Overall, spending on pharmaceutical drugs and medicine imports increased 14.9% for all importer countries since 2015 when import purchases of drugs and medicines were valued at $366.7 billion. Year over year, international purchases of drugs and medicines accelerated by 3.8% from 2018 to 2019.
From a continental perspective, European countries paid for more than half (53.1%) of the worldwide drugs and medicines imported during 2019 with pharmaceutical purchases valued at $224 billion. In second place were North American importers at 21.5%. Close behind, 18.1% of imported pharmaceuticals were delivered to customers in Asia. Smaller percentages were delivered to Latin America (3%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Africa (2.8%) then Oceania (1.5%) 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 and 3004.
Drugs and Medicines Imports by Country
Top 15
Drugs and Medicines: Top 15 Importer Countries
Below are the 15 countries that imported the highest dollar value worth of drugs and medicines during 2019.
- United States: US$78.9 billion (18.7% of imported drugs/medicines)
- Germany: $30.9 billion (7.3%)
- Belgium: $24 billion (5.7%)
- China: $21.5 billion (5.1%)
- Switzerland: $21.3 billion (5%)
- United Kingdom: $18.8 billion (4.5%)
- Netherlands: $17.5 billion (4.2%)
- Italy: $17.3 billion (4.1%)
- Japan: $17 billion (4%)
- France: $15.8 billion (3.8%)
- Spain: $11 billion (2.6%)
- Russia: $10.2 billion (2.4%)
- Canada: $8.3 billion (2%)
- Australia: $5.3 billion (1.3%)
- Poland: $5.2 billion (1.2%)
Among the above countries, the fastest-growing markets for imported drugs and medicines since 2015 were: China (up 61.7%), Russia (up 55.5%), Netherlands (up 53.5%) and Switzerland (up 50.6%).
Four countries posted declines in their imported drugs and medicines purchases namely the United Kingdom (down -21%), Japan (down -3.3%), Spain (down -3.2%) and Australia (down -2.5%).
The listed 15 countries bought 71.9% of all drugs and medicines imported in 2019.
All Countries
Drugs and Medicines: All Importer Countries in 2019
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the columns below.
| Rank | Importer | Drugs & Medicines (US$) | %World Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | United States | $78,878,163,000 | 18.7% |
| 2. | Germany | $30,877,657,000 | 7.3% |
| 3. | Belgium | $24,006,797,000 | 5.7% |
| 4. | China | $21,500,541,000 | 5.1% |
| 5. | Switzerland | $21,273,012,000 | 5% |
| 6. | United Kingdom | $18,796,146,000 | 4.5% |
| 7. | Netherlands | $17,500,893,000 | 4.2% |
| 8. | Italy | $17,331,869,000 | 4.1% |
| 9. | Japan | $16,961,501,000 | 4% |
| 10. | France | $15,811,913,000 | 3.8% |
| 11. | Spain | $10,950,860,000 | 2.6% |
| 12. | Russia | $10,159,316,000 | 2.4% |
| 13. | Canada | $8,348,698,000 | 2% |
| 14. | Australia | $5,349,854,000 | 1.3% |
| 15. | Poland | $5,199,460,000 | 1.2% |
| 16. | Czech Republic | $4,289,729,000 | 1% |
| 17. | Ireland | $4,284,747,000 | 1% |
| 18. | Saudi Arabia | $4,159,876,000 | 1% |
| 19. | South Korea | $3,996,993,000 | 0.9% |
| 20. | Slovenia | $3,989,500,000 | 0.9% |
| 21. | Austria | $3,873,996,000 | 0.9% |
| 22. | Brazil | $3,850,807,000 | 0.9% |
| 23. | Denmark | $3,292,028,000 | 0.8% |
| 24. | Hungary | $3,242,889,000 | 0.8% |
| 25. | Romania | $3,113,566,000 | 0.7% |
| 26. | Taiwan | $2,982,026,000 | 0.7% |
| 27. | Sweden | $2,854,178,000 | 0.7% |
| 28. | Mexico | $2,703,713,000 | 0.6% |
| 29. | Turkey | $2,591,218,000 | 0.6% |
| 30. | Portugal | $2,300,115,000 | 0.5% |
| 31. | Hong Kong | $2,176,942,000 | 0.5% |
| 32. | Greece | $2,207,968,000 | 0.5% |
| 33. | Ukraine | $1,840,631,000 | 0.4% |
| 34. | Vietnam | $1,775,392,000 | 0.4% |
| 35. | United Arab Emirates | $1,827,615,000 | 0.4% |
| 36. | South Africa | $1,785,047,000 | 0.4% |
| 37. | Israel | $1,733,982,000 | 0.4% |
| 38. | Thailand | $1,731,575,000 | 0.4% |
| 39. | Egypt | $1,701,542,000 | 0.4% |
| 40. | Slovakia | $1,637,812,000 | 0.4% |
| 41. | Singapore | $1,602,662,000 | 0.4% |
| 42. | Finland | $1,594,951,000 | 0.4% |
| 43. | Norway | $1,548,712,000 | 0.4% |
| 44. | Philippines | $1,377,470,000 | 0.3% |
| 45. | Malaysia | $1,377,138,000 | 0.3% |
| 46. | Bulgaria | $1,302,395,000 | 0.3% |
| 47. | Colombia | $1,270,366,000 | 0.3% |
| 48. | India | $1,172,389,000 | 0.3% |
| 49. | Argentina | $1,150,133,000 | 0.3% |
| 50. | Algeria | $1,141,058,000 | 0.3% |
| 51. | Chile | $1,073,068,000 | 0.3% |
| 52. | Lithuania | $1,035,571,000 | 0.2% |
| 53. | Panama | $920,518,000 | 0.2% |
| 54. | Croatia | $898,832,000 | 0.2% |
| 55. | Kazakhstan | $884,468,000 | 0.2% |
| 56. | Nigeria | $858,858,000 | 0.2% |
| 57. | Serbia | $804,173,000 | 0.2% |
| 58. | Iraq | $737,507,000 | 0.2% |
| 59. | Ecuador | $718,544,000 | 0.2% |
| 60. | Lebanon | $648,694,000 | 0.2% |
| 61. | New Zealand | $643,121,000 | 0.2% |
| 62. | Iran | $535,717,000 | 0.1% |
| 63. | Latvia | $615,726,000 | 0.1% |
| 64. | Costa Rica | $583,169,000 | 0.1% |
| 65. | Peru | $579,307,000 | 0.1% |
| 66. | Indonesia | $564,934,000 | 0.1% |
| 67. | Guatemala | $545,893,000 | 0.1% |
| 68. | Uzbekistan | $507,127,000 | 0.1% |
| 69. | Estonia | $484,032,000 | 0.1% |
| 70. | Pakistan | $480,769,000 | 0.1% |
| 71. | Jordan | $460,464,000 | 0.1% |
| 72. | Morocco | $459,770