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Imports of Drugs and Medicines by Country

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by Daniel Workman

Worldwide purchases of imported pharmaceutical drugs and medicines cost a total US$532.2 billion in 2024.

Overall spending on pharmaceutical drugs and medicine imports increased by an average 19.9% for all importer countries since 2020 when import purchases of drugs and medicines were valued at $444 billion.

Year over year, international purchases of exported drugs and medicines increased by 4.6% compared to $508.7 billion in 2023.

The world’s 5 biggest importers of pharmaceutical medicines are the United States of America, Switzerland, Germany, Belgium and mainland China. Collectively, that leading cohort of international buyers paid for 44.6% of globally imported drugs and medicines during 2024. That percentage indicates a relatively concentrated market of buyers worldwide.

From a continental perspective, European countries were responsible for over half (54.5%) of spending on drugs and medicines imported during 2024 with pharmaceutical purchases valued at $290.1 billion. In second place were importers located in North America at 21.1% while another 16.9% of imported pharmaceuticals was delivered to customers in Asia.

Smaller percentages were delivered to Latin America (3.8%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Africa (2.3%), then Oceania (1.4%) led by Australia and New Zealand.

The metrics below combine subtotals for two 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefixes for drugs and medicine subcategories, specifically prefixes 3003 (consisting of 2 or more constituents mixed together) and 3004 (other).

Drugs and Medicines: Top 15 Importer Countries

Below are the 15 countries that imported the highest dollar value worth of drugs and medicines during 2024.

United States: US$97.1 billion (18.2% of imported prescription drugs and medicines)
Switzerland: $47.6 billion (8.9%)
Germany: $35.1 billion (6.6%)
Belgium: $34.4 billion (6.5%)
mainland China: $23 billion (4.3%)
Italy: $19.23 billion (3.6%)
United Kingdom: $18.24 billion (3.4%)
France: $18 billion (3.4%)
Japan: $15.6 billion (2.9%)
Spain: $15.2 billion (2.8%)
Netherlands: $13.6 billion (2.6%)
Canada: $10.3 billion (1.9%)
Ireland: $9.3 billion (1.7%)
Russia: $8.7 billion (1.6%)
Slovenia: $8.4 billion (1.6%)

By value, the listed 15 countries purchased 70.2% of all prescription drugs and medicines imports in 2024.

Among the above countries, the fastest-growing markets for prescription drugs and medicines since 2020 were: Switzerland (up 84%), Ireland (up 80.2%), Slovenia (up 57.9%) and Belgium (up 32.9%).

Two countries posted declines in their imported prescription drugs and medicines purchases, namely Japan (down -9.7% from 2023) and France (down -0.9%).

Drugs and Medicines: All Importer Countries in 2024

By value, the 100 key countries showcased in the following automated database bought 98.2% of imported pharmaceutical drugs and medicines purchased in 2024.

