The stabilisation of the Iraqi dinar in 2023 and rising local production led to price drops across consumer health in 2023, boosting demand across the board. Tighter regulation and more control over imports benefited the industry generally, while the shift towards self-diagnosis and self-treatment also are also pushing demand.
While some improvements have been seen in the security situation in Iraq in recent years, during 2023 the political situation remains somewhat unstable, despite the formation of a new government in late 2022. Despite the best efforts of the new government, there are still many political challenges that continue to inhibit the government in its efforts to address the many structural issues that continue to plague Iraqi society.
The most important trend likely Iraq’s consumer health market in recent years has been the shift towards self-diagnosis and self-treatment. In general, consumers are becoming more assertive and confident about using online information to self-diagnosis and treat a variety of ailments without feeling the need to consult a doctor or visit a hospital or healthcare clinic.
The privatisation of the Iraqi healthcare sector has left many consumers struggling to pay their medical bills. While public sector of care is still available, a lack of funding and rampant corruption at all levels mean that resources are often scant and this is putting huge pressure on the ability of the public healthcare sector to cater to the needs of the population at a time when demand for healthcare is rapidly increasing.
Faced with a proliferation of company’s offering consumer health products, the government of the KRG recently set new policies to reduce the increasingly large number of the suppliers in the consumer health market. The KRG government has also initiated a programme of health and quality control measures on all importers of consumer health products and these measures are likely to mean that only companies of a certain size will be able to remain competitive in the market.
Iraq has two separate institutions that regulate the importation of OTC consumer health products; one located in Baghdad that controls regulation in Iraq; and the other located in Erbil, which controls regulation in the KRG. For a long time, there was good coordination between these two bodies.
As with OTC products, there are two separate institutions that set and enforce the rules relating to the importation of vitamins and dietary supplements in Iraq: one located in Baghdad that controls these functions in Iraq; and another located in Erbil, which controls these functions in the KRG. The satisfactory coordination that previously existed between these two bodies no longer applies and has given way to a confusing system under which neither organisation is willing to accept the documents of the other.
Iraq’s consumer health history is expected to continue recording positive growth during the forecast period, with population growth and spreading affluence due to the buoyant global oil price and greater peace and stability throughout the country set to underpin a favourable performance across all areas of consumer health. The essential nature of many OTC medicines and the fact that significant numbers of consumers depend on a wide range of consumer products is expected to prove crucial as high inflation erodes consumer purchasing power, forcing many less affluent consumers to focus their spending on essential categories.
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Understand the latest market trends and future growth opportunities for the Consumer Health industry in Iraq with research from Euromonitor International's team of in-country analysts – experts by industry and geographic specialisation.
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Consumer Health
It is the aggregation of OTC, Vitamins and Dietary Supplements (VDS), Sports Nutrition, and Weight Management and Wellbeing
See All of Our DefinitionsThis report originates from Passport, our Consumer Health research and analysis database.
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