The Asian diagnostic imaging market is growing faster than that of any global region. Worth $8 billion in 2012, it is expanding at an average annual rate of 10%. In 2012, it was worth 33% of the global $24 billion market, compared to just 27% in 2010.

As Asians become older and richer, their demand for orthopedic devices is growing. Sales of hip and knee implants, trauma devices and other orthopedic products are experiencing double digit growth across Asia. But while Asia is home to more than 50% of the world's "graying" population, the region still makes up less than 25% of the $42 billion global orthopedics devices market. This represents a major opportunity for international orthopedic device firms.

Singapore is home to one of the wealthiest populations in the world. In 2012, the small city state had a GDP of almost $300 billion and a per capita GDP (in purchasing power parity) of $59,380 – higher than that of the U.S. For Singaporeans, great wealth has translated into good health outcomes. Its 5 million citizens have an average life expectancy of 82, with most deaths due to "developed world" diseases like cancer and heart disease.

Two devices regulated as drugs in India are cardiac stents and drug eluting stents (DES). For years, the market has been dominated by international device manufacturers like Abbott (Abbott Park, Illinois), Boston Scientific (Natick, Massachusetts) and Medtronic (Minneapolis). These companies produce most of the 3 million stents used in India every year.

South Korea's medical device market is growing quickly. In 2012, it had a value of nearly $4 billion, according to the Korean Food and Drug Administration (KFDA). It is growing at a rate of 13%-14% annually, and it is expected to maintain such growth through 2018.

China's economy is still booming, despite a recent drop in GDP growth. Growth for 2013 is still expected to reach an impressive 7.5%. As the Chinese middle class expands, they will be spending more and more of their wealth on healthcare and medical device products. In the last five years alone, healthcare spending per capita in China has more than doubled, from $120 per year to $260 per year.

Everyone knows that the largest medical device market in Asia is Japan. At about $26 billion dollars, the Japanese market is two and a half times as large as the China market, albeit growing very slowly compared to China. However, because of the fierce competition, demand for very high quality products, and a complex regulatory structure, it is also the most difficult Asian medical device market for international medical device companies to crack.

Of the world's 371 million people diagnosed with diabetes, nearly 200 million live in Asia. According to the International Diabetes Federation (IDF; Brussels, Belgium), those numbers are set to climb dramatically. By 2030, it is estimated that 522 million people worldwide will have diabetes, with 300 million of them living in Asia. Already, China, India, Indonesia and Japan rank among the top ten countries with the greatest numbers of diabetics.