Bariatric surgery, often known as weight loss surgery, is a type of surgery that involves a minimally invasive surgical procedure to treat obesity. The goal of bariatric surgery is to help people lose weight by reducing the size of their stomach by removing a portion of the stomach. Depending on a person's Body mass index (BMI), the National Institutes of Health in the U.S. recommends bariatric surgery for individuals with a BMI of 40 or less. However, patients with specific major comorbid medical conditions such as diabetes can have bariatric surgery with a BMI of 35.

Global Bariatric Surgery Devices Market: Dynamics

The primary growth driver of the global bariatric surgery devices market include high prevalence of obesity. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2020, around 39 million children under the age of 5 were overweight or obese, globally. For instance, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), during 2017-2018, the global prevalence of obesity was 42.4%, which increased from 30.5% during 1999-2000. It also stated that the global prevalence of severe obesity increased from 4.7% during 1999-2000 to 9.2% during 2017-2018.

Moreover, according to the World Health Organization, in 2019, an estimated 38.2 million children under the age of 5 years were overweight or obese worldwide. According to the same source, in 2016, there were around 2 billion adults overweight globally, of those 650 million are considered to be affected by obesity (BMI ≥30 kg/m²). It corresponded to 39% (39% of men and 40% of women) of adults aged 18 or over who were overweight, with 13% obese. The worldwide prevalence of obesity nearly tripled between 1975 and 2016.

Furthermore, regional governments in developed countries such as U.S, U.K., China, and others are expected to boost the market growth by expanding reimbursement coverage and sponsoring bariatric surgery. For instance, intragastric balloons were added to the list of recommended equipment for bariatric surgeries by the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS) in February 2018. Three similar devices were approved in Europe, and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved them in the U.S. in 2015-16. These approvals and recommendations are expected to significantly fuel market growth.

In addition, an increase in the number of bariatric surgeries is also expected to drive the global bariatric surgery devices market growth over the forecast period. For instance, according to the data published by the American Society of Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery in 2021, the estimated number of bariatric surgeries performed in the U.S. from 2011 to 2019 was around 158,000 surgeries in 2011, which increased to 256,000 surgeries in 2019.

Global Bariatric Surgery Devices Market: Restraints

High risk and side effects associated with bariatric surgery, coupled with high cost associated with surgical devices may hamper growth of the bariatric surgery devices market over the forecast period. Some side effects associated with bariatric surgery include blood clots, infections, bleeding, constipation, and gallstones. Such factors are responsible for discouraging patients from choosing surgical procedures for weight loss. In addition, postoperative risks are very often observed in patients including risks such as acid reflux, protein or calorie malnutrition, gallstones, constipation, and gastric obstruction.

Global Bariatric Surgery Devices Market: Surgery Insights

Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG) is expected to fuel the bariatric surgery devices market growth over the forecast period, owing to the effectiveness of sleeve gastrectomy surgery for weight loss. For instance, according to an article published in Research Gate, in March 2018, a retrospective review of prospectively collected data was undertaken among 387 patients who underwent Laparoscopic sleeve Gastrectomy (LSG) at Bahrain Defense Force Hospital between January 2011 and December 2014. It was observed that all patients had lost weight and had BMIs that were significantly lower at the time of data collection after surgery.

Global Bariatric Surgery Devices Market: Regional Insights

North America holds the dominant position in the global bariatric surgery devices market in 2022, owing to increasing cases of obesity in the region. For instance, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), during 2017-2018, the prevalence of obesity in the U.S. was 42.5% in adults aged 20 years and above, and the prevalence of overweight was 73.6% in adults aged 20 years and above. According to a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in 2018, around 40.0% of all adults i.e. 93.3 million people over the age of 20 years in the U.S. were obese in 2018.

Asia Pacific is expected to witness a significant growth over the forecast period, owing to the rising patient pool of obesity and increasing medical tourism due to surgery performed at affordable costs. For instance, according to the World Health Organization, in 2018, almost half of the children under 5 who were overweight or obese lived in Asia. Similarly, according to the Asian Development Bank Institute, an article published in 2017 stated that around 1 billion people in Asia Pacific were overweight or obese. For instance, India had attracted more than 4 million medical tourists in 2016, and generated around 4.5 billion USD in health care revenues.

Global Bariatric Surgery Devices Market: Competitive Landscape

Key players operating in the global bariatric surgery devices market include Asensus Surgical Inc., AbbVie Inc., Cousin Biotech, Covidien PLC., EntroMedics Inc., GI Dynamics Inc., Intuitive Surgical Inc., Johnson and Johnson, Olympus Corporation, Smith & Nephew Plc., ReShape Medical, Inc., Spatz FGIA Inc., Ethicon, Apollo Endosurgery, Inc., Inspire Medical, Mediflex Surgical Products, USGI Medical, and Medtronic Inc.

Global Bariatric Surgery Devices Market: Taxonomy

By Devices

Adjustable Gastric Bands
Intragastric Balloons
Implantable Gastric Stimulators
Gastric Surgery Clamps
Surgical Staples
Others (Clip appliers, Endo stitch, Trocars)

By Surgery

Adjustable Gastric Bands (AGB)
Vertical Sleeve Gastrectomy (VSG)
Roux-en-Y Gastric Bypass (RYGB)
Biliopancreatic Diversion with Duodenal Switch (BPD- DS)

By End User

Hospital
Bariatric Surgery Clinics
Ambulatory Surgical Centers

By Region

North America
Latin America
Europe
Asia Pacific
Middle East
Africa

About Author

Manisha Vibhute is a consultant with over 5 years of experience in market research and consulting. With a strong understanding of market dynamics, Manisha assists clients in developing effective market access strategies. She helps medical device companies navigate pricing, reimbursement, and regulatory pathways to ensure successful product launches.