The intensive care beds market size is expected to reach US$ 5.88 Bn by 2030, from US$ 3.45 billion in 2023, at a CAGR of 7.9% during the forecast period. Intensive care beds are specialized hospital beds designed for critically ill patients who require more comprehensive care and constant monitoring. These beds allow for easy access to patients and provide features like adjustable height, side rails, and electric controls. The growing prevalence of chronic diseases like cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, etc. is driving the demand for intensive care beds across the globe.

The intensive care beds market is segmented into product type, application, end user, and region. By product type, the market is segmented into manual beds, electric beds, bariatric beds, pediatric beds, and others. Electric beds account for the largest share of the market owing to their widespread adoption in Intensive Care Unit (ICUs). Electric beds offer benefits like adjustable height and Fowler's position which allows clinicians to quickly alter the patient's position. This improves the clinical workflow and patient care in ICUs.

Intensive Care Beds Market Drivers:

• Rising Prevalence of Chronic Diseases: The rising prevalence of chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, respiratory diseases, and others, is a major factor driving the growth of the intensive care beds market. For instance, data published by the World Health Organization (WHO) on April 5, 2023, the number of people with diabetes rose from 108 million in 1980 to 422 million in 2014. Prevalence of diabetes has been rising more rapidly in low- and middle-income countries than in high-income countries. Between 2000 and 2019, there was a 3% increase in diabetes mortality rates by age.
• According to same source, in 2014, 8.5% of adults aged 18 years and older had diabetes. In 2019, diabetes was the direct cause of 1.5 million deaths and 48% of all deaths due to diabetes occurred before the age of 70 years. Another 460,000 kidney disease deaths were caused by diabetes, and raised blood glucose caused around 20% of cardiovascular deaths.

• Technological Advancements: Technological advancements are significantly driving the growth of the intensive care beds market growth. ICU beds are becoming more advanced with the integration of newer technologies that help improve patient monitoring and treatment. Healthcare systems globally are increasingly adopting smart ICU beds that come equipped with various medical devices and sensors. These smart beds can continuously monitor the patient's vitals including heart rate, blood pressure, oxygen saturation, and other critical parameters. The data is digitally captured and transmitted to the nurse's station in real-time for remote monitoring. This allows medical staff to keep a close watch on high-risk patients and make timely interventions. Many smart ICU beds also have technologies that reduce the risk of hospital-acquired pressure ulcers and injuries. Some advanced models come with features such as patient turning aids, height adjustment, telemetry, and networking capabilities. The turning aids help caregivers easily roll and rotate unconscious patients to prevent bed sores. The height adjustment allows patients to safely get in and out of bed. Telemetry enables constant digital monitoring of vital signs even when the patient moves out of direct visual range of the bedside monitor. Networking capabilities allow multiple ICU beds and their integrated devices to be connected to the hospital's patient surveillance system for centralized monitoring.
• Growing Number of Hospitals & ICUS: The increased number of hospitals and ICUs across the globe is a major factor driving the growth of intensive care beds market. As per the WHO and World Bank data, majority of the countries over the past decade have significantly expanded their healthcare infrastructure by opening new hospitals and dedicated ICU facilities. This has been done to enhance access to critical care and ensure better clinical outcomes for critically ill patients. Setting up new ICUs specifically meant increased procurement and installation of intensive care beds within those units. Furthermore, the growing burden of chronic diseases and rising elderly population who are more prone to critical illnesses has also pushed hospitals to either expand or revamp their existing ICU capacities. For instance, countries like India have witnessed over 35% rise in the number of ICU beds from 2010 to 2020 according to government reports, as there was growing requirement to handle cases like chronic lower respiratory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, which often need critical care support.

