Conor Stewart
Research expert covering health & pharmaceuticals in the UK & Europe
In vitro diagnostics - statistics & facts
In vitro diagnostics (IVD) are tests which are carried out on samples taken from the body. Diagnostics is one of the most important parts of healthcare and IVDs can detect a range of conditions, diseases, and infections. The devices which make up the IVD industry can also range from small, simple tests which can be used in the home to complex laboratory appliances. Within the medical technology industry as a whole, IVD was the segment with the largest share of revenue as it accounted for over 18 percent of the total global revenue in the industry.
COVID-19 effect
The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in a huge demand for tests which could quickly and reliably detect the virus. Tests for COVID-19 normally use a sample of mucus taken from either the nose or throat. The pandemic affected years of 2020 and 2021 saw the worldwide revenue of the industry increase significantly. In 2019, worldwide revenue, after years of steady growth, was 63 billion U.S. dollars. In 2020, revenue jumped to 76 billion U.S. dollars before increasing again in 2021 to 100 billion U.S. dollars. The two most common types of COVID-19 tests on the market are PCR tests and antigen tests (also known as rapid tests). PCR tests take longer to provide a result, sometimes 24 hours or longer, while antigen tests can be used and provide a result in as short as 15 minutes. PCR tests are regarded as more accurate, but rapid test kits offer more convenience.European market
Germany had the largest IVD market size in Europe in 2021 at over 6.3 billion euros. France followed with a market size of 2.6 billion euros. While Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom all had over one billion euros in IVD market size. However, in per capita terms Switzerland had the highest spend with around 89 euros spent per person on IVD. As was the case across the world, 2020 and 2021 saw huge rises in the European market for IVD, with the market growing by 25 and then 44 percent compared to the preceding year.
