South Africa In-Vitro Diagnostics Market Size

South Africa In-Vitro Diagnostics (IVD) Market Analysis

The South Africa In-Vitro Diagnostics Market size is estimated at USD 1.46 billion in 2024, and is expected to reach USD 1.87 billion by 2029, growing at a CAGR of 5.01% during the forecast period (2024-2029).

The COVID-19 pandemic turned the spotlight on in-vitro diagnostics since there was an increasing demand for IVD kits and reagents for the rapid and accurate diagnosis of SARS-CoV2 virus infection among the global population. The outbreak of COVID-19 positively impacted the market studied, as in-vitro diagnostics involved the testing of various biological samples. This aided in the diagnosis of infectious diseases, such as COVID-19. Testing remained a crucial step in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic. Also, the rapid launch of diagnostic kits for the diagnosis of COVID-19 by key players is drove the studied market during the pandemic. For instance, according to the data by WHO in February 2022, WHO increased the number of laboratories able to detect COVID-19 from two to more than 900 and bolstered genetic sequencing efforts in Africa through several initiatives including setting up the Regional Centre of Excellence for Genomic Surveillance and Bioinformatics in South Africa in collaboration with South African National Bioinformatics Institute (SANBI) at the University of Western Cape. These efforts led to more than 7500 samples being sequenced every month in southern Africa, and led to more than 54% increase in sequencing data on the continent. Hence, the COVID-19 pandemic posed a favorable impact on the market initially, and as the pandemic subsided the market lost some traction. However it is expected to have a stable growth during the forecast period of the study.

The In-vitro Diagnostics market in South Africa is expected to grow at a good rate over the forecast period. This growth is majorly attributed to the rising burden of chronic diseases and infectious diseases in South Africa, increasing the use of point-of-care diagnostics in the country, and technological advancements that are being done in the diagnostics market. According to an article published by PubMed Central in July 2022, the national prevalence of HIV in South Africans was 14.0% across all ages, and it is estimated that around 7.9 million people are affected with the virus. As HIV affected people are more prone to various chronic and infectious diseases, the demand of in-vitro diagnostics products is expected to be high in the country for the diagnosis and monitoring purpose. In addition, according to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) 2021 report, the estimated number of South African adults of age 20-79 years with diabetes is expected to increase from 4.2 million in 2021 to 7.5 million by 2045. Therefore, due to the high and increasing burden of diseases, the in-vitro diagnostics market is expected to grow over the forecast period with the increase in demand for the in-vitro tests and diagnostics products in South Africa.

Additionally, the current market is also growing due to the use of advanced technologies in the IVD market. There has been a paradigm shift from traditional diagnostics to a new generation of diagnostics that work at the gene level. This was made possible by the inclusion of advanced technologies, such as genetic testing, molecular diagnostics, polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and next-generation sequencing (NGS) in the IVD platform.

Also, the increasing product launches with advanced features are expected to drive the studied market. In January 2021, local biotech startup BioCODE, headquartered in Cape Town, started developing a cost-effective test to identify early-stage cancer and cardiovascular disease. In addition, the rapid test will determine an individual's risk for the development of the above-mentioned diseases. By the end of 2022, this test is anticipated to be implemented throughout the nation.

Thus, above mentioned factors are expected to drive the market during study period. However the reimbursement issues and the high cost associated with the advanced IVD devices are expected to restrain the growth of the in-vitro diagnostics market in South Africa.