Megatrends
The most influential Megatrends set to shape the world through 2030, identified by Euromonitor International, help businesses better anticipate market developments and lead change for their industries.
Learn MoreAs we explore in our global briefing, “The Impact of Demographics and Income on Toys Spending,” although the world’s child population has been declining, this will be a short-lived phenomenon. The trend towards smaller families in many markets ties in with other cultural and income shifts that actually stand the global toys market in good stead. Our briefing analyses two key determinants of demand – demographic and income trends – to understand their impact on toys sales in the future.
The global child population has been declining, largely due to falling family sizes. However, this is a transitory trend and the child population is set to start increasing again.
In absolute terms, Asia Pacific and Africa and Middle East have the largest 0-14 year-old populations. Conversely they also have relatively low spend per child.
China has by far the most households with an annual disposable income of over US$10,000; however, the number of 0-14 year olds is expected to remain static over 2013-2018. This suggests good fundamentals for toys growth particularly in urban areas. Between 2013-2018, Russia will record the highest increase in its 0-14 year-old population, translating into more than 2.5 million more children, while having the fourth biggest middle class.
In countries where the average number of children per household is above one, spending on traditional toys and games per child does not exceed US$70 in a given year.
Overall, the older the average age of women at childbirth, the higher the spend on traditional toys and games per child. As modern mothers continue to work, for various reasons, the limits on parental time require products that can fill this gap. In almost all countries where the average age of women at birth is high, spend per child on traditional toys and games exceeded US$320 in 2013.
Single parent households tend to be among the poorest, creating a need for cheaper products. Low-priced, high-volume toys tend to find success in markets where single parent households are more common.