The world’s largest condom manufacturer, the Malaysian company Karex, has said it will need to raise its prices by 20% to 30% if supply chain disruptions caused by the Iran war continue.
The company has seen an increase in condom demand after transport costs and shipping delays have depleted customers’ stockpiles, Karex’s CEO, Goh Miah Kiat, told the news agency Reuters in an interview.
Karex produces more than five billion condoms annually and exports to over 130 countries worldwide. It supplies some of the biggest condom brands, including Durex and Trojan.
They also supply the United Kingdom’s National Health Service (NHS) and health organisations such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the United Nations Population Fund.
“The situation is definitely very fragile, prices are expensive. We have no choice but to transfer the costs right now to the customers,” Goh said.
Shipments on their way to Europe and the United States are taking almost two months to arrive, while others are stuck on vessels unable to reach their destination, the company said.
How are condoms made?
Since the war began in February 2026, Karex has seen costs increase for synthetic rubber and nitrile used in manufacturing condoms, packaging materials, and lubricants such as aluminium foils and silicone oil, Goh said.
Most condoms are made from natural rubber, the sap from rubber trees. Non-latex variants are often made with nitrile and polyurethane.
Supply chains for petrochemical derivatives have been affected by transport disruptions linked to the conflict’s impact on flows through the Strait of Hormuz.
Aluminium and naphtha suppliers –materials used in condom packaging– have also reported disruptions.
Global condom shortages
The global market of condoms was already experiencing shortages due to the dismantling of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which was the largest bilateral donor to global family planning and reproductive health.
The agency provided 35% of the contraceptives within global family planning supply chains and supplied commodities to 23 countries.
Countries in Africa and the Middle East, the main receivers of USAID have reported shortages in sexual health products since the agency stopped its work.
Nigeria reported a 55% decline in male condom distribution between December 2024 and March 2025, according to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.
According to Goh, Karex has enough supplies for the next few months and is looking to boost output to meet growing demand.
SOURCE: BBC NEWS
