The Market for Medical Gloves in Japan and South Korea (September 2016)

53 pages. Japan is currently the third largest export market for Malaysian rubber gloves after the US and EU. It will continue to be an important market for Malaysian rubber gloves mainly for medical use given the country's sizeable demand for quality medical devices and its high dependency on imported medical devices including gloves. In 2015, consumption of medical gloves in Japan was estimated to be valued at USD214.4 million. In the next five years (2016- 2020), consumption is expected to increase by a CAGR of 5.6%. South Korea on the other hand, is the third largest market for medical devices in Asia behind Japan and China. It is also a growing market for quality medical devices including gloves. The current efforts of the South Korean government to improve the quality of healthcare services offered to its citizens will have a positive impact to the overall market for medical equipment and consumables. The market size of medical gloves in the country by consumption value was estimated at USD74.7 million in 2015 and is projected to increase by a CAGR of 6.7% by 2020. The ageing demographics and the growing demand for quality medical devices in both Japan and South Korea will help to boost exports of medical gloves from Malaysia. Malaysia is currently the largest exporter of rubber medical gloves to the two countries. This report examines the consumption of medical gloves in Japan and South Korea considering the current scenario of the healthcare sector. It aims to provide information to the Malaysian rubber glove manufacturers on the potential market growth, imports trend, market entry requirements as well as information on export opportunities. MREPC welcomes suggestions and feedback from Malaysian exporters in making this report more useful and relevant to the industry in the future.