Market Size of Pediatric Wheelchairs Industry
| Study Period | 2019 - 2029 |
| Base Year For Estimation | 2023 |
| CAGR | 5.30 % |
| Fastest Growing Market | Asia Pacific |
| Largest Market | North America |
| Market Concentration | Medium |
Major Players
*Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order |
Need a report that reflects how COVID-19 has impacted this market and its growth?
Pediatric Wheelchairs Market Analysis
The pediatric wheelchairs market is projected to register a CAGR of 5.3% during the forecast period.
Wheelchair operations were halted in several countries as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions. Children with disabilities were particularly vulnerable to the Covid-19 outbreak and so had to stay at home. The disruption of the supply chain and logistics had an impact on businesses' sales revenue and profit. There was a decline in the demand for wheelchairs during the pandemic. However, the market recovered in the last two years since the restrictions were lifted. The market is expected to register stable growth during the forecast years owing to the category's continued advancement, expanding adoption, and the availability of a wide range of products.
The major factor attributing to the growth of the market is the increasing incidences of disabilities in children. According to United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), data updated in 2022, 50% of the world's population which is at least one billion people have some form of disability, whether present at birth or acquired later in life. The number of children with disabilities globally was estimated at almost 240 million in 2021. Thus, the high number of disabled children are expected to boost the demand for pediatric wheelchair and are expected to propel the market growth.
Furthermore, according to the Juvenile Arthritis Foundation Australia 2022 report, juvenile arthritis is estimated to affect 6,000 to 10,000 Australian children aged 1-16 years, making it as common as childhood diabetes and epilepsy. Also, as per the Arthritis Foundation 2022 report, nearly 300 thousand children in the United States had juvenile arthritis in 2022. 36% of the surveyed children reported severe discomfort significantly limiting their daily activities. The large number of pediatric patients affected by arthritis require wheelchairs allowing comfortable movement, which is expected to propel the growth of the pediatric wheelchair market.
In addition, other diseases such as multiple sclerosis, epilepsy, and severe asthma in children require wheelchairs, boosting the demand during the forecast period. For instance, a retrospective study published in the Journal of Clinical Medicine in December 2022 stated that the overall crude prevalence of Paediatric-Onset Multiple Sclerosis in Poland's children population was 4.71 per 100,000 children. Children with MS have blurry vision or other changes in vision, numbness, and loss of balance or coordination. As per the data from Lung India as of August 2022, the prevalence of Asthma among Indian children was around 18.2%. The high burden of such diseases requires wheelchairs at home or hospitals, thereby propelling the market growth during the forecast period.
Therefore, owing to the factors such as the high burden of pediatric diseases restricting movement in children, the studied market is anticipated to witness growth over the analysis period. However, the high cost of wheelchairs especially in developing countries, where poverty and disability go hand in hand, acts as the major drawback for the market growth.
