27 Interesting Probiotics Statistics & Market Size (2024)

I’ve discussed in my gut health statistics roundup that gut health consciousness experienced the highest rise of 52% in 2022 and the Gut Health Industry Market size is predicted to increase from $55.7 billion in 2023 to $89.9 billion by 2030.

With the increase in awareness about how our health is greatly influenced by what we eat, it isn’t surprising that the probiotics market was valued at:

• $48 billion even back in 2021 for the entire probiotic market (probiotic supplements + drinks + foods)
• $2.5 billion in 2022 for probiotic supplements alone (expected to increase by 8% and reach as high as $5.5 billion in 2032

And while these probiotic products don’t makeup 100% of the gut health market, 2.5 billion dollars is certainly not a small number, and it’s projected to continue growing!

I won’t even be surprised if it grows to over 100% of its current number in 10 years.

I mean take a look at the probiotics trends since 2004:

As you can see from the Google Trends report above. The search and demand for probiotics are on the breakout! Trends don’t lie!

So, how many people are consuming probiotics, and which products or strains are the most popular?

What’s the most common probiotic dose for adults, and is probiotic use also rising in children? How much is the projected market worth of probiotics from 2023 to 2032?

A Quick Highlight of Probiotics Statistics:

• The entire probiotic market (probiotic supplements + probiotic drinks + probiotic foods) is as high as $48 billion even back in 2021
• Probiotic supplements only take up 14% of the total probiotic market 
• As much as 71% of the whole probiotics market belongs to probiotic dairy-based products
• The rest, around 15%, of the entire probiotics market belongs to sour milk products
• The probiotic supplements market (excluding probiotic drinks and food) was worth around $2.5 billion in 2022
• This probiotic supplements market is expected to increase by 8% from 2023 to 2032 and might reach as high as $5.5 billion by 2032
• The Asia Pacific market for probiotic supplements is expected to rise exponentially and reach as high as $2.5 billion in 2032
• Probiotic use in animals is also growing fast (close to 10% of the market)
• Thousands of probiotic studies have shown statistical or clinical significance against various medical conditions, including atopic dermatitis, pediatric acute infectious diarrhea, irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and antibiotic-associated diarrhea. etc.

Latest Probiotics Statistics

How Big Is The Market For Probiotics?

Data from Euromonitor International showed that the world retail value for all kinds of probiotics is already at $48 billion in 2021, according to the report by Regulatory Focus. This number is also higher than the $38 billion they posted in 2013.

Of the $48 billion in 2021, 71% belongs to probiotic dairy-based products, while 15% is comprised of sour milk products and 14% is of probiotic supplements.

Based on data collected by Global Market Insights, the probiotic supplement market size was valued at $2.5 billion in 2022, thanks to more people becoming aware of their gut health’s importance to overall health and well-being.

Based on prevailing market trends, it is expected to grow by 8% CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) beginning in 2023. 

Global Probiotics Market Trends And Opportunities

The global market data from Euromonitor International shows that the USA remains the top user of probiotics, also putting North America at the top of the list, as reported by Regulatory Focus.

Surprisingly, China came in second place, while European countries led by Italy came in third.

Global Market Insights predicts that the number will grow exponentially so that by 2032, just 10 years from the first stat, the probiotic market size might already be at $5.5 billion or more!

Data from Global Market Insights also shows that of the $2.5 probiotic market value in 2022, a whopping $1.8 billion belongs to Lactobacilli-based products. This means that the Lactobacillus strains are the most popular probiotic strains.

Of course, this isn’t likely to surprise you because many of the products that I’ve been recommending in previous probiotic articles are made of or contain at least one Lactobacillus strain. 

For example, all the favorite products I recommended for the best probiotics for nursing moms contain various Lactobacillus strains and most of the products in the list of probiotics for SIBO also have these good bacteria.

Not surprisingly, data from Global Market Insights projects that Lactobacillus strains will remain the most popular in 10 years, with the market trend growing proportionately with the other good bacteria strains: Bifidobacterium, Streptococcus, Bacillus, and others.

How Many People Consume Probiotics?

The probiotic market is bustling, even though none of these products have been approved by the FDA. But while there aren’t any FDA-approved probiotics, millions of people continue to use them every year.