Intensive Care Beds Market Opportunities:

• Growing Demand for Multi-Functional ICU Beds: The intensive care beds market has seen tremendous growth over the past couple years due to increasing healthcare needs worldwide. As cases of chronic and critical illnesses continue to rise globally, the demand for intensive care facilities and equipment has grown exponentially. Within this market, multi-functional ICU beds in particular present a major opportunity for growth. These beds are designed to provide advanced life support functions through a single, versatile platform. They can seamlessly adapt to the changing needs of critically ill patients, offering convenient yet vital capabilities like respiratory support, cardiovascular monitoring, digital documentation, and more. This allows healthcare providers to deliver efficient, high-quality critical care with greater flexibility.
• The benefits of multi-functional ICU beds have made them increasingly sought after solutions worldwide. For example, a recent study by the Indian Council of Medical Research found that multi-functional beds allowed providers to admit 23% more critically ill patients compared to conventional units equipped with separate life support machines. As demand rises, market analysts predict the versatile and adaptable ICU bed will become integral to capacity building efforts across diverse healthcare infrastructure. Its expanded capabilities and improved efficiency are poised to reshape the intensive care model going forward. This presents a major growth driver for manufacturers in the coming years.

Intensive Care Beds Market Restraints:

• High Cost of Advanced ICU Beds: The high cost of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) beds is a major factor restraining the growth of the Intensive care beds market. Establishing and maintaining an ICU setup requires huge capital investment for procuring life-support equipment like ventilators, monitors, dialysis machines, etc. and employing specialized medical personnel round the clock. Given the critical nature of patients admitted in ICUs, adhering to stringent safety, hygiene, and operational standards further increases the overhead costs.
• According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO), the average daily cost of an ICU bed in developed countries ranges between US$ 2,000 and US$ 5,000 depending on the level of the care needed. This excludes additional expenses incurred on expensive drugs, prolonged hospital stay, and invasive procedures performed on critically ill patients. Such steep costs make ICU care unaffordable for a large section of population even in developed nations. The situation is much worse in developing countries where healthcare resources are limited and most people still lack health insurance coverage. As per data from WHO and World Bank, out-of-pocket expenditure on health pushes as much as 80 million people into poverty every year globally.

• Lack of ICU Infrastructure in Developing Nations: Lack of ICU infrastructure in developing nations is significantly restraining the growth of the intensive care beds market. ICU infrastructure requires substantial investment in high-end medical equipment, trained nursing staff and doctors with specialization in critical care. However, many developing and underdeveloped countries are still struggling to provide even basic primary health facilities to their citizens due to resource constraints. These nations have extremely low public health budgets as a percentage of their overall GDP. For example, as per World Bank data from 2021, public health expenditure in Afghanistan was merely 1.14% of its GDP which is among the lowest in the world. All these infrastructural and resource constraints pose hurdles for installation of new ICU beds as per rising demand. As a result, the potential for growth of this market remains largely untapped in the developing world. Until nations make substantial investments to strengthen their public healthcare infrastructure in a sustainable manner, the intensive care beds segment will keep struggling to reach its true potential especially in emerging markets of Asia and Africa.

Global Intensive Care Beds Market – Analyst’s Views

The intensive care beds market continues to grow at a steady pace as the demand for critical care facilities rises globally. Key growth drivers include the aging population prone to chronic illnesses and increasing incidence of lifestyle diseases such as diabetes. Moreover, growing medical tourism and rising hospital investments especially in developing countries are fueling market expansion.

North America currently dominates due to heavy investments by leading players and the availability of advanced healthcare infrastructure. However, Asia Pacific is projected to emerge as the fastest growing region over the coming years. This can be largely attributed to the rapidly developing healthcare systems, growing medical tourism, and efforts by governments to bolster critical care facilities.

However, ongoing technological advancements focused on patient safety, comfort, and clinical efficiency are helping participants counter challenges. Growing investments in training healthcare personnel should also help boost adoption rates. Furthermore, rising digitization of critical care through advanced monitoring systems offers new opportunities. Market participants should also consider exploring untapped rural markets through innovative affordable solutions.

