Vaccine industry in China - statistics & facts

China is one of the world’s most populous countries, and the recent uplifting of its one-child policy has consequently shifted the demographic of the country, making its vaccine industry a lucrative market for healthcare manufacturers. To strengthen the healthcare system for newborns and children to the age of 14, the government has attempted to make the most common vaccines like DTP (Diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis), MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella), hepatitis A and B, meningococcal and polio vaccines compulsory and readily accessible. Through the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), these vaccines have achieved efficient coverage throughout the nation.

How is the market structure?

According to the EPI, category one vaccines are purchased by the government and provided to the public at no cost, whereas category two vaccines are voluntary for which citizens would usually have to pay out of their own pockets. The government does not regulate the private sector on market prices; hence category two vaccines, including vaccines for influenza and rabies, remained relatively more expensive. When it comes to the supply side, the stringent vaccine manufacturing laws and regulations have hindered foreign manufacturers from participating in the market. Vaccine imports, however, have surged in recent years, while most suppliers remained predominantly domestic.

What happened before the bottom-up reform?

Unfortunately, there have been multiple incidents in the last decade where substandard, counterfeit, or expired vaccines were distributed to the public, leading to infant fatalities, side effects among children, and public outrage for the quality assurance of vaccine doses. Consequently, some parents were skeptical about letting their children be inoculated, while many others resorted to medical tourism abroad. In response to public criticisms, the Chinese government has reformed the measures to monitor and control vaccine supply chains. One of the main manufacturers involved in the scandals, Changsheng, was fined a record 1.3 billion U.S. dollars by the authorities, while dozens of officials were disciplined, and some executives arrested. In December 2019, the Vaccine Administration Law came into force, bringing stricter controls and tougher sanction measures into the Chinese vaccine industry.

The COVID-19 pandemic

As the first country impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, China was one of the pioneers in the virological research on SARS-CoV-2. Several Chinese companies have successfully developed COVID-19 vaccine products, mostly using traditional inactivated vaccine technology. Although less effective than mRNA vaccines such as Comirnaty and Spikevax, vaccines produced by Sinovac, CanSino, and the Chinese pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm were not only widely adopted domestically, but also exported worldwide, mainly to developing countries. This strong global demand greatly enhanced the performance of China's major vaccine manufacturers, with Sinovac reporting an increase of over 22,000 percent in its annual net income between 2019 and 2021.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Wenyi Zhang, Sep 22, 2022

Key insights

Estimated vaccine market size in 2020
52bn CNY
DTP vaccination coverage rate
99%
Volume of COVID-19 vaccine produced
4.95bn doses
Get more insights

Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Total number of coronavirus COVID-19 vaccination doses administered in China from December 15, 2020 to June 7, 2022 (in millions)

Prevention

COVID-19 vaccination doses in China 2020-2022

Influenza incidence rate in China from 2015 to 2021 (per 100,000 population)

Diseases

Influenza incidence rate in China 2015-2021

Ranking of infectious diseases in China in 2021, by mortality rate per 1,000,000 population

Diseases

Infectious diseases in China 2021, by mortality rate

Related topics

Recommended

5

Recommended statistics

Background

6

Background

Market overview

6

Market overview

Class I vaccines

7

Class I vaccines

Class II vaccines

7

Class II vaccines

International trade

7

International trade

Reports & StudiesGet the best reports to understand your industry

Medical technology industry in China
Medical technology industry in China
Pharmaceutical industry in Japan
Pharmaceutical industry in Japan
Pharmaceutical industry in India
Pharmaceutical industry in India
Pharmaceutical industry in South Korea
Pharmaceutical industry in South Korea
COVID-19: Steps towards the vaccine
COVID-19: Steps towards the vaccine
WHO - World Health Statistics 2020
WHO - World Health Statistics 2020
Financing Global Health 2019
Financing Global Health 2019

Contact

Get in touch with us. We are happy to help.
Statista Locations
Contact Vayola Jocelyn
Vayola Jocelyn
Client Support Specialist– Contact (United States)
Email
support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Contact Yolanda Mega
Yolanda Mega
Operations Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
asia.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 5pm (SGT)

Contact Kisara Mizuno
Kisara Mizuno
Senior Business Development Manager– Contact (Asia)
Email
support.japan@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 10:00am - 6:00pm (JST)

Contact Lodovica Biagi
Lodovica Biagi
Director of Operations– Contact (Europe)
Email
eu.support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9:30am - 5pm (GMT)

Contact Carolina Dulin
Carolina Dulin
Associate Director - LAC– Contact (Latin America)
Email
support@statista.com

Mon - Fri, 9am - 6pm (EST)

Menu