Condom sales in China decreased by 25%. Chinese media outlet City Express reported on the 8th.

According to the article, Humanwell Healthcare, a major Chinese pharmaceutical company, recently announced that it has sold all its shares in LifeStyles, the parent company of the widely known condom brand "Jissbon" in China, and will completely withdraw from the condom business.

The background to this decision appears to be the continuous shrinking of the condom market within China. The market size decreased from 20.8 billion yuan (approximately 490 billion yen) in 2020 to 15.6 billion yuan (approximately 370 billion yen) in 2024, shrinking by 25% over five years. Sales volumes of major brands are also said to have decreased by 15-20%.

According to the article, the main reason for the market shrinkage is a change in demand structure. In addition to the spread of contraceptive methods such as low-dose oral contraceptives and subdermal implants, the rapid growth of the adult goods market has also had an impact. Sales in the adult goods market reached 194.2 billion yuan (approximately 4.6 trillion yen) in 2024, exceeding 12 times the condom market.

China's single population is estimated at approximately 300 million, and individual-oriented sex-related consumption, which is low-cost and easy to ensure privacy, is becoming a new trend replacing consumption based on romantic relationships.

The article points out that "this trend is not unique to China." It states that "a similar trend has been observed in Japan since around 2015, and the same situation is occurring in Western markets. After the COVID-19 pandemic, online sales of adult goods increased by over 70%," adding, "Globally, needs related to sex are shifting from 'satisfaction within a relationship with a partner' to 'satisfaction within oneself'."

Chinese netizens have left comments such as: "(The condom market) will only get worse from now on," "In this era, you can live alone," "I'm a man, but I don't feel any inconvenience living alone. Unlike my married friends, I'm enjoying my freedom," "If you have adult goods, you don't need condoms, right?" "Modern life has a lot of stress, and our rhythms are irregular. If you don't have time to relax your mind, you don't feel like it," and "When stress is high, desire also disappears." (Translation/Editing by Kitada)