms regarding the safety of patients, doctors, and other employees at hospitals and premises, coupled with huge penalties for non-compliance with standards, have prompted employers to use gloves to protect their staff against various infections and health hazards. Hence, with growth in the medical and healthcare industry, the product demand is likely to increase in the U.S.

Rising spending on healthcare in middle- and low-income economies is attributed to people's reliance on increased public funding instead of out-of-pocket expenditures. Factors such as the expansion of public healthcare systems, increased economic power, and population growth are anticipated to increase healthcare spending globally. Furthermore, the aging population, the rising number of people with chronic & long-term conditions, increasing labor costs & staff shortages, and the growing demand for broader ecosystem services are expected to boost healthcare expenditure across the globe. The demand for healthcare services and products has led to increased use of personal protective equipment, including nitrile gloves. In addition, the increasing geriatric population is further anticipated to boost healthcare spending, thereby positively impacting the growth of the nitrile gloves market.

Market Concentration & Characteristics

The market growth stage is medium, and the pace of its growth is accelerating. The market is characterized by a high degree of competition owing to the various cost-efficient technologies used for the manufacturing of nitrile gloves. The market is fragmented due to the presence of a large number of manufacturers at the global level.

The market is also characterized by a high degree of product innovation, which has resulted in the development of high-quality nitrile gloves. The demand for sustainable and eco-friendly nitrile gloves is increasing; this trend is likely to increase R&D spending by market players. Furthermore, the global market is significantly influenced by the growing regulatory compliance across the globe.

Major players in the nitrile gloves market include Top Glove Corp. Bhd., Hartalega Holdings Berhad, Ansell Ltd., Supermax Corp. Berhad, Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd., Superior Gloves, and Unigloves (UK) Ltd. The industry focuses on R&D activities to develop new technologies for manufacturing nitrile gloves and integration across various stages of the value chain to gain a competitive edge in the market. Market players strive to achieve application development to gain a competitive advantage over their competitors. The presence of local players in Asia Pacific poses a substantial threat to large multinational companies in terms of product quality and price offered to the customers.

Type Insights

The powder-free type segment accounted for a share of 76.0% in 2023. This segment is likely to witness steady growth over the forecast period owing to the product’s ability to eliminate the risk of allergic reactions. These gloves are also used to reduce the risk of contamination in sensitive environments, such as food handling, laboratories, and clean room settings.

Powder-free gloves are costlier than powdered gloves owing to the involvement of an additional chlorination process. Their preference has been increasing across numerous industries, including medical, food processing, and chemical. Moreover, strict regulations on powdered gloves by many governments worldwide are likely to positively impact the growth of the powder-free nitrile gloves market over the forecast period.

Product Insights

The disposable product segment held the largest revenue share in 2023. This segment is anticipated to witness high growth over the forecast period owing to the requirement of maintaining hygiene standards in industries where maintaining cleanliness is a very important factor. Industries, such as food processing, food servicing, and healthcare, require a high level of hygiene. In these settings, reusable gloves cannot be used because of the potential risk of contamination. Hence, these gloves are generally preferred by employees working in the healthcare and food & beverage industries as they need to use new gloves frequently.

Durable nitrile gloves are designed for use in harsh environments and can be utilized multiple times. They offer benefits, such as strength, durability, low generation of waste, and other environmental advantages. Durable gloves are designed for prolonged and extended usage, especially in heavy-duty work environments in the oil & gas, chemical & petrochemical, automotive, and metal & machinery industries.

End-use Insights

The medical and healthcare segment held the largest revenue share in 2023 due to high product demand on account of its ability to prevent cross-contamination and transmission of pathogens during medical examinations and surgeries. These gloves provide a barrier of protection against risks associated with on-the-job transmission of germs, blood-borne pathogens, and other environmental contaminants. In addition, these gloves lower the risk of contamination. Nitrile gloves offer high puncture resistance, excellent barrier protection, and durability, owing to which they are preferred in environments where exposure to blood-borne pathogens and other contaminants is a primary concern. Based on application, these gloves are often classified into surgical gloves and examination gloves.

