EU Contact Lens Market Reached 3,3B Units in 2015

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According to market research conducted by IndexBox, from 2007 to 2015, the EU contact lens market showed mixed dynamics. After a period of steady growth from 2007 to 2012, the market fluctuated wildly in the following years, totaling 3,330 million units in 2015. In value terms, the market decreased from 3,392 million EUR in 2007 to 1,833 million EUR in 2015.

Among the EU members, the countries with the highest demand were Germany (36%), the U.K. (31%), and Italy (10%). The highest levels of per capita contact lenses consumption among the leaders, were tracked in the U.K. and Germany. In addition, high consumption was also noted in Denmark, seventh amongst the leading consumers of contact lenses, with a share of 3%. On the contrary, in France, Poland and Spain, per capita consumption is much lower than the EU average.

In general, contact lens consumption is set to maintain steady, positive growth. The market's performance is expected to continue an upward trend, with an anticipated CAGR of +2.0% for the six-year period from 2015 to 2020, which is projected to lead the market volume to 3,702 million units by the end of 2020.

Almost half the trade conducted was between the EU Member States. The share of extra-EU imports in terms of consumption stood about 48% (based on units) in 2015. On the other hand, the extra-EU exports share in terms of production stood at 73% in 2015. The fact is the EU sends a major part of its output to foreign markets, while the domestic market is supplied with products from outside the EU.

In 2015, exports accounted for 97% of EU contact lens output. A sharp rise in exports was registered over the period under review. Due to the high concentration of contact lens manufacture within the EU and the emphasis on exports, imports and exports remain vital factors influencing EU market dynamics in the medium term. Ireland and the U.K. were the EU's strongest suppliers of contact lenses, with a combined total exports share of 82% in 2015.

In 2015, the U.K. (46%), Belgium and Italy (11% respectively) were the main destination countries for contact lens imports. About 21% of imports came from outside the Union. In 2015, the extra-imports value for contact lenses was 423 million USD, a fall of 3% on the previous year.

The EU was a net exporter of contact lenses (based on extra-EU trade) over the period under review. Moreover, exports grew faster than imports, on average, from 2007 to 2015.

Do you want to know more about the EU contact lens market? Get the latest trends and insight from our report. It includes a wide range of statistics on

• contact lens market share
• contact lens prices
• contact lens industry
• contact lens sales
• contact lens market forecast
• contact lens price forecast
• key contact lens producers

Source: EU: Contact Lenses - Market Report. Analysis And Forecast To 2025