The COVID-19 pandemic was a defining moment for diagnostic testing, reshaping how consumers engage with healthcare. At the height of the pandemic, at-home PCR tests became a lifeline, enabling people to screen and monitor their health without leaving the safety of their homes.
The widespread acceptance of these tests was solidified in 2022 and has benefited the category as a whole, increasing comfort using various diagnostic tests and propelling the development of testing and applications, which shows no signs of slowing down.
Several long-term trends, including rising healthcare costs, accessibility concerns, population changes and technological advancements, are shaping the future of at-home diagnostics. To seize opportunities in this rapidly growing market, companies must address accuracy concerns and expand their test applications. This includes developing patient-centric kits that enable seamless remote interactions between patients and providers, as well as consumer-focused kits designed to enhance performance and optimize outcomes.
This report looks at the following areas:
- Market drivers and dynamics impacting self diagnostics
- Self diagnostic usage and interest
- Self diagnostic acquisition location
- Perceived benefits and reasons for use
- Frustrations and barriers to use
- Attitudes toward health data
- Attitudes toward innovation and health
- Innovation and marketing activity
The pandemic gave the self diagnostic market a chance to flourish. A desire for healthier and longer lives will shift focus to proactive health management.
Rebecca Watters, Associate Director, Household & Health
Market Definitions
The self diagnostics market is defined as any product, device or test that is used by the consumer, without medical or professional assistance, to identify or monitor a specific health condition. This includes chemically based at-home testing kits or urine tests and electronic devices, such as monitors or meters.
This Report discusses testing devices and kits including:
- blood glucose monitors
- blood pressure monitors
- lancet/devices
- urine tests/kits
- allergies
- blood cholesterol
- body fat
- coagulation test kits
- cystic fibrosis
- dietary or vitamin deficiencies
- fecal test kits to identify bowel disorders
- genetics (including paternity tests)
- H. pylori
- male fertility testing
- Osteoporosis
- Peak flow meters to identify asthma and lung disorders
Excluded from this Report are tests carried out by hospitals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists or other healthcare workers. Also excluded are devices such as scales, which are used solely to measure weight and other physical measuring devices, such as thermometers.
Collapse All
-
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
- What you need to know
- Market predictions
- What consumers want & why
- Opportunities
-
Market Dynamics
- Market context
- Market drivers
- Diagnostics are an attractive alternative amid climbing healthcare costs
- Ageing population will exacerbate healthcare issues
- Graph 1: population by age, 2018-28
- Regulatory changes set to impact various aspects of device industry
- Regulatory changes must adapt to changing technology
-
CONSUMER INSIGHTS
- Consumer fast facts
- Self diagnostic usage and interest
- Adoption trends align with shifts in personalized healthcare
- Graph 2: interest in home diagnostic tools, 2025
- Graph 3: usage of home diagnostic tools, 2025
- Self diagnostics represent fertile ground for reproductive care innovation
- Graph 4: usage and interest in fertility tests, by gender and age, 2025
- Ro among the many tapping into fertility market
- Hormone health top of mind for younger women
- Graph 5: usage and interest in hormone tests, by gender and age, 2025
- Self diagnostics present a complex picture for access to healthcare
- Graph 6: usage of home diagnostic tools – net, by household income, 2025
- Self diagnostic acquisition location
- Drug stores maintain the leading position
- Graph 7: acquisition location of home diagnostic tools, 2025
- Consumers shop around for their diagnostic needs
- The landscape is getting more crowded
- Graph 8: acquisition location of diagnostic tools, by age, 2025
- Perceived benefits and reasons for use
- Consumers are taking health into their own hands
- Graph 9: perceived benefits and reasons for use, 2025
- Collaborate with medical professionals to expand reach
- Graph 10: select reasons for use, by age, 2025
- For parents, generational health is wealth
- Graph 11: reasons for use – future health, by parental status, 2025
- Support Gen Z and Millennials’ healthy ageing ambitions
- Graph 12: select reasons for use, by generation, 2025
- Bridge the gap between today and tomorrow by offering multiple benefits
- Frustrations and barriers to use
- Address lingering concerns
- Graph 13: frustrations and barriers to use, 2025
- For women, clinical value is critical
- Don’t stop short: pair data with guidance
- Graph 14: frustrations – implementing test results, by age, 2025
- Offer streamlined, 360° comprehensive care
- Diagnostics fuel shift toward accessible care, but also risk exacerbating existing health disparities
- Graph 15: select frustrations and barriers to use, by financial situation, 2025
- Graph 16: select frustrations and barriers to use, by education, 2025
- Attitudes toward health data
- Data sharing remains a challenge for effective integration into healthcare
- Graph 17: attitudes toward health data, 2025
- 23andMe bankruptcy raises new concerns around data privacy
- Assuage women’s concerns with absolute data privacy
- Create a trusting environment
- Graph 18: select attitudes toward health data, by gender and generation, 2025
- Attitudes toward innovation and health
- A new paradigm in personalized healthcare
- Graph 19: attitudes toward innovation and health, 2025
- Meet evolving expectations of personalization
- Integrate with wearables to expand and strengthen capabilities
- Out-of-pocket payments limit consumer appetite for self diagnostics
- Graph 20: attitudes toward diagnostic costs, by household income, 2025
- In doctors, consumers trust
-
INNOVATION AND MARKETING STRATEGIES
- Launch activity and innovation
- Diagnostics fertile ground for reproductive care innovation
- Fertility space: equality, empathy and education is crucial
- Emerging technologies can address health data silos
- Anticipate more brands leveraging AI to enhance diagnostic outcomes
- Hims & Hers strengthens position with diagnostic acquisition
- Diagnostics for mental health on the horizon
- Design with empathy to reduce apprehension
-
APPENDIX
- Market definition
- Consumer research questions
- Consumer research methodology
- Generations
- Abbreviations and terms
Mintel: Market Intelligence Made Easier
The first Mintel Market Intelligence report was published over 50 years ago. Since then, we have provided our unique insights and understanding of consumers, innovation and global markets to thousands of customers worldwide. Here’s why our customers rely on Mintel:
- Gain a comprehensive, 360-degree view of the market: Mintel reports blend consumer research, market forecasts, product innovation tracking, and competitive analysis, allowing businesses to see every angle of their industry and identify new opportunities quickly.
