Brazil Posts Solid Increases in its Medical Equipment Market in 2020

April 23, 2021

With more than 6,400 hospitals, Brazil is Latin America’s largest hospital market, dwarfing the #2 market (Mexico, with 3,371 hospitals). Although hard-hit by the COVID crisis, in 2020 Brazil did not seem to post the surprising strong growth observed in Mexico, Chile and Argentina.

That said, given the size of the market and historical trends, Brazil’s 2020 growth was generally solid. In analyzing the final numbers on equipment counts that Global Health Intelligence (GHI) tracks for the HospiScope database, in 2020 Brazil boasted significant growth in different types of basic equipment:

Ventilators: 6.6% growth
EKG machines: 2.8% growth
Infusion pumps: 2.8% growth
X-ray machines: 0.5% growth
Ultrasound machines: 1.4% growth

The growth in ventilator count can be explained by the urgent needs arising out of the COVID-19 pandemic (13.9 million cases and more than 375,000 deaths as of mid-April 2021).

Certain categories of specialized equipment (detailed below) posted growth of the installed base amidst the pandemic, indicating that certain institutions still went ahead with their capital equipment expansion despite the uncertainty that loomed within the healthcare system.

Stereotactic mammography machines: 1.7% growth in Brazil in 2020
Angiograms: 1.4% growth in Brazil in 2020
MRI machines: 1.3% growth in Brazil in 2020
Hemodialysis machines: 1.2% growth in Brazil in 2020
Gamma cameras: 1.1% growth in Brazil in 2020
Bone densitometers: 1.1% growth in Brazil in 2020

Medical Equipment Market Growth in Brazil, 2019-2023

So will this relatively modest growth continue — or will we see even better (or worse?!) numbers in the near future? HospiRank 2020 report features growth projections for both basic and specialized medical equipment in Brazil through 2023. Here is a look at what to expect with the categories that posted increases in 2020, starting with basic equipment:

Ventilators: 9% CAGR in Brazil 2019-2023
EKG machines: 7% CAGR in Brazil 2019-2023
Infusion pumps: 6% CAGR in Brazil 2019-2023
X-ray machines: 2% CAGR in Brazil 2019-2023
Ultrasound machines: 6% CAGR in Brazil 2019-2023

For these types of basic equipment, forecasted growth is significantly stronger than the increases observed in 2020, indicating a recuperation of the industry will occur before year-end 2021.

With specialized medical equipment, the CAGR through 2023 is modest and similar to the increases noted in 2020 — a result of the fiscal contraction and financial challenges associated with financing capital-intensive equipment:

Stereotactic mammography machines: 1% CAGR in Brazil 2019-2023
Angiograms: 1% CAGR in Brazil 2019-2023
MRI machines: 2% CAGR in Brazil 2019-2023
Hemodialysis machines: 3% CAGR in Brazil 2019-2023
Gamma cameras: 1% CAGR in Brazil 2019-2023
Bone densitometers: 2% CAGR in Brazil 2019-2023

Going further

Contact us for a deeper dive into the medical equipment market in Brazil. HospiScope will reveal growth/contraction for dozens more types of equipment, along with the specific hospitals that are acquiring the most equipment. ShareScope can allow you to understand which companies have the highest market share in different areas, while SurgiScope allows you to gauge market demand by knowing which surgical procedures are the most popular. In-Scope can help you go deeper into Brazil or other markets to understand the specific demand drivers through a customized study. This can allow you to plan your strategy in Brazil even more effectively.

Finally, if you’re more interested in keeping up with changes with hospitals in Brazil or in 11 other markets, explore our Latin American Hospital Monitoring Service. Subscribing to this service gives you data updates every week on the hospitals in the LatAm country (countries) of your choice. You access the data using a Power BI platform that displays this fresh information in an easy-to-use format that make it ideal for your planning or presentation needs.

GHI Team