Pharmaceutical industry in the Asia-Pacific region - statistics & facts

Since the onset of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the pharmaceutical industry has been going through a period of unprecedented challenges and changes, affecting markets across the world. Home to global industry leaders, as well as emerging markets that are developing at a record pace, the Asia-Pacific region boasts one of the most dynamic and diverse pharmaceutical industries in the world.

 An established global player and a market on the rise

For many years, the long-established Japanese pharmaceutical industry has been Asia-Pacific’s main representative on the international medical market, having been among the global leaders in pharma market revenue alongside North America and Europe for the past decade. Despite still being considered a developing market by some, the Chinese medical industry is growing at a record pace. While attributable to several factors, it is especially the country’s investments in research and development that have been increasing significantly within the past few years and which have accelerated China’s pharma industry growth.

 South Asia’s “pharmerging” markets

Often referred to by the umbrella term pharmerging and grouped together with other world regions with developing pharmaceutical industries, South Asia and Southeast Asia are medical markets with plenty of growth potential, not least because of their large populations. Moreso than the established markets, it is the emerging regions that showcase the highest projected pharma market growth rates, exceeding those of China, and Japan. One example of the dynamic developments in Southeast Asia is Singapore’s pharmaceutical industry, which is a renowned hub for biomedical science (BMS) and medical technology.

Digital health is changing the industry

As countries worldwide have gone into lockdown during the COVID-19 pandemic, the telehealth market has become increasingly valuable. Telehealth, sometimes also telemedicine and digital health, describes the use of telecommunication devices as a means of offering medical information or services to patients remotely. The number of active digital health app users have increased tremendously in Southeast Asia in the past few years.
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 Leander von Kameke, Apr 27, 2023

Key insights

Pharma market revenue in Asia, Australasia, Africa in 2021
316bn USD
Projected pharma sales in Southeast & East Asia in 2026
267bn USD
Projected growth rate of pharmerging markets from 2023-2027
5-8%
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Further reportsGet the best reports to understand your industry

Pharmaceutical industry in Japan
Pharmaceutical industry in Japan
Pharmaceutical industry in China
Pharmaceutical industry in China
Pharmaceutical industry in India
Pharmaceutical industry in India
Pharmaceutical industry in Australia
Pharmaceutical industry in Australia
Pharmaceutical industry in South Korea
Pharmaceutical industry in South Korea
State of health in the Asia-Pacific region
State of health in the Asia-Pacific region
Pharmaceutical industry in Singapore
Pharmaceutical industry in Singapore

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