Western Europe

Retail volume sales of some consumer health products in 2023 are declining following a surge in demand the previous year when pandemic-related restrictions in April 2022 resulted in Spaniards returning to some extent to their pre-pandemic lives. This…

Overall, consumer health in Portugal is set to record strong growth in retail volume and current value terms in 2023. Demand has remained robust, as local consumers remain health-conscious and are becoming increasingly knowledgeable about the…

2023 saw a repeat of the moderate, sustainable growth that was registered in most categories of consumer health during 2022, with the prevailing background trends characterised by a return to some semblance of pre-pandemic normality in the daily…

Consumer health is set to record moderate single-digit growth in current value terms in 2023. With the pandemic officially over, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Italians are keen to get back to their pre-COVID-19 lifestyles and this…

Consumer health is witnessing another strong performance in 2023 as the category continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic following the removal of all pandemic-related restrictions. As Irish people shift back to normal living habits without…

Inflation is a key factor influencing the consumer health market in Greece, with price hikes being seen across most categories. Even though increases in prices vary by brand, most products have been subject to hikes. This has not had the same effect…

Consumer health in Germany was recording moderate current value growth in 2023. While OTC was performing better than vitamins and dietary supplements, it was being outperformed by categories such as sports nutrition and weight management and…

Consumer health in France continues to experience growth in 2023. Due to the pandemic, consumers’ immune systems have been negatively impacted. The French healthcare system remains weak and 2022 and 2023 have faced multiple challenges, including a…

Consumer health in Finland is seeing moderate current value growth in 2023. On one hand, prices have increased due to inflation, but, at the same time, the poor economic outlook has made consumers cautious in their purchases. Overall, the OTC segment…

Consumer health in Denmark is registering solid current value growth in 2023, albeit at a slightly slower rate than seen in the latter half of the review period; however, this growth is partly driven by strong inflation, which has resulted in price…

Consumer health in Belgium continues to see steady growth in current value terms in 2023, albeit at a slightly slower pace than in the previous year. Among the most dynamic categories are analgesics, sleep aids (driven by high stress levels among the…

The World Health Organisation declared the end of the COVID-19 health crisis in 2023 with this having an overall negative impact on sales of consumer health in retail volume terms. For example, demand for products with a strong focus on immune health…

The briefing introduces the Cities Households Necessities Spending Index. The index ranks 1,075 cities by household expenditure on non-discretionary items, namely food, housing, and clothing and footwear. This analysis focuses on 160 major cities.…

While its demographic profile remains one of the most youthful in Europe, Turkey is steadily aging, with a gradually rising median age of population. Turkish people are living longer, with life expectancy rising. As such, the growth in the…

Analgesics is recording another strong year of current value growth in 2023, albeit at a slower rate than in 2022. Growth is particularly dynamic in the paediatric segment, especially for acetaminophen and ibuprofen, driven by the outbreak of…

While most categories of analgesics are set to witness decreases in retail volume sales over 2023, this is largely due to spikes in sales in the wake of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic as stress and anxiety levels increased. In 2023, many…

Analgesics has witnessed a return to positive volume growth in 2023, driven by the recovery of adult acetaminophen as a stronger flu season took hold in Switzerland. As the incidence of cold and flu increases, so does the use of analgesics in…

Analgesics remained a key product area within consumer health in Sweden in 2023, having accounted for close to a quarter of overall OTC value sales. The most popular analgesics were those based on active ingredients acetaminophen or ibuprofen, with…

Since 2020, a factor supporting the growth of analgesics was the increased tendency of doctors to prescribe acetaminophen, among other common types of analgesics, as a way of managing the symptoms of patients with COVID-19, including muscle and joint…

Analgesics recorded a significant increase in retail volume terms in 2021 and this was followed by even more dynamic growth in 2022. The COVID-19 pandemic and the tough restrictions introduced in 2020 and the beginning of 2021 in order to prevent it…