South Africa Diabetes Care Drugs And Devices Market Size and Share
Market Overview
| Study Period | 2020 - 2031 |
|---|---|
| Forecast Data Period | 2026 - 2031 |
| Historical Data Period | 2020 - 2024 |
| Growth Rate | 1.86 % |
| Market Concentration | Medium |
Major Players *Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order Image © Mordor Intelligence. Reuse requires attribution under CC BY 4.0. | |
South Africa Diabetes Care Drugs And Devices Market Analysis by Mordor Intelligence
The South Africa Diabetes Care Drugs and Devices Market size is expected to register a CAGR of 1.86% during the forecast period (2026-2031).
The COVID-19 pandemic positively impacted the Diabetes Drugs market growth in South Africa. Patients with diabetes infected with COVID-19 may journey to improved blood glucose, abnormal glucose variability, and diabetic complications. The prevalence of diabetes in human beings with COVID-19 induced a good-sized increase in severity and mortality of COVID-19 in people with either kind 1 (T1DM) or kind two diabetes mellitus (T2DM), particularly in affiliation with terrible glycemic control. While new-onset hyperglycemia and new-onset diabetes (both T1DM and T2DM) have been increasingly diagnosed in the context of COVID-19 and have been associated with worse outcomes. A patient's blood glucose must be monitored and managed regularly to avoid aggravation.
According to IDF Diabetes Atlas 2022, one in nine adults in South Africa live with diabetes. The principal analysis for people living with diabetes is imbalances in blood glucose levels, which do not comply with the general blood glucose levels. The customary lab diagnostic tests can only help to diagnose the sickness by physicians. Patients with more fluctuations in glucose stages want to get it checked daily. Patients administering insulin must frequently test their blood glucose stages, adjust their insulin doses, or change the medication if necessary. The rate of newly diagnosed Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes cases is considered to increase, normally due to obesity, unhealthy diet, and bodily inactivity. The swiftly increasing incidence and incidence of diabetic sufferers and healthcare expenditure in developed international locations are warning signs of the growing usage of diabetic care products. Moreover, the growing adoption of insulin transport units and the rising incidence of diabetes is riding the market growth. Leading producers are focusing on technological innovations and developing superior products to acquire a sizeable market share.
Therefore, owing to the aforementioned factors, the studied market is anticipated to grow over the analysis period.
Note: Market size and forecast figures in this report are generated using Mordor Intelligence’s proprietary estimation framework, updated with the latest available data and insights as of 2026.
South Africa Diabetes Care Drugs And Devices Market Trends and Insights
The continuous Glucose Monitoring Segment is Expected to Witness the Highest Growth Rate Over the Forecast Period
The continuous blood glucose monitoring segment is expected to register a CAGR of over 11.4% during the forecast period.
A continuous blood glucose monitor is an automatic blood glucose monitoring system consisting of a small device worn on the body and attached with an adhesive patch. The sensor portion of the device includes a cannula inserted into the top layer of the skin and uses a sample of interstitial fluid to check blood sugar levels. The sensor is connected to a transmitter that can transmit data wirelessly to a special mobile receiving device or smartphone. For diabetics, their caregivers, and the community, her use of CGM is beneficial in managing blood sugar and insulin levels to maintain good health. CGM makes blood sugar control much more accessible by reducing interruptions and allowing for better sleep. It also improves the mental health of patients and caregivers by reducing the overall mental burden associated with diabetes treatment, thereby improving the market prospects in the coming years.
Diabetes South Africa (DSA), Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes Association of South Africa (SEMDSA), and Diabetic Youth are various organizations in South Africa dedicated to helping people with diabetes. DSA is a non-profit organization that mobilises volunteers to seek better care for people with diabetes. The focus is on educating citizens and lobbying governments for better facilities and cheaper healthcare. In addition, SEMDSA studies the genetic causes and causes of diabetes. The organization also promotes high standards of care and facilitates access to medicines nationwide. These organizations encourage increased allocation of budgets to fund all aspects of diabetes care, limit out-of-pocket costs, and support the healthcare system, the organization responsible for reimbursement, to prevent increased patient spending. They are encouraged to provide a system for better coordination with the Council.
In addition, current continuous blood glucose monitors can display blood glucose trends by downloading data or providing real-time images of blood glucose levels via the receiver's display. The emergence of new technologies such as cell phone integration will likely make continuous blood glucose monitoring devices cheaper, boosting the field.
Rising diabetes prevalence
Rapid urbanization, characterized by unhealthy high-energy diets and lack of exercise, has contributed to the growing epidemic of obesity. This is especially true for overweight or obese South African women. Obesity is a major cause of the T2DM epidemic. In South Africa, obesity is estimated to account for 87% of T2DM cases. In addition, these studies reported higher rates of newly diagnosed diabetes and glucose intolerance, which are associated with her increased annual risk of developing T2DM.
