Consumer Genetic Testing Grows in Popularity

According to numbers by Credence Research and forecasts from Statista, the consumer genetic testing market is expected to reach a value of $340 million by 2022. Consumer genetic testing gives people the opportunity to pay for a genetic analysis outside of a medical setting. It is used, for example, to give a consumer clues about their ethnic heritage or possible health risk as well as being able to determine the family relationship of people. It can also inform consumers about taste preferences encoded in their DNA, for example a like or dislike of cilantro or a taste for certain wines.

AncestryDNA is the biggest player in the market, with an estimated 14 million customers in 2019. Second up is the company 23andMe, which tested approximately 9 million people that year. Other companies tested around 3.5 million people.

Consumer genetic testing isn’t free from controversy, as a person’s DNA data in the hands of private companies has been identified as a potential privacy risk by some observers.