Wheelchairs are classified into manual and powered variants. Within these, products can provide varying levels of postural support, dependent on the user’s needs. Wheelchair users can be classified as having basic, intermediate or complex needs, depending on their medical condition which may be fast progressing, with different requirements for postural support, customization and time between clinical reviews. Wheelchair requirements vary based on the needs from childhood to young adult and even to old age. Accurate data on the global wheelchair market size remain limited. According to published market reports, manual wheelchairs accounted for over 60 per cent of the revenue share in 2022 [51].
While reliable statistics on the overall LMIC market segmentation are limited, this report applies a consistent methodology to generate indicative estimates. Although these are not comprehensive, they offer a useful approximation of market dynamics and scale of provision. However, donor aid remains an important source of wheelchair procurement. According to WHO, humanitarian crises have steadily increased the demand for assistive products suited for emergencies such as active wheelchairs [52]. However, the funding for wheelchair procurement has shifted. There is now less financial support from bilateral and multilateral donors for direct product procurement, except for emergency humanitarian needs. Instead, funding is increasingly directed toward building national systems for sustainable AT provision. While this shift aims to create long-term solutions, it does not necessarily translate into immediate product procurement, leaving a gap in the availability of assistive products. The effectiveness of system provision work depends upon product availability, and investment in system development needs to be accompanied by ensuring availability and accessibility of assistive products.
The wheelchair market in LMICs is driven by NGOs and social enterprises and supported by global procurement services like UNICEF and Consolidating Logistics for Assistive Products (CLASP). Overall, wheelchair market demand in LMICs is insufficient compared to need. For 65 million people who need a wheelchair in low- and middle-income countries, major NGOs, social enterprises, global procurement services and surveyed governments provide approximately 150,000 units annually, with few governments, such as South Africa, procuring and providing wheelchairs (≈23,000 annually). NGOs account for two thirds of the served demand, while social enterprises contribute 10 per cent and global procurement services 7 per cent.
53NGO demand for appropriate wheelchairs in LMICs is significant, with an estimated 94,000 units21 in 2023. The Free Wheelchair Mission stands as the largest global buyer with 63,696 units. The two largest NGO buyers, Free Wheelchair Mission and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Latter-day Saint) Charities have developed custom wheelchairs specifically tailored to the needs of LMICs based on their assessment of an appropriate wheelchair.
These organizations have partnered with contract manufacturers in China and other LMICs. Key design considerations for these wheelchairs include adjustability to minimize the number of Stock Keeping Units, ease of assembly, durability in rugged environments, availability of locally sourced materials for repairs and cost-effectiveness – all critical factors driving NGO decision-making in wheelchair design.
Table 9: NGOs providing wheelchairs in LMICs
| Organization | Christian Blind Mission (CBM) |
|---|---|
| About | International Christian Development Organization active in 40 countries |
| Volumes (units) |
|
| Type | • Not available |
| Suppliers |
|
| Pricing | • US$250 - US$600 |
| Organization | Free Wheelchair Mission (FWM) |
|---|---|
| About | Nonprofit organization with distribution in 33 countries |
| Volumes (units) |
|
21.Excluding CBM and ICRC volumes to avoid double counting with demand from FWM, LDS Charities, Motivation, ShonaquipSE and CLASP. ↩︎
| Organization | Free Wheelchair Mission (FWM) |
|---|---|
| Type | • Manual: 2 models for rugged conditions |
| Suppliers | • Own-design - contract manufacturing in India and China |
| Pricing | • US$96 including freight |
| Organization | International Committee of the Red Cross |
|---|---|
| About | Nonprofit organization with physical rehabilitation projects in 31 countries |
| Volumes (units) |
|
| Type |
Manual: 3-wheel fixed frame 4-wheel folding 3-wheel folding Postural support Sports |
| Suppliers |
|
| Pricing | Not specified |
| Organization | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints– LDS charities |
|---|---|
| About | Faith-based organization active in 60 countries |
| Volumes (units) | • 2021 – 2023: 18,750 annually on average (based on orders from manufacturing partner in China) |
| Type |
Manual: Urban - 15 per cent Rough Terrain - 12 per cent Dual Terrain - 18 per cent Standard - 53 per cent |
| Suppliers |
|
| Pricing | • US$100 – 275 |
| Organization | Walkabout Foundation |
|---|---|
| About | UK and US charity operating primarily in Kenya, Uganda and Haiti |
| Volumes (units) |
|
| Type |
Manual: Urban – 37-43 per cent Rough Terrain – 37-54 per cent Dual Terrain – 6-25 per cent |
| Suppliers |
|
| Pricing | • US$70 - US$350 |
Social enterprises play an important role by producing and delivering affordable wheelchairs for LMIC environments. CLASP, a Momentum Wheels for Humanity social enterprise, Motivation and ShonaquipSE are three prominent social enterprises. Together these are serving approximately 17,000 units. Out of these, 45 per cent are for urban/semi urban settings with the remainder being either rough terrain or dual terrain wheelchairs.
