“More sports, more injuries, more recovery tools—athletic tape demand is climbing fast.”
According to research gathered by GulfPhysio, the UAE’s largest online store for sports taping and physiotherapy supplies, the global athletic tape market is projected to grow from USD 750 million in 2025 to USD 1.65 billion by 2034, nearly doubling in less than a decade.
With the UAE experiencing one of the fastest increases in sports participation in the Middle East, from football and Key Insightspanel to mass-participation running and cycling events, the country is driving regional demand for supportive recovery tools like athletic tape
Key Insights
- The global athletic tape market is projected to grow from USD 750 million in 2025 to USD 1.65 billion in 2034, with a CAGR of 9.1%.
- Kinesiology tape holds the largest share due to its flexibility and circulation benefits.
- Hospitals & clinics remain the top end-user segment, but online retail is rapidly growing.
- North America leads at 44.2% market share, while Asia-Pacific grows fastest (10.1% CAGR).
- Mass events in the UAE, such as the Dubai Fitness Challenge, bring in millions and encourage the use of tape for prevention and recovery.
- Clinics in Dubai and Abu Dhabi increasingly list taping as a standard physiotherapy service.
- High injury incidence rates were reported by athletes in the Arab region, with the most vulnerable regions being the knees and ankles.
- The rising popularity of panel and recreational endurance sports is widening the customer base for tape.
The study, published by Straits Research in September 2025, identifies three key growth drivers: increasing sports participation, rising injury incidence, and the expanding use of tape in physiotherapy and rehabilitation. In the UAE, these global drivers are magnified by government-led fitness campaigns, world-class events, and a growing sports medicine infrastructure.
The UAE is promoting mass sports engagement like never before. But with increased participation comes increased risk of injury, and athletic tape is one of the simplest, most affordable tools athletes and patients use for support, swelling control, and pain relief.
Kieran Sheridan, a resident physical therapist and co-owner of GulfPhysio, shares practical insights on how taping is being used across the Emirates.
Sheridan notes that taping is no longer limited to elite athletes. “We’re seeing it cross over into everyday life,” he explains, with office workers using kinesio tape for posture, pregnant women relying on it for back support, and recreational athletes turning to it for muscle relief. What was once a specialist tool has, in his words, “become part of a broader wellness toolkit.”
Athletic tapes come in several types, such as rigid for joint stabilization, elastic for mobility support, and specialty tapes for waterproof or hypoallergenic needs. In physiotherapy centers, taping is now used as an adjunct to exercise therapy, often recommended for post-injury swelling or bruising, posture support and pregnancy-related back pain, preventing overuse injuries in high-frequency training and faster return-to-play programs.
Sports participation in the UAE has surged in recent years, a trend Sheridan says is “fantastic for public health” but not without its challenges. More activity has also meant more overuse injuries and acute strains, and Sheridan points out that athletic tape is becoming one of the simplest ways to help people manage pain and stay active while recovering.
Looking ahead, Sheridan expects innovation to drive the next wave of growth in the UAE market. He points to eco-friendly tapes made from biodegradable cotton, sensor-compatible adhesives that work alongside wearables, and infrared fabrics designed to accelerate recovery. “These advances will not only make taping more effective but also more sustainable,” Sheridan says, “which is increasingly important to today’s athletes and patients.
