Percentage of global R&D spending, by industry 2021
Health industry and COVID-19
The high share spent by the health industry must be seen in relation with the COVID-19 pandemic that started spreading in late 2019 and caused deaths, lockdowns, and restrictions throughout 2020 and onwards. As governments and pharmaceutical companies sought to find an efficient vaccine against the virus, investment in research continued to increase. However, regardless of the pandemic, R&D spending within health care is essential in order to combat a variety of diseases, from small pox via malaria to cancer.