Table 10: Social enterprises providing wheelchairs in LMICs
| Organization | CLASP, a Momentum Wheels for Humanity (MWH) social enterprise |
|---|---|
| About | MWH works to promote inclusion for people with disabilities through strengthening rehabilitation and AT services, assistive product supply and provision, and inclusive disaster response. MWH operates the CLASP22 supply chain mechanism. |
22.CLASP was launched with USAID funding. ↩︎
| Organization | CLASP, a Momentum Wheels for Humanity (MWH) social enterprise |
|---|---|
| Volumes (units) |
|
| Type |
Manual Postural Support Wheelchair Included in CLASP: Urban/Semi-Urban All Terrain Postural Support Transport Sports |
| Suppliers |
|
| Pricing | • US$90-US$85023 |
| Organization | Motivation |
|---|---|
| About | Designing and supplying adult and paediatric everyday wheelchairs, sports wheelchairs, and postural support devices globally, along with training and services in East Africa and South Asia. Supplies to over 25 countries globally. |
| Volumes (units) |
|
23.The lowest cost is for a transport wheelchair and highest for a sports wheelchair. ↩︎
| Organization | Motivation |
|---|---|
| Type |
Manual: Active dual terrain - 38% Active rough terrain - 20% Manual & postural support -16% |
| Suppliers | • Contract manufactured in China |
| Pricing | • US$233 – 408 |
| Organization | ShonaquipSE |
|---|---|
| About | Providing paediatric wheelchairs and 24-hour posture support products, training and services in South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Eswatini, Kenya, Uganda, Iraq and Georgia. Focus on addressing the needs of children and youth. |
| Volumes (units) |
|
| Type |
|
| Suppliers | • Products locally designed and manufactured in South Africa with 90 per cent local sourced components. Designed to be fitted and maintained in under-resourced settings. |
| Pricing | • US$295 - US$920 |
UNICEF and CLASP, a global marketplace for buyers in LMICs, provide quality affordable wheelchairs at their negotiated terms. Together, these two organizations are responsible for an estimated 10,000 products in 2023.
Table 11: Global procurement services providing wheelchairs in LMICs
| Organization | CLASP (MWH) |
|---|---|
| About | CLASP serves buyers, NGOs, and governments in LMICs. It has shipped to over 60 countries. |
| Volumes (units) |
|
| Type |
|
| Organization | CLASP (MWH) |
|---|---|
| Suppliers |
|
| Pricing | • US$250 – US$600 |
| Organization | UNICEF Supply Division |
|---|---|
| About | UNICEF’s procurement services can be accessed by governments and development partners across 190 countries. |
| Volumes (units) | • To date: 6,000-7,000 units (since 2022) |
| Type |
|
| Suppliers |
|
| Pricing | • US$250 to US$500 |
Based on limited data, only 6 out of 12 countries (50 per cent) procure wheelchairs. Examples of governments procuring wheelchairs:
60| Cambodia | The government procures wheelchairs through the Persons with Disabilities Foundation under the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans and Youth Rehabilitation. In 2023, based on pilot survey data, the government procured 1,540 wheelchairs at a price of US$195 to US$320. |
| China | The government procures wheelchairs through established procedures. Government tenders for medical supplies, including wheelchairs, are posted on the national official procurement platform, China Government Procurement Network, or their own provincial and municipal’s Disabled Persons’ Federation website. These announcements in general detail the technical specifications, quantity, delivery timelines and quality standards required for the wheelchairs. |
| Ethiopia | Based on a 2020 report, the government procured a few manual transport wheelchairs as one-off procurement for health centres. |
| South Africa | South Africa released its most recent transversal tender on the supply and delivery of wheelchair and sitting systems in January 2023 (bid number RT233). This tender covers a period of 60 months. According to a published report, South Africa has provided 23,000 wheelchairs on average annually between 2017- 2020. |
| Zambia | The government is involved in the procurement of wheelchairs, through public tenders or requests for proposals, primarily issued by ZPPA. The latest tender for the supply and delivery of wheelchairs. The latest enquiry for supply and delivery was closed in May 2024, with 1 specialized wheelchair and 4 electric wheelchairs procured at a total cost of ZMW74.1 million (US$2.8 million). |
Example of government subsidising wheelchairs:
| Georgia | The budget allocated by the Georgian Government to wheelchairs was GEL 990,000 (approximately US$363,970) in 2021, according to WHO’s ATA-C report in 2023. The government subsidized through the State Programme for up to GEL760 (approximately US$280) for manual wheelchairs and up to GEL5,053 (approximately US$1,858) for electric wheelchairs. A total of 416 state-subsidized wheelchairs were provided in 2020. |