Examination gloves are used by doctors, nurses, caregivers, and other healthcare professionals for non-invasive physical examinations. The pharmaceutical segment is expected to witness lucrative from 2024 to 2030, as these gloves are used to protect the employees working in the industry against biological agents, chemical substances, and drugs. Nitrile gloves exhibit good puncture resistance and offer higher chemical resistance, most notably for solvents that are widely utilized in the pharmaceutical industry. Moreover, nitrile dissipates and does not cause allergic reactions, owing to which they are preferred in the pharmaceutical industry. Thus, product adoption is increasing in the pharmaceutical application segment.

Regional Insights

North Americadominated the global market and accounted for the largest share of 37.3% in 2023. The rising healthcare expenditure, coupled with the growing elderly population and awareness about healthcare-acquired infections (HAIs) among healthcare workers, is anticipated to have a positive impact on market growth.In addition, rising instances of chronic illnesses, including obesity, are likely to further increase healthcare expenditure, thereby supporting market growth. The region is characterized by the presence of several major glove manufacturers, which is likely to benefit market growth.

U.S. Nitrile Gloves Market Trends

The U.S. nitrile gloves market is anticipated to grow owing to the availability of sophisticated healthcare infrastructure, relatively higher disposable income levels of patients, and presence of a large geriatric population base in the country. In addition, the country has the highest healthcare spending in the world. Thus, the aforementioned factors are likely to have a positive impact on the demand for medical-grade nitrile gloves in the healthcare industry.

Europe Nitrile Gloves Market Trends

The nitrile gloves market in Europe accounted for a significant share in 2023. This growth is attributed to a greater need for disposable gloves due to growing awareness of hygiene and safety regulations, particularly in the healthcare and food processing industries. In addition, nitrile gloves are used in a variety of industries due to strict laws about workers' safety, thereby fueling market growth. Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for nitrile gloves even more due to their significance in curbing the spread of infectious diseases.

The Germany nitrile gloves market is expected to register a lucrative CAGR from 2024 to 2030 due to the rapid expansion of the medical and healthcare sectors. Germany is one of the EU countries with a high number of nurses, doctors, and beds per population and this number is anticipated to increase in the future. In addition, the expansion of publicly funded long-term care benefits has increased the demand for nurses, which has stimulated the growth of the medical-grade nitrile gloves market in recent years. Furthermore, increasing requirements for cleanroom technology in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries are expected to drive product demand for cleanroom applications.

Asia Pacific Nitrile Gloves Market Trends

The nitrile gloves market in Asia Pacificis growing at a steady pace due to high product demand in various industries including manufacturing, construction, and healthcare. In addition, the use of nitrile gloves for medical procedures and infection control is being fueled by the growing healthcare spending and bettering healthcare infrastructure in emerging economies. Furthermore, the presence of significant glove manufacturing hubs in countries, such as Thailand and Malaysia, has improved supply chain efficiency and production capacity, contributing to the market expansion.

The China nitrile gloves market growth is driven by the expansion of the medical & healthcare industry. The medical and healthcare sector in China is expected to grow at a rapid pace owing to several factors, including an increasing aging population, rapid urbanization, improving standards of living, and rising investment to expand healthcare infrastructure. Rising healthcare expenditure is expected to contribute to the growth of the regional healthcare sector. These factors are expected to have a positive impact on market growth.

The nitrile gloves market in India is witnessing rapid growth on account of rising product demand in clinics, hospitals, and labs. Furthermore, to maintain worker safety and adherence to occupational health standards, nitrile gloves have become increasingly popular in the country due to the country's expanding industrial and automotive sectors. Furthermore, product demand for personal usage has also increased due to changing lifestyles and rising disposable income levels, which will support market expansion in the country.

Central & South America Nitrile Gloves Market Trends

The CSA nitrile gloves marketgrowthis driven by the high product demand in hospitals, labs, and clinics due to the increased awareness of hygiene practices and safety regulations. In addition, to maintain food safety and hygienic complaints, nitrile gloves have become increasingly popular as the food processing and handling sector in the region has grown. Furthermore, strict occupational safety laws and government programs to upgrade the region's healthcare system contributed to regional market growth.

