--- title: The world is using fewer condoms than expected - The Hustle description: Condom makers have been taken by surprise. image: https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1150480983-News-Brief_2022-01-11T022004.104Z-scaled.webp --- # The world is using fewer condoms than expected ![Jacob Cohen](https://thehustle.co/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IMG_5670-1-modified-768x768.png?width=48&height=48&name=IMG_5670-1-modified-768x768.png) [Jacob Cohen](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/author/jacob-cohen) [Jacob Cohen Twitter profile ](https://twitter.com/ImJacobCohen) Published: January 11, 2022 Updated: October 11, 2023 You might not know of Karex, but a lot of people use its products. ![The world is using fewer condoms than expected](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hs-fs/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/1150480983-News-Brief_2022-01-11T022004.104Z-scaled.webp?width=595&height=400&name=1150480983-News-Brief_2022-01-11T022004.104Z-scaled.webp) The Malaysian company is responsible for producing [**20%**](https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-01-10/the-world-had-less-sex-using-condoms-during-pandemic-nikkei?sref=3Ac2yX40) of the world’s condoms, and it exports **5B** condoms each year. Karex stock has been in a long, slow decline since 2016, but at the start of the pandemic, hopes were high that the trend would reverse with everyone bored at home. Yet its stock is currently down **~60%** from its 2020 high. Why? Partially because condom use hasn’t spiked on a net basis, as hotels and clinics have closed and some governments halted condom handouts. The company is now pivoting to medical glove-making, which seems reasonable given the state of the world. Topics: [Coronavirus](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/coronavirus) [Economy](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/economy) [Family](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/tag/family) ## Follow us on social media prev next - ![Want an Instagram-ready baby? It’ll cost you](https://hs-sbup.thehustle.co/hubfs/The%20Hustle%20News/Assets/Images/418643542-httpsthdaily.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.comfinal_size-Baby_20230920212010.webp) ### Want an Instagram-ready baby? 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