RankImporterDrugs & Medicines2020-4

1.	United States	$97,086,298,000	+19.2%
2.	Switzerland	$47,625,969,000	+84%
3.	Germany	$35,104,778,000	+1.5%
4.	Belgium	$34,398,233,000	+32.9%
5.	mainland China	$22,991,372,000	+7.1%
6.	Italy	$19,225,969,000	+2.8%
7.	United Kingdom	$18,239,606,000	+23.3%
8.	France	$17,994,924,000	-0.9%
9.	Japan	$15,606,153,000	-9.7%
10.	Spain	$15,166,190,000	+30.9%
11.	Netherlands	$13,589,516,000	+13.6%
12.	Canada	$10,291,439,000	+21.1%
13.	Ireland	$9,253,747,000	+80.2%
14.	Russia	$8,691,182,000	+16.7%
15.	Slovenia	$8,446,440,000	+57.9%
16.	Poland	$8,312,059,000	+55.2%
17.	Saudi Arabia	$7,036,900,000	+59.3%
18.	Brazil	$6,027,085,000	+76.1%
19.	Australia	$5,970,032,000	+6.5%
20.	Czech Republic	$5,725,240,000	+25.5%
21.	Romania	$5,136,228,000	+56.3%
22.	South Korea	$5,020,902,000	+16.7%
23.	Denmark	$5,004,970,000	+24.4%
24.	Austria	$4,909,898,000	+23.5%
25.	Mexico	$4,800,459,000	+59.6%
26.	Taiwan	$3,894,265,000	+22.9%
27.	Sweden	$3,891,304,000	+20.4%
28.	Hungary	$3,357,256,000	+13.5%
29.	United Arab Emirates	$3,272,590,000	-4.7%
30.	Portugal	$2,916,508,000	+16.2%
31.	Greece	$2,872,726,000	+17%
32.	Hong Kong	$2,845,903,000	+22.5%
33.	Türkiye	$2,532,742,000	-1.4%
34.	Uzbekistan	$2,498,226,000	+142.1%
35.	Colombia	$2,418,061,000	+52.8%
36.	Slovakia	$2,383,678,000	+24.6%
37.	Vietnam	$2,303,933,000	-16.7%
38.	Panama	$2,135,729,000	+33.7%
39.	Israel	$2,131,236,000	+4.9%
40.	Norway	$2,105,382,000	+26%
41.	Thailand	$2,086,973,000	+17.8%
42.	Egypt	$2,052,080,000	-17.6%
43.	Ukraine	$1,970,892,000	-0.8%
44.	Finland	$1,867,866,000	+6.9%
45.	Singapore	$1,855,128,000	+3.1%
46.	South Africa	$1,847,818,000	+1.3%
47.	Bulgaria	$1,775,556,000	+30.1%
48.	Philippines	$1,771,058,000	+33.6%
49.	Kazakhstan	$1,714,046,000	+41.5%
50.	Chile	$1,516,899,000	+34.4%
51.	Lithuania	$1,499,467,000	+37.5%
52.	Serbia	$1,362,974,000	+26.2%
53.	Croatia	$1,332,698,000	+41.6%
54.	India	$1,327,387,000	+18%
55.	Malaysia	$1,159,972,000	0%
56.	Argentina	$1,109,524,000	+4.1%
57.	Iraq	$997,488,000	-5.7%
58.	New Zealand	$969,203,000	+46.4%
59.	Guatemala	$915,611,000	+58.7%
60.	Algeria	$889,735,000	-19.1%
61.	Latvia	$866,644,000	+36.6%
62.	Ecuador	$865,810,000	+16.6%
63.	Dominican Republic	$851,787,000	+48.4%
64.	Indonesia	$818,493,000	+11.1%
65.	Costa Rica	$744,363,000	+27.8%
66.	Luxembourg	$728,798,000	+50.7%
67.	Estonia	$728,602,000	+35.8%
68.	Kuwait	$699,256,000	-36%
69.	Nigeria	$687,473,000	-52.2%
70.	Peru	$681,566,000	+0.7%
71.	Honduras	$657,323,000	+45.3%
72.	Morocco	$583,032,000	+15.5%
73.	El Salvador	$555,785,000	+49.3%
74.	Jordan	$540,504,000	+5.8%
75.	Kenya	$532,501,000	-0.9%
76.	Belarus	$486,560,000	-19.6%
77.	Cyprus	$479,531,000	+44.6%
78.	Malta	$466,990,000	+53.2%
79.	Iran	$461,572,000	-39.5%
80.	Qatar	$452,353,000	-13.8%
81.	Georgia	$449,685,000	+54.1%
82.	Azerbaijan	$447,048,000	+36.6%
83.	Ivory Coast	$441,627,000	+25.3%
84.	Macao	$436,457,000	+73.9%
85.	Bosnia/Herzegovina	$407,959,000	+33.5%
86.	Sri Lanka	$397,518,000	-5.9%
87.	Pakistan	$383,951,000	-22.1%
88.	Nicaragua	$325,544,000	-6.2%
89.	Tunisia	$311,504,000	-28.9%
90.	Afghanistan	$308,786,000	+54%
91.	Ghana	$307,278,000	0%
92.	Lebanon	$304,966,000	-57.3%
93.	Myanmar	$287,552,000	-40.2%
94.	Moldova	$287,014,000	+24.1%
95.	Oman	$284,384,000	-32.4%
96.	Tanzania	$276,304,000	-25.9%
97.	Paraguay	$254,215,000	+53.4%
98.	Uruguay	$253,455,000	+58.3%
99.	Ethiopia	$244,116,000	-48%
100.	Iceland	$238,710,000	+38.5%

Widening the scope to focus on the top 100 major importers of drugs and medicines, the fastest-grower over the 5-year period starting in 2020 was Uzbekistan via a 142.1% increase in spending. In second place were importers in Switzerland (up 84%), Ireland (up 80.2%), Brazil (up 76.1%), Macao (up 73.9%) and Mexico (up 59.6%).

You can change the above table’s presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the table’s columns.

Drugs and Medicines Companies

Below are conglomerates that are leading suppliers satisfying the global demand for pharmaceuticals. Shown within parenthesis is the country where the supplying business is headquartered.