The nitrile gloves market in Brazil is expected to witness lucrative growth due to the growing geriatric population coupled with increasing burden of non-communicable chronic diseases, which is expected to drive the demand for healthcare services. Moreover, rapid growth in the secondary sector has been driving the product demand in industries, such as automotive, pharmaceutical, food processing, and chemical.

Middle East & Africa Nitrile Gloves Market Trends

The Middle East & Africa nitrile gloves market growthis driven by the emphasis on worker safety in the region's massive infrastructure project and growing construction industry, which necessitates the use of premium personal protective equipment (PPE), such as nitrile gloves. The product usage for infection prevention—fueled by the rising incidence of infectious disease and strict hygiene standards, especially in the food handling and healthcare industry—will also drive market expansion. Moreover, the market is expected to grow as a result of the rising importance of occupational safety regulation and expansion of healthcare facilities in the region.

The nitrile gloves market in Saudi Arabia is expected to grow at a lucrative growth rate owing to the development of the manufacturing sector. Rising demand for crude oil & gas in various industrial sectors, such as power and transport, is expected to drive the production of oil & gas in the country. Concerns regarding employee health & safety in various industries, including petrochemicals, aluminum production, and food processing, are also expected to play a significant role in driving the demand for nitrile gloves. In addition, the National Transformation program and Saudi Vision 2030 are expected to create opportunities for product manufacturers in KSA over the forecast period.

Key Nitrile Gloves Company Insights

The market consists mainly of global players, of which a few operate regionally. New product launches, M&As, partnerships, and collaborations are vital strategies that companies adopt for sustained growth. Major players frequently undertake geographical expansion strategies to enter established and newer markets. Investment to improve the effectiveness of supply chain and distribution is also a part of the key initiatives. For instance, in December 2023, Medline Industries, Inc. invested USD 300 million in the U.S. healthcare supply chain.

This investment is being made to improve the company’s Healthcare Resilience Initiative (HRI) and strengthen its long-term supply chain needs. With this investment, the company is focusing on improving its distribution channel to support customer needs. This investment is likely to help the company reach target customers with its diverse portfolio. Furthermore, key raw material suppliers and product manufacturers have integrated their operations to provide raw materials and manufacture the final product to cut down on raw materials procurement and operation costs.

Recent Developments

• Ansell Ltd. is likely to finish construction of its new plant located in Tamil Nadu, India, in 2024. This plant is constructed with an investment of USD 80 million. Apart from manufacturing surgical gloves, this new facility is designed to manufacture different categories of products. This expansion initiative is likely to help Ansell Ltd. penetrate the regional market

• In January 2023, Unigloves (UK) Ltd. acquired the Derma Shield business. This acquisition is likely to help Unigloves (UK) Ltd. expand its product portfolio of hand and arm protection products

Nitrile Gloves Market Report Scope

Global Nitrile Gloves Market Report Segmentation

This report forecasts revenue growth at global, regional, and country levels and provides an analysis of the latest trends in each of the sub-segments from 2018 to 2030. For this study, Grand View Research has segmented the nitrile glove market report based on type, product, end-use, and region:

• Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Powdered

  • Powder-free

• Product Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Disposable

  • Durable

• End-use Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • Medical & Healthcare

    • Examination

    • Surgical

  • Automotive

  • Oil & Gas

  • Food & Beverage

  • Metal & Machinery

  • Chemical & Petrochemical

  • Pharmaceutical

  • Cleanroom

  • Others

• Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

  • North America

    • U.S.

    • Canada

    • Mexico

  • Europe

    • UK

    • Germany

    • France

    • Russia

    • Italy

    • Spain

  • Asia Pacific

    • China

    • India

    • Japan

    • South Korea

    • Australia

    • Indonesia

    • Thailand

    • Malaysia

  • Central & South America

    • Brazil

    • Argentina

  • Middle East & Africa

    • Saudi Arabia

    • UAE

    • South Africa