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Immunity, wellness, and nutrition: Nutraceuticals promise in the Middle East and Africa

Nutraceuticals continue to gain ground across the Middle East and Africa with vitamins, probiotics, and functional drinks doing particularly well, says Euromonitor.

Speaking to Ingredients Network, Amna Abbas, senior consultant at Euromonitor International, said growing interest in health and wellness across the MEA region continues to drive demand for nutraceuticals – with a range of categories proving popular amongst consumers.

At a glance:

• Obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular conditions are driving MEA consumers towards nutraceuticals, says Euromonitor.
• Functional beverages and probiotics are expanding quickly, driven by interest in gut health, immunity, and convenience.
• Saudi Arabia's vitamins market has grown 9% in 2025 to $653.3 million, whilst the UAE market has grown 5% to $106.5 million.

“Increasing rates of non-communicable diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular conditions have encouraged consumers to adopt preventative healthcare approaches, including the use of dietary supplements, functional foods, and herbal supplements,” Abbas said. “As a result, many consumers in the region are seeking products that support immunity, overall wellness, and nutritional balance.”

On the rise in MEA: Vitamins, omega-3, probiotics, and functional drinks

Several nutraceutical categories in particular are doing well, he said: vitamins, omega-3, probiotics and functional food and beverages.

“Vitamins remain the largest segment due to widespread micronutrient deficiencies – especially vitamin D, B-complex [vitamins], and iron – whilst omega-3 and protein-based supplements are growing rapidly as consumers focus on heart health, metabolic health and fitness,” Abbas explained.

Functional beverages and probiotic products are also “expanding quickly”, driven by interest in gut health, immunity, and the fact that “convenient wellness solutions” are being integrated into everyday diets across the region, he added.

But in amongst this growth, Abbas said gaps still remain, presenting opportunities for brands and retailers looking to develop across the region. Personalised nutrition, women's health, and cognitive wellness, for example, are spaces that still require development, he said, as well as “locally tailored functional products”.

For brands, he said there are opportunities to develop more “targeted” and science-backed products that address these specific health concerns and regional dietary needs.

Any new product development and launch, however, must also carefully consider pricing, the consultant said, with “wider price points” that start relatively low the best option in reaching the large number of price sensitive consumers in the region.

A spotlight on Saudi Arabia and the UAE

Zooming into the Middle East's largest country, Saudi Arabia, Euromonitor International data shows that vitamins and dietary supplements are in growth. In 2025, this category grew 9% in Saudi Arabia to hit a retail value of $653.3 million. Weight management and wellbeing, however, declined 3.2% to a retail value of $27.2 million.

For the United Arab Emirates (UEA), the vitamins and dietary supplements market grew 5% in 2025 to reach a market retail value of $106.5 million. Weight management and wellbeing also grew 5.3% to hit $14.9 million.

Mehrnoush Shafiei, research consultant at Euromonitor International, said healthy growth in the UAE is being driven by “stronger consumer engagement with healthier lifestyles” and more “claim-led purchasing behaviour”.

More broadly, clean label and functional nutrition have now “moved further into the mainstream” across the UAE, he said, which will hold strong in the coming years. “Clean label cues are set to become a baseline expectation across categories, while functional nutrition is likely to deepen through innovation in fortified staples, value-added dairy and functional beverages,” he said.