Diapers: Which Countries Prefer to Have Them at Their Disposal?

By Laurence Witherington And Henry Williams 

Diaper wars rage around the globe as big-name brands battle for the loyalty of new moms. Disposable diapers are expensive and their popularity in the developing world is growing as spending power rises.

Yet lower birthrates in the West mean that companies such as Procter & Gamble Co. and Kimberly-Clark Corp. have been struggling to sell their Pampers and Huggies, respectively.

The chart above shows that Saudi Arabia used by far the highest number of diapers per capita in 2013, with the U.S. down in sixth place. Poor countries in Africa and Asia dominate the bottom of the list, and India and Pakistan bring up the rear.

"Population growth, rising disposable incomes and growing demand for convenience" are the three factors in Saudi diaper use, according to a report by Euromonitor International. Growth has also been boosted as a result of "mothers delaying toilet training as a result of their busier lifestyles," the report added.

Whereas there was a 15% increase in the number of children below the age of two years old in Saudi Arabia between 2008 and 2013, the report said, U.S. birthrates have been falling.

Births peaked in the U.S. at 4.32 million in 2007, whereas more than 3 million Americans are now turning 65 each year. This means, as The Wall Street Journal reported in July, big diaper brands are turning their attention to adult incontinence products. Spokesmen for neither Proctor and Gamble nor Kimberley Clark could be reached for comment.

P&G has been trying to push into India, a country where many families have never used a disposable diaper. "Most mothers use [Pampers] when they go to a party, a temple," a P&G marketing director told the WSJ in 2010. "We are trying to convince them to use it overnight so a child can enjoy uninterrupted sleep."

The gap in diaper use between Hong Kong and China isn't only one of wealth. Cultural differences between the special administrative region and its overlord are also a factor. In April, many people in Hong Kong were angered by photos that showed a mainland couple allowing their toddler to urinate on a Mong Kok street. Chinese people on the Internet wrote messages in support of the couple and a subsequent poll showed that many mainlanders don't mind children peeing in public.

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