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Diaper is defined as a soft absorbent fabric or clothing worn by users that enable the user to urinate or secrete without the utilization of toilets. Diaper are often worn by babies as well as adults suffering from abnormal health conditions such as diarrhea, incontinence, mobility impairment, or dementia. The global diaper market encompasses the entire industry involved in the production, distribution, and sale of both disposable and reusable diapers. The global diaper market was valued at US$88.33 billion in 2022. The market value is forecasted to grow to US$122.63 billion by 2028.
Rapid population growth, rising awareness about biodegradable diapers and eco-friendly alternatives to disposable diapers, improving healthcare infrastructure in developing countries, rapidly expanding baby care industry, ongoing concerns about personal hygiene, increasing disposable income of middle class population, and rapidly expanding retail and distribution channels in terms of increasing number of supermarkets, pharmacies, online stores, and baby specialty shops, etc., have been positively contributing towards increased demand for diapers. Other significant factors are effective advertising and marketing campaigns by diaper manufacturing companies, rising prevalence of urine incontinence among the geriatric population, ongoing shift towards nuclear families in urban areas, rising parent's awareness of the importance of newborn cleanliness, and increasing number of new product launches and innovations in the market by diaper brands to remain competitive in the market and strengthen their current portfolios. For instance, on June 15, 2023, the Procter & Gamble Company announced that Charlie Banana launched a collection of 13 playful new designs in Charlie Banana's reusable cloth and swim diapers, while also upgrading most of its packaging to fully-recyclable FSC-certified paper, where the new collection includes 13 new prints, spanning from vibrant, joyful colors to more calm, subtle hues. The market is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of approx. 6% during the forecasted period of 2023-2028.
Market Segmentation Analysis:
By End User: The report provides the bifurcation of the market into two segments on the basis of end user: baby diapers and adult diapers. Adult diaper market is the fastest growing segment of global diaper market, owing to rising geriatric population, increased consumer hygiene consciousness, ongoing advancements in healthcare and medical facilities, and increased awareness & easy product availability of adult diapers in emerging economies. Also, increasing number of diaper companies are experimenting with other approaches to changing attitudes, such as making products more covert, eliminating words like diapers or nappies, and putting them in the personal care aisle, next to deodorants and menstruation pads, rather than the baby products area, reducing stigma associated with using adult diapers and increasing awareness of incontinence-related issues, boosting the growth of adult diaper market in the forecasted period of 2023-2028.
By Product Type: The report provides the bifurcation of the baby diaper market into four segments based on product type: disposable diaper, training nappies, cloth diaper, and others. Baby disposable diaper market is the largest segment of global baby diaper market, driven by expanding population pyramids, rapid urbanization, steadily improving living standards, growing innovations in baby diaper technology, increasing sales of mild incontinence baby diapers and rising female awareness of baby hygiene. The report also provides the bifurcation of the adult diaper market into four segments based on product type: pant, pad, tape, and others. Tape adult diaper market is the fastest growing segment of global adult diaper market, owing to growing awareness of adult incontinence & related products, rise in lifestyle-related incontinence, increasing popularity of reusable tape diapers, and ongoing technology advancement in terms of comfortable wearing, and increased absorbent properties.
By Distribution Channel: The report provides the bifurcation of the baby diaper market into two segments on the basis of distribution channel: online and offline. Online baby diaper market is the fastest growing segment of global baby diaper market, owing to increase in birth rates in developing countries, expanding e-commerce sector, improving supply chain networks, and rising popularity of online shopping platforms that provide a wide range of diaper options, and additional discounts and offers to their customers, making it easier and more convenient for consumers to make online purchases. The report also provides the bifurcation of the adult diaper market into two segments based on distribution channel: online and offline, where offline adult diaper market is the largest segment of global adult diaper market. The market for offline adult diaper is likely to grow positively during the forecasted period, owing to the increasing awareness about the need for adult diapers, shifting of these products from the baby care departments to personal care departments of the offline stores, and increasing use of various promotional and marketing events such as customer loyalty programs, discounts, seasonal specials, and others by major diaper brands to boost adult diaper sales.
By Region: The report provides insight into baby diaper market based on the regions namely, Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and rest of the world. North America is the largest region of global baby diaper market, owing to individuals' high per capita income, rising birth rates, greater parental knowledge of baby hygiene, region's high literacy rates and widespread awareness of personal hygiene, increasing working women population, and changing lifestyle towards increased preference for convenient and reliable baby care products such as disposable diapers. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region of global baby diaper market, as a result of region's large consumer base in terms of increasing birth rate, increasing disposable income of middle-class population, and increased governments efforts by developing countries to forgo traditional methods and begin adoption of diapers for the babies. Within Asia Pacific, China is both the largest and fastest growing region of Asia Pacific baby diaper market, owing to rapid adoption of urban lifestyle, shift in customer tastes and preferences toward premium and more comfortable diaper products.