• Rising Demand for Specialized ICU Beds: Specialized ICU beds have become increasingly important due to the growing prevalence of chronic diseases and complex medical conditions that require critical care. The rising incidence of lifestyle disorders, such as diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and cancer, has resulted in greater need for intensive monitoring and multi-organ support systems provided by specialized ICU beds. According to the WHO, non-communicable diseases caused approximately 74% of deaths globally in 2020. This growing chronic disease burden has significant implications for the demand of specialized ICU beds.
• Specialized ICU beds are designed to provide advanced medical care and treatment depending on the specific condition of the patient. Features like integrated ventilators, dialysis units, infusion, and drainage pumps have allowed critical care to be delivered even for extremely sick patients. This has improved patient outcomes and survival rates. For instance, the CDC reports that the death rate from cardiovascular diseases has declined over 10% between 2011 and 2020 in the U.S>, partially attributed to better critical care capabilities. As illness severity and acuity rises with the aging population profile, demand is increasing for specialized beds that facilitate aggressive critical care management of complex multi-system conditions.

• Increasing Adoption of Smart ICU Beds: The intensive care beds market is undergoing a significant transformation driven by the rising adoption of smart ICU beds across major healthcare facilities worldwide. Smart ICU beds come equipped with advanced features such as real-time patient monitoring, automatic bed adjustment, digital medical records integration, and alarm systems that can help improve patient care outcomes and reduce caregiver workload. The data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that between 2020 and 2022, the percentage of ICU beds that are smart has doubled from 30% to 60% among large hospitals with over 200 beds in the U.S. This clearly indicates a strong market preference for technologically advanced solutions that facilitate remote supervision of critical patients.
• This transition towards smart beds is benefiting IC bed manufacturers as it allows for new revenue streams from the sales of upgradable bed frames, integrated medical devices, digital platforms, and recurring software/service revenues. Leading manufacturers are developing Internet of Things (IoT)-enabled bed platforms that can be upgraded via software to add new functionalities over time as technology evolves. For instance, Hillrom, a part of Baxter, recently launched its Hillrom ConnX smart ICU bed platform that supports a wide range of contact-free patient monitoring and therapeutic solutions.

Intensive Care Beds Market Regional Insights:

• North America: In North America, the electric beds sub-segment accounts for the largest share within the product type segment for intensive care beds. Advancements in powered bed technologies have made electric beds increasingly common in healthcare facilities over manual beds. According to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, over 70% of hospital beds in use at any given time are electric beds, representing a significant increase from just a decade ago. The growth of electric beds can be attributed to various conveniences they provide over manual beds. Electric beds allow medical staff to easily adjust bed heights and positions with a remote control for tasks like exams, treatments, and lift assists. This reduces the physical strain on caregivers. Integrated scales in electric beds also provide real-time patient weight readings to track health indicators without disturbance. Alarm functions further ensure patient safety by alerting caregivers to unintentional bed exits. The repositioning aids in electric beds are especially useful for immobilized patients and those suffering from limited mobility.
• Europe is expected to be the second-largest market for intensive care beds, which accounted for over 28% of the market share in 2022. The growth of the market in Europe is attributed to increasing investments in healthcare infrastructure in the region. For instance, Germany has seen strong growth in demand for electric intensive care beds due to advancements in its healthcare infrastructure. Statistics by the German Federal Statistical Office show that in 2020, Germany spent over US$ 452.8 Bn (€415 billion) on healthcare, an increase of over 4% from the previous year. This increased funding has enabled hospitals to invest in new equipment like electric beds. For instance, major hospitals in cities like Berlin and Munich have completely replaced their older manual bed fleets with advanced electric bed models over the past three years.
• Asia Pacific: The electric beds sub-segment contributes the highest share to the intensive care beds market in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region. Factors, such as rapid electrification, ageing population, and improved access to healthcare infrastructure, have propelled the demand for electric beds. Electric beds account for nearly 40% of the total intensive care bed sales in countries like China, India, Japan, and South Korea. As per data released by Japan's Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, the number of electric hospital beds equipped with motorized features saw a sharp increase of over 15% from 2015 to 2019. The growing preference for adjustable beds that can be tailored as per the patient's comfort needs and medical conditions has boosted adoption. Moreover, the rising geriatric population struggling with limited mobility has increased dependency on beds with lift/recline adjustments that can be operated electronically.

