The dishwasher market

Necessary good in developed Countries but still luxury product, affordable for few wealthiest classes in the rest of the world: this, in short, the dishwasher situation.

When we are writing, the data concerning 2016 sales are already available only for four of the twelve Countries listed in the table. They are France, Spain, Switzerland and The Netherlands.

In other three cases, i.e. for Germany, Norway and Poland, the reported estimate is based on 2015 data, released by the respective trade associations, and on the percentage variations they have formulated. In the case of USA, the data issued until now include the sales of the first 11 months. The yearly total has been calculated according to the percentage variation registered in that period.

For Colombia on one side and for China on the other, we referred to data in value, reported by the sector press; the number of sold units was calculated by means of average prices indicated by the same sources.

Finally, particular cases are represented by Great Britain and Italy. Concerning the first, estimates come from news published on the sector press; the trade association Amdea surveys instead the presence percentages in the Country’s dwellings yearly. Only approximate evaluations from various sources exist for Italy, unfortunately discordant one another. We have reported in the table the figures that, with regard to other nations, seem the most plausible.

Sales and diffusion

According to a calculation by the International Enamellers Institute (IEI), in 2016 about 24.5 million dishwashers were sold in the world, against 21 millions in 2014. Europe (in this survey including Turkey, too) absorbed slightly less than half of them, i.e. 12 million units in 2016.

The nations mentioned in the table represent together almost 8.2 millions. We can add the other three Scandinavian Countries to them, with an overall consumption of about 800,000 pieces. The remaining 3 millions are subdivided among Turkey, whose annual consumption is around 1 million units and the remaining nations, from Portugal to Belgium, from Ireland to Greece and Scandinavian Countries.

Americas absorbed about 9 million dishwashers: 8.5 USA and Canada and the remaining half million Latin America. The last 3.5 millions went to Asia and Africa: 1.5 millions in China, just less than one million in Japan and the remaining part in the other Asian and African nations.

The analysis of these figures highlights the usual remark: today the dishwasher is considered a necessary household appliance in developed Countries, that is to say in the vast majority of Europe, in Northern America, in Japan and in Turkey but it is still a luxury product, affordable for few rich classes in the rest of the world.

The diffusion rate is high in Central-North Europa: we range from 80% of Norway to 70% and more of Germany, The Netherlands and Switzerland. Similar is the value of USA, the Country that alone constitutes 31% of the world consumption of this appliance. Less high, but anyway still relevant, the dishwasher presence in France, Spain, Italy and Great Britain.

In all European nations, anyway, sales grew in the biennium considered, obviously with quite modest increment percentages.

The number of inhabitants per sold appliance confirms our statements, too. We range from the exceptional values of one sale every 33 inhabitants in Germany and every 34 in Norway to one per 69 inhabitants in Spain and one every 77 in Poland.

Things radically change if we leave the area of the most developed Countries. In Colombia, there is a dishwasher only in 2% of houses and sales are consequently very modest. This is a still developing Country; the situation is similar in all South America, in Asia and in Africa.

China finally constitutes a particular case. Here the appliance was almost absent until few years ago; then a promotional campaign by local manufacturers boosted sales, which tripled in a biennium. However, the diffusion level still remains modest.

Prospects

In traditional European and North American markets, the sale growth is likely to continue. Development prospects come instead from new markets, like China, India, Indonesia and South America. The general economic improvement might make the dishwasher “root” here, too.

sales and diffusion of the dishwasher in various countries in the world in 2014

Sources: Trade Associations, Sector Press. Population: national statistical bodies

(*) = estimates