- Make decisions with confidence, grounded in robust data: Each report draws on up-to-date, reliable information from trusted sources and industry experts, ensuring your strategies are based on solid evidence rather than speculation.
- Benefit from expert analysis and practical recommendations: Mintel’s reports are written by experienced analysts who interpret complex data and provide clear, actionable insights you can trust to guide your next moves.
- Stay ahead with actionable intelligence on market trends and consumer behaviour: By combining fresh research with long-term market monitoring, our reports help businesses anticipate changes and adapt strategically. So you’re prepared to make informed decisions and drive growth.
What goes into a Mintel Market Intelligence Report?
Curious about how a Market Intelligence report comes together? We like to think of it as building a detailed puzzle. We start with individual pieces: data from consumers, market statistics, industry trends, and online conversations. Then our expert analysts add world-class human insight and industry knowledge. The pieces are assembled to reveal a clear, comprehensive picture of a market.
The Four Pillars of Our Research
We use a combination of four main research methods when creating our reports, each adding a valuable perspective:
- Consumer Research: Direct surveys with real people, giving us clear, current insights into what people think and do.
- Desk Research: In-depth review of trusted data sources. We use this rich database, plus powerful internal tools that track new products and market sizes, to detect trends and guide forecasts.
- Trade Research: Insights from conversations with industry experts. Their real-world experience helps us understand what’s happening behind the scenes.
- Brand and Social Media Research: Analysis of online opinions and trends. This lets us spot trends, measure brand sentiment, and capture feedback in real time, adding further depth to our research.
Bringing It All Together
Each of these four pillars provides a different piece of the puzzle. Consumer research tells us what customers think, desk research provides the factual framework, trade research offers an insider’s view, and social media analysis reveals public sentiment.
Our expert analysts are skilled in weaving these diverse data streams together. They apply a range of quantitative and qualitative analysis techniques to uncover the deeper story, connecting the dots to deliver clear, actionable insights. This comprehensive, multi-layered process is how we transform raw data into a market intelligence report you can trust to inform your most important business decisions.
For a closer look at a Mintel Market Intelligence Report, take a look at the sample PDF report below:
Please Note: All of the figures, graphs, and tables in this sample report have been redacted.
£ 3,695 (Excl.Tax)
-
Download today with instant access
Pay via credit card or purchase order
-
Multiple formats provided
We send a PDF, Powerpoint and Excel Databook straight to your inbox. An interactive version of the report is also available on our online platform
-
Interactive databook included
Focus on the data that matters most to you with a customisable databook avaliable on our platform
-
Save 10% on all orders with the code INSIGHTS2026
Offer available until the end of December only
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn moreTrusted by global industry leaders
When I’m investigating specific sectors I tend to use Mintel reports for their forecasting, which I’ve always found to be very accurate.
They also offer really broad and deep coverage in their reports. They are very, very detailed. For example, we were able to gain insight across a wide range of business areas from just one report, proving that Mintel is excellent value for money.
So overall, it’s the level of detail and the quality of forecasting that really stand out for me.
Rebecca Green, Market Insight Manager, Wincanton
Mintel is really good for getting a handle on a particular category quickly. If we are working on a new business pitch in an area we don’t have much experience in, it’s a brilliant way to get up to speed with what’s going on, what’s changing and what the key trends are in any category.
It’s very rare now that anyone will plough through a 200-page report – that’s why the summaries are really useful. We know they are backed up by a lot of detail, so if you need to go into something in more depth you know the information will be all there for you.
Pauline Robson, Managing Partner, Mediacom
We use Mintel Reports, mostly for financial services and ecommerce markets, plus a few retail and technology ones.
As a leading payments provider, we value additional insights into consumer behaviour, opinions and trends that are shaping the many different markets we operate in. Mintel is a very good and very quick way for us to obtain those insights.
We use Mintel to get a view on where a particular market is going, which can support us in product development and help us identify opportunities or indeed risks, it is a very useful barometer of a market’s potential.
Andrew Neeson, Market Intelligence Manager, VocaLink
We have such a great working relationship with Mintel on lots of different levels. As an insight partner, they have helped us to develop our business planning in specific categories as well as supporting our creative process but they’ve also been super helpful with facilitating our events in their inspirational offices near St Paul’s.
They’re an innovative company, with a client-focused team that always delivers.
Abby Carvosso, Group Managing Director, Bauer Media Group
We utilize Mintel Reports, Trends and Comperemedia to mine for insights across the numerous business verticals that Epsilon serves, such as CPG, automotive, telecom, healthcare/pharma, retail and financial services.
By integrating Mintel insight into new business opportunities, we have been able to gain the competitive edge necessary to advance partnerships with global brands and key business players.
For our organization, it’s about depth and breadth. Having one without the other doesn’t enable success in our business.
Virginia Harvey, Secondary Research Manager, Epsilon
Next Starts Here
Whatever your business needs, we have the solution. From market intelligence reports to customised growth strategies.
Learn more