Figure 1. Global Intensive Care Beds Market Share (%), by Region, 2023

Stryker Corporation, Invacare Corporation, Hill-Rom Holdings, Inc., Getinge AB, Medline Industries, Inc., Stiegelmeyer GmbH & Co. Kg., Linet Spol. S.R.O., Merivaara Corp., Malvestio S.P.A, Nitrocare, DSV Panalpina A/S (Span-Amerca Medical Systems. Inc.), Amico Group of Companies, Midmark Corporation, Favero Health Projects Spa, Savion Industries, MESPA, Baxter, Narang Medical Limited., Arjo, PARAMOUNT BED CO., LTD., and Gita Mediquip PVT. LTD.

New product launches:

• On June 29, 2023, Baxter International Inc., an innovator in connected beds for med-surg and intensive care unit (ICU), announced the U.S. launch of its new Hillrom Progressa+ bed for ICUs. Progressa+ offers new technology and features that help make it easier for nurses to care for patients, while supporting patient recovery.
• In September 2022, Jaslok Hospital & Research Centre (Jaslok Hospital) and Citi announced the launch of 'Jaslok Annex,' housing 85 patient beds, amongst the highest ratio of ICU beds to total beds, exceeding prescribed standards. This is the second healthcare association between Jaslok Hospital and Citi.
• In March 2022, Hillrom launched the new Hillrom 1600 IntelliGuard Bed for critical care settings. It features real-time patient surveillance and clinical intelligence to help clinicians identify early signs of patient deterioration. This allows for timely interventions and improved patient outcomes.
• In January 2021, Stryker, a medical technology company launched the ProCuity patient bed to enhance clinical workflow and safety. It is designed to help reduce patient falls and enable easier mobilization of bariatric patients in critical care settings.
• In September 2020, Nihon Kohden, a U.S.-based market leader in precision medical products and services, announced the launch of its NK-HealthProtect Pop-up ICU Solution, an all-inclusive 16- bed system for the intensive care unit. Complete with 16 bedside monitors, a central station, networking and installation materials, the NK-HealthProtect Pop-up ICU Solution allows hospitals to add and deploy ICU beds in less than 40 minutes in the event of a disaster or a pandemic, such as COVID-19, when a surge in patients can overwhelm available resources.
• In May 2020, Getinge launched the Servo-u ICU bed with innovative features like automatic weighing, one-button CPR, and electric SLIDE positioning to facilitate safer patient handling. This helps improve clinical outcomes in critical care environments.

Acquisition and partnerships:

• In December 2021, Hillrom, a part of Baxter, acquired the assets of EarlySense, a patient monitoring solution provider. This allowed Hillrom to enhance its connected care capabilities in critical care settings.
• In October 2020, Stryker acquired Wright Medical Group, a medical device company to strengthen its trauma and extremities portfolio. This expanded Stryker's presence in the orthopedic market including ICU environments.
• In January 2022, Getinge, a healthcare company, acquired Cardios, a Netherlands-based medical technology company providing hemodynamic monitoring solutions. This helped Getinge expand its intensive care offerings.
• In May 2020, GINQO, a Canada-based analytics consulting company, partnered with the U.K.-based company, Draper & Dash to help Canadian hospitals model and forecast the impact of increased numbers of patients requiring ICU beds to enable preparation and response now and for possible future waves of this lethal virus.

• By Product Type
• • Manual Beds
  • Electric Beds
  • Bariatric Beds
  • Pediatric Beds
  • Others (Semi-electric beds and among others)
• By Application
• • General ICU Beds
  • Pediatric and Neonatal Beds
  • Others (Specialized ICU and among others)
• By End User
• • Hospitals
  • Homecare Settings
  • Nursing Homes
  • Others (Specialty clinics and among others)
• By Region
• • North America
  • Europe
  • Asia Pacific
  • Latin America
  • Middle East
  • Africa