The report also provides insights into adult diaper market based on the regions namely, Asia Pacific, North America, Europe, and rest of the world. North America adult diaper market, has been positive expanding over the years, driven by increasing geriatric population, ongoing adoption of sedentary lifestyles, rising awareness among consumers about adult diapers, and easy availability of adult diapers through pharmacies, online stores and supermarkets/hypermarkets.
Market Dynamics:
Growth Drivers: The global diaper market has been rapidly growing over the past few years, due to factors such as growing number of working women, high birth rates in emerging economies, rapid urbanization, growing number of geriatric population, expanding e-commerce and online retailing, etc. Transparent pricing and product comparison, promotions and discounts, subscription services and product reviews and ratings from other customers etc., provided by online retailing platforms has streamlined the purchasing process for customers, providing convenience and added assistance in making informed decisions about the quality and suitability of different diaper brands, leading to increased number of diaper sales through e-commerce platforms. Furthermore, e-commerce platforms can analyze consumer data to provide personalized recommendations, highlight & promote eco-friendly diaper alternatives and offer customer support through various channels, such as chatbots or email, etc., to assist with inquiries and resolve issues promptly, further boosting the growth of global diaper market during the period.
Challenges: However, the market growth would be negatively impacted by various challenges such as outbreak of skin rashes, environmental concerns, etc. Growing awareness of the environmental impact of disposable diapers, particularly in terms of waste generation, have been negatively influencing consumer's choices towards the purchase of diapering options. Inadequate waste management and a lack of proper diaper disposal systems have raised environmental concerns in many regions, forcing manufacturers to find sustainable solutions for diaper waste management and to adopt more sustainable production methods and materials, raising production costs and resulting in lower profit margins for diaper manufacturers.
Trends: The market is projected to grow at a fast pace during the forecasted period, due to increasing focus on ingredient transparency, introduction of smart diapers, rising demand for biodegradable diapers, continuous R&D activities, etc. Increasing number of research and development activities by key manufacturers to develop more innovative and comfortable baby diaper products is expected to foster global market growth. Also, continuous R&D activities enable diaper companies to stay competitive in the market as brands that invest in research and innovation can differentiate themselves by offering unique and superior products in terms of personalized sizing, designs, features, etc., catering to the specific needs of different babies & their parents, further attracting more customers and gaining a competitive edge in the market. Therefore, continuous research and development (R&D) activities will continue to act as a major trend for the market in the forecasted years.
Impact Analysis of COVID-19 and Way Forward:
COVID-19 brought in many changes in the world in terms of reduced productivity, loss of life, business closures, closing down of factories and organizations, and shift to an online mode of work. The outbreak of COVID-19 pandemic had a mixed impact on the global diaper market, although the overall impact turned out to be positive, with market experiencing a sudden rise in demand during the early stage of the pandemic, where racks of the offline stores got empty as the consumers started hoarding supplies assuming of its non-availability due to prolonged lockdowns. Also, as the number of hospitalisations increased, so did the need for adult diapers. People who were in critical condition had to be nursed at their beds, boosting the demand for adult diapers during the period. Furthermore, COVID-19 pandemic increased the awareness among the consumers for the usage of disposable hygiene products, including adult diapers as a precautionary measure, driven by COVID-19 fears and emergency mandates to reduce and stop the spread of communicable diseases as hospitals are inaccessible, coupled with the growing demand for health and wellness products worldwide.
Lastly, ongoing innovations and technological advancements in the form of increased integration of customizable features, such as adjustable waistbands & fasteners, growing focus and attention of diaper manufacturing companies on design and aesthetics of their products, and increased incorporation of antimicrobial features and hypoallergenic materials to reduce the risk of diaper rash and other skin irritations in babies, will continue to boost the growth of global diaper market growth in the post-COVID period.
Competitive Landscape:
Global diaper market is fragmented, with large number of regional and local players catering to the increased demand. However, country specific diaper market such as Indonesia and Japan are found to be dominated, with increasing involvement of leading consumer goods players who have identified the market's tremendous potential and now control the bulk of the revenue share.
The key players of the market are:
The Procter & Gamble Company
Johnson & Johnson Inc.
Unicharm Corporation
Kimberly-Clark Corporation
Essity Aktiebolag
Ontex Group
Hengan International Group Company Ltd
Nobel Hygiene
Bumkins
The market is expanding and shifting in response to customer demand for sanitary and quick-drying, absorbing, and leak technology advances, as the market provides a chance for businesses to capture sales from a more diverse range of consumers. To acquire significant market traction, established corporations have been inventing new technologies and experimenting with natural substances to roll out new products in the market. For instance, on May 10, 2023, Nobel Hygiene announced that Friends, the flagship brand of Indian diapering giant Nobel Hygiene Pvt Ltd, has launched the country's first 'slim' disposable absorbent underpant - Friends UltraThinz, where the new product is designed specifically for younger consumers who suffer from light incontinence due to conditions such as obesity, prostate issues, & postpartum incontinence.