One of the main goals of diabetes management is to maintain blood glucose levels within specific target ranges, which can be achieved through activity, lifestyle, and a balanced diet that includes diabetes medications. Blood glucose monitoring readings provide the information needed to determine the optimal diabetes management strategy. How often people with diabetes use insulin to check their blood sugar levels depends on several factors. Her type 2 diabetic, who does not use insulin, may not need to check her blood sugar regularly. However, structured self-monitoring can be helpful.
One of the most effective ways to reduce diabetes prevalence in South Africa is to educate the public and encourage sound decision-making. South Africa is currently working towards this goal. A recent preventative measure the South African government took was introducing a sugar tax. By imposing high prices on sugary drinks and foods, governments are fighting obesity and helping citizens make more informed choices. South Africa has launched a temporary Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). The DPP aims to integrate interventions into culturally relevant contexts through household surveys and group meetings with individuals at risk.
Therefore, the market studied is expected to grow during the analysis period due to the increasing penetration rate and the abovementioned factors.
Competitive Landscape
In order to survive in the market, manufacturers have constantly innovated. Large companies like Abbott and Medtronic have made numerous mergers, acquisitions and partnerships to gain market dominance while adhering to organic growth strategies. Manufacturers of insulin dosing devices spend a lot of money in R&D.
South Africa Diabetes Care Drugs And Devices Industry Leaders
Medtronics
Roche
NovoNordisk
Sanofi
Omnipod
- *Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order
Market Opportunities and Future Outlook
Public-sector prevention and screening programs create an access pathway for diabetes drugs and devices, and they also raise operational demands for scale. In the 2026/27 Budget (Vote 18, Health), National Treasury highlights a target of 105 million diabetes screenings over the MTEF period, which supports ongoing diagnosis, monitoring, and therapy adjustment across primary care. On the clinical side, South Africa shows a growth pocket in continuous glucose monitoring (CGM), and the market gap increasingly centers on linking monitoring to regimen optimization for insulin users and patients with high variability, rather than selling only meters and strips.
Supply security and affordability also shape opportunity across medicines and consumables. CCMDD decentralization efforts that route chronic medicines through pickup points such as retail pharmacies expand refill touchpoints and can improve continuity for insulin and oral anti-diabetes drugs, which supports steadier utilization of monitoring supplies and insulin delivery consumables. The Johannesburg Declaration for Accelerated Action on Diabetes in South Africa (13 April 2026) points to diabetes-related economic burden (including a cited R35 billion by 2030), reinforcing payer and policy focus on cost containment, adherence, and earlier intervention. Against this backdrop, manufacturer actions to localize insulin supply, and the entry of lower-cost GLP-1 options (authorized and generic semaglutide), intensify competition and create space for differentiated offerings in titration support, patient education, and pharmacy-led device services alongside core drug volumes.
Recent Industry Developments
- July 2026: Novo Nordisk announced an authorised, lower-cost version of semaglutide (Ozempic) for South Africa, developed with distribution support from Acino, with availability communicated for late July 2026. The announcement broadens access to GLP-1 therapy while also defending branded volumes against unregulated compounded supply and incoming generics.
- May 2026: Aspen Pharmacare reported the release of the first commercial batches of locally manufactured human insulin from its Gqeberha facility following a technology transfer arrangement with Novo Nordisk. Local production improves supply resilience for insulin therapies and reduces lead-time risk for the public and private channels that rely on consistent basal insulin availability.
- April 2024: SAHPRA issued a communication inviting expressions of interest for a medical device registration feasibility study, signaling continued implementation work on device registration processes. Clearer device registration pathways support manufacturer planning for glucose monitoring and insulin delivery device portfolios and can affect timelines for introducing upgraded CGM and pump technologies.
Research Methodology Framework and Report Scope
Market Definition and Coverage
This market covers the value of diabetes care medicines and diabetes-related devices sold in South Africa for diabetes treatment, glucose monitoring, and day-to-day management across the main care and pharmacy channels.
Scope exclusions: Weight management medicines used outside diabetes care sit outside the market scope.
Segmentation Overview
- Devices
- Monitoring Devices
- Self-monitoring Blood Glucose Devices
- Continuous Blood Glucose Monitoring
- Management Devices
- Insulin Pump
- Insulin Syringes
- Insulin Cartridges
- Disposable Pens
- Monitoring Devices
- Drugs
- Oral Anti-Diabetes Drugs
- Insulin Drugs
- Combination Drugs
- Non-Insulin Injectable Drugs
Data Sources, Market Sizing, and Validation
Desk Research
Desk research was used to map the demand pool and understand how diabetes care is delivered and funded across South Africa, before any modeling assumptions were locked. We leaned on public sources such as the World Health Organization, International Diabetes Federation, national health department publications, South Africa statistics releases, and customs trade data where it helped explain device and consumable flows.
After that, pricing and access signals were added using sources such as regulator and tender notices, peer-reviewed clinical guidance, and manufacturer annual reports and investor materials, along with credible press and association updates. Paid subscriptions were used selectively for company financials and intelligence, shipment-level import and export records, and patent databases where they helped confirm product activity. The sources listed here are illustrative and not exhaustive, and many other references were used for data collection, validation, and clarification.
Primary Interviews and Surveys
Primary discussions were used to test real purchasing and usage patterns for diabetes drugs and devices in South Africa, especially where public sources stop at high-level totals. We spoke with a mix of clinicians, pharmacists, distributors, and payor-linked stakeholders, so category splits, tender versus private pricing behavior, and adoption constraints could be checked and then reflected in the model.
Distribution of primary research fieldwork respondents
| Company type | Respondent position |
|---|---|
| Top tier: 30% | CXOs: 12% |
| Mid tier: 52% | Functional/Unit leaders: 30% |
| Smaller Players: 18% | Managers: 58% |
Market-Sizing & Forecasting
Sizing was built using top-down and bottom-up logic, where the starting point was the treated diabetes population and their expected therapy and device usage, which was then translated into value using realistic price bands. In the top-down build, diagnosed and treated counts, insulin versus non-insulin therapy mix, testing frequency, and device replacement cycles were used to reconstruct annual demand for key drug classes and device categories.
Those totals were then corroborated with selective bottom-up approximations, such as sampled volume-by-channel checks, pack and unit economics, and distributor feedback on category run-rates. When data was thin for smaller device subcategories, gaps were handled using proxy indicators like installed base, consumable pull-through, and formulary presence, and then cross-checked through follow-up questions.
For forecasting, scenario analysis was used around a steady base case, with inputs adjusted for diabetes prevalence trend, access expansion in funded care, currency-linked import cost pressure, and gradual shifts toward newer injectable therapies and monitoring formats. Assumptions were kept simple enough to repeat each year, and outlier changes were only carried forward when they matched multiple independent signals.
Data Validation & Update Cycle
Model outputs were validated using cross-checks against independent demand signals, such as treated patient counts, therapy mix, and device and consumable replenishment behavior, before numbers were signed off. Where splits or price points varied by source, variance checks were run, inputs were revisited, and selected experts were re-contacted when results moved outside expected ranges.
Reports are refreshed annually, with interim updates triggered by material events that can shift pricing, access, or category adoption. Before delivery, a final analyst review is completed so clients receive a current view that reconciles new data points with the established model steps.
Mordor Intelligence's South Africa Diabetes Care Drugs and Devices Market Size Versus Other Published Estimates
Published values for South Africa diabetes care drugs and devices can differ more than buyers expect, mainly because the scope line is not consistent and because pricing inputs are handled differently across sources. Some estimates start from treated patients and usage, while others lean more on broad revenue pools, which can pull in adjacent categories.
Weight management medicines used outside diabetes care sit outside Mordor Intelligence's scope, and that exclusion alone can lift totals in sources that bundle them into diabetes therapeutics. Differences also come from whether public-sector tender prices or private-channel price points are used, how device consumables are counted versus one-time hardware, and how often exchange-rate-sensitive assumptions are refreshed.
Benchmark comparison
| Source | Market Size | Gaps in Research Methodology |
|---|---|---|
| Mordor Intelligence | USD 0.51 B (2025) | |
| Industry Analytics Group A | USD 2.73 B (2022) | Uses an earlier year and appears to apply a broader therapeutics and devices envelope, which can pull in non-diabetes weight management therapies and wider self-care spending not tied to diabetes treatment and monitoring. |
| Healthcare Commentary B | USD 0.62 B (2024) | Leans on higher private-channel price points and does not clearly separate monitoring hardware from recurring consumables, which can lead to double-counting when testing frequency is also used as a multiplier. |
Across the three figures, the spread is mainly explained by what is counted as diabetes-related spend and how prices are normalized across public and private channels. Our method stays traceable to treated patients, typical usage cadence, and repeatable pricing steps, which helps keep updates consistent when conditions change.
Key Questions Answered in the Report
What is the current undefined size?
The undefined is projected to register a CAGR of 1.86% during the forecast period (2026-2031)
Who are the key players in undefined?
Medtronics, Roche, NovoNordisk, Sanofi and Omnipod are the major companies operating in the undefined.
What years does this undefined cover?
The report covers the undefined historical market size for years: 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024. The report also forecasts the undefined size for years: 2026, 2027, 2028, 2029, 2030 and 2031.
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