Amazingly, even as far back as 2012, the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) showed that as many as 1.6% of the US adult population, or about 4 million people, had used probiotics and/or prebiotics in the past 30 days before the survey date.

And while most of these people admitted that they use vitamins and minerals, probiotics came in third as the most common dietary supplement for adults. 

Now, is probiotic use also popular in children?

Surprisingly, it is! While some people might think that parents will only choose FDA-approved products for children, it seems that many of them give probiotics to their kids (possibly with their doctor’s advice), in reality.

According to the National Center of Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH), data from the NHIS survey mentioned above also showed that as many as around 300,000 children aged 4 to 17 years had used probiotic or prebiotic supplements within 30 days of the survey date.

Is There A Rise in the Popularity of Probiotics?

Yes. Based on the market data mentioned above, probiotics continue to be increasingly popular across the globe. Market projections also show that the numbers will continue to rise, until 2032 (the current limit to the studies).

Why is the Market Trend for Probiotics Increasing? (Facts & Figures)

Many factors are contributing to the exponential increase in the probiotic market trend.

According to Global Market Insights, the following are some of the possible reasons why the probiotic market is growing fast:

• North America – strict laws against antibiotic use without a proper prescription for humans and the ban or restrictions on antibiotic use in animals
• Latin America – growing trends in probiotic consumption
• Europe – increase in the consumption of dairy products and bakery demands (probiotics are also used in these applications)
• Asia Pacific – increase in the trend for functional foods

As you can see in the graph from Statistica below, it appears that the Asia Pacific region gets a huge chunk of the entire probiotic market (including probiotic supplements + drinks + foods) on a global scale. 

For example, based on a total estimated sales of $64.5 billion in 2022, according to Statistica data, the Asia Pacific region sold a whopping $29.2 billion – equivalent to about 45% of the global market.

It is estimated that this number will grow to $32.2 billion for the Asia Pacific region in 2023, equivalent to 46.5% of the total $69.2 billion market globally.

It’s interesting to note that Europe ranks second on the regional list, while North America ranks third. 

As you might recall, the US ranks first, followed by China and Italy, in the Euromonitor International data monitoring of countries published on Regulatory Focus (mentioned above).

Still, like all the other data from different sources, it’s clear to see that probiotic sales continue to rise proportionately. This applies to different kinds of probiotics, not just dietary supplements sold as capsules or tablets.

Here are the market projections for Asia Pacific, based on data from Global Market Insights:

The Asia Pacific market is especially significant to the data collected by Global Market Insights because it is predicted to grow and exceed $2.5 billion by 2032 – that’s close to half of the global market projections of $5.5 billion for that year!

It is believed that this exponential growth will be fueled by the growing consumer demands for healthy functional foods to treat skin diseases, enhance digestive disorders, and possibly prevent or even alleviate chronic diseases.

This demand is particularly high in countries like Japan, China, and India.

More market research data and projections from Polaris Market Research also showed a fast-growing trend:

(source: Polaris Market Research)

The graph from Polaris Market Research also shows parallel data with Statistica and Global Market Insights that I explained above.

Based on this graph, the probiotic market size has been growing since 2018 and is also expected to continue rising each year until the study limit in 2030.

But following this trend, it seems that the market will continue to grow beyond 2030, and will likely continue to have the Asia Pacific region as the leading region for probiotic sales.

Also, the growing market trends show that there’s also a demand for probiotics in the animal and animal-based industry, especially with the ban on antibiotics.

According to Grand View Research, the human probiotics segment still has the biggest share of more than 90.0% of the market, yet the animal segment is also growing and is now getting 10%.

What are the Top 5 Probiotics on the Market?

It’s actually difficult to tell which brands are at the top of the market because data can fluctuate based on many factors. 

However, several market researchers, including Grand View Research name the following companies as the key players in the probiotic industry (including probiotic drinks and yogurts):

• Arla Foods, Inc.
• BioGaia AB
• Chr. Hansen Holding A/S
• Danone
• Danisco A/S
• General Mills Inc.
• i-Health Inc.
• Lallemand Inc.
• Lifeway Foods, Inc.
• Mother Dairy Fruit & Vegetable Pvt. Ltd.
• Kerry
• Nestle S.A.
• Probi
• Yakult Honsha Co., Ltd.

If you’re looking for specific probiotic products to use, here are our recommendations:

• Best FDA-Approved Probiotics
• Best Refrigerated Probiotics
• Best Probiotics For Gastritis
• Best Shelf-Stable Probiotics
• Best Non-Refrigerated Probiotics
• Probiotics For Sleep & Insomnia

Most Popular Probiotic Foods

There are many different types of foods that are being sold or marketed as “probiotics,” although their actual probiotic content might not be proven. 

Because like the probiotic supplements these foods aren’t regulated by the FDA, their actual probiotic content is unknown. Some might even have zero probiotic content despite being sold as “probiotic food.”

While data is limited on how much of these probiotic foods are being sold in the market, the Office of Dietary Supplements of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) names the following as common fermented foods:

• Cheeses
• Kimchi (a type of Korean fermented cabbage dish)
• Kombucha (a fermented tea, which can have alcoholic content)
• Sauerkraut (fermented cabbage), 
• Miso (a fermented soybean-based paste)
• Pickles
• Raw unfiltered apple cider vinegar (produced from fermented apple sugars)

Probiotics Latest Research

The NCCIH sponsors a wide range of probiotic-related research projects or those that study the microbiome. 

Knowing that getting more data about probiotic effectiveness and safety is very important in, hopefully, getting FDA approval, many researchers are working on various topics to hasten the process.

• The effects of certain Bifidobacterium strains in alleviating antibiotic-associated diarrhea through their role in short-chain fatty acid production
• Possible probiotic engineering for synthesizing natural substances that can be used in microbiome-brain research
• The mechanisms and pathways that certain probiotics use to relieve chronic pelvic pain or help reduce postmenopausal bone loss

The latest research data from the NIH’s Office of Dietary Supplements also list the following as the most common diseases or medical conditions prevented or alleviated by probiotic use:

• Atopic dermatitis
• Pediatric acute infectious diarrhea
• Antibiotic-associated diarrhea
• Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)
• Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS)
• Hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol levels in the blood)
• Obesity

According to the report by Regulatory Focus, as many as 38,000+ publications have been posted on PubMed (the free online search engine of MEDLINE database particularly references and abstracts on various life sciences and biomedical topics) as of July 2022. The number is expected to have increased since then.

Of these 38,000+ publications, plenty is clinical trials in humans.

That’s promising because lab studies using mice models might be useful, but human trials remain the better and most reliable way of knowing the probiotics’ effectiveness and safety in humans.

According to the report by Regulatory Focus, there’s also ongoing research currently analyzing data from more than 1,600 clinical trials to consolidate their findings.

Latest Stats on Probiotic Benefits

Atopic Dermatitis

According to the Office of Dietary Supplement, recent studies show that probiotic treatment starting in utero (through maternal supplementation during pregnancy) of about 2 weeks to 7 months plus oral administration to babies after birth for around 2-13 months can reduce the risk of atopic dermatitis from 34.7% in the control group to an estimated 28.5% in the probiotic group.

Pediatric Acute Infectious Diarrhea

The Office of Dietary Supplements also points out that a recent study involving 8,014 subjects who were primarily infants and children showed that the use of single- and multi-strain probiotics appear to significantly shorten the duration of acute infectious diarrhea by about 25 hours.

The same study also showed that probiotics could reduce by 59% the possible risk that diarrhea can last for four or more days. 

Prolonged diarrhea can be dangerous, especially in young children who could suffer serious health risks or death from dehydration. So, reducing its duration is important.

Antibiotic-associated Diarrhea

Using the probiotic strains Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG and Saccharomyces boulardii can also reduce the risk of AAD (antibiotic-associated diarrhea) by around 51%, the Office of Dietary Supplements further explains.

I’m quite impressed to learn that in another study mentioned by the Office of Dietary Supplements, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG might reduce AAD risk by 71% in children! However, take note that the study also showed that probiotics are more effective if they’re taken within two days of the first antibiotic dose rather than later.

Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

Researchers studying the applications of probiotics in IBD found conflicting results. Still, it’s nice to learn that some of these studies showed promising results.

According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, the use of probiotics with 5-ASA (a common anti-inflammatory medication used for IBD) might bring better results than 5-ASA alone.

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)

There has been a long-standing debate on whether multi-strain probiotics are better than single-strain products as treatment options.

In a study cited by the Office of Dietary Supplements, it seems that the multi-strain probiotics win – when used for IBS, anyway.

Based on this systematic review of clinical trials, only the trials that used multi-strain products found a statistically significant and clinically meaningful improvement in the study subjects’ quality of life.

Not surprisingly, most of these studies used different Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium strains; though Streptococcus strains have also been utilized.

Hypercholesterolemia (High Cholesterol Levels In The Blood)

Having high cholesterol levels in your blood can be a serious risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. The good news is that probiotics appear to be helpful in keeping your blood cholesterol levels in check.

In one study cited by the Office of Dietary Supplements, the probiotic treatment group had lower cholesterol levels (7.8 mg/dL lower total cholesterol and 7.3 mg/dL lower LDL cholesterol) than the control group.

Obesity

Another recent systematic review and meta-analysis cited by the Office of Dietary Supplements showed that the supplementation with various doses and strains of probiotics for 3 to 12 weeks to individuals with overweight or obesity resulted in larger reductions than the placebo or control group:

• As high as 0.6 kg in body weight
• By around 0.27 kg/m2 in body mass index
• By 0.6% in fat percentage

However, the Office of Dietary Supplements notes that these effects are small and might have questionable clinical significance. 

Still, for some people, these data already show some promise for probiotics’ use in preventing and managing obesity.

Other Medical Conditions

Data from the NCCIH also showed that probiotics can be used for the following medical conditions:

• Traveler’s diarrhea (limited data)
• Infant colic (limited to breastfed babies)
• Infant sepsis (the body’s extreme response to an infection; it’s potentially lethal)
• Dental caries or tooth decay (limited data)
• Allergic rhinitis (limited data)
• Allergy prevention (limited data)
• Upper respiratory infections (limited data)
• Acne (limited data)

Other Probiotic Statistics

Probiotics have a long history of safety, despite not having any FDA approval.

While there have been at least 60 reports of fungemia (the presence of yeasts or fungi in the blood), with probiotics that contain the yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, most of these cases involve patients who were severely ill or immunocompromised.

According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, many of these incidents happened to patients in the ICU (intensive care unit), several of whom were receiving broad-spectrum antimicrobial treatment or had a central venous catheter. 

Most were also getting enteral or parenteral nutrition.

Other studies involving different probiotic strains, particularly Lactobacillus species, showed only a handful of bacteremia incidents (the presence of bacteria in the bloodstream) even in ICU patients.

The World Gastroenterology Organization (WGO) advises healthcare professionals to limit probiotic use to the strains and indications with known or proven efficacy for patients with compromised immune function and/or other serious underlying medical conditions. That’s according to the report by the Office of Dietary Supplements.

As for probiotic use in children, the NCCIH noted that 12 clinical trials with close to 4,000 participants provided moderate quality evidence that these products have a protective effect.

The good news is that although they might not be 100% effective, there were no serious side effects observed in children in any of these clinical trials.

Most Common Probiotics Dosage For Adults

There aren’t any specific guidelines on the right or wrong dosage for probiotic use in adults, especially because these products aren’t FDA approved.

According to the Office of Dietary Supplements, the WGO clarifies that the optimal dose for probiotics largely depends on the particular product and the strains used.

The WGO recommends that if healthcare providers choose to advise their patients to use probiotics, then they should specify the probiotic strains needed, the right doses, and durations of use based on clinical trials that have shown the beneficial effects of probiotics.

As a rule of thumb, it’s also best to follow the manufacturer’s recommended dose. 

No matter if the product has 1 billion or 100 billion CFUs, the manufacturer will have their recommended dose printed on the label. It’s usually one capsule per day but can go as high as three or more.

Sometimes, you might experience some side effects during the first few days of use. You can also opt to take lower doses or less than the recommended number of capsules per day until your gut gets accustomed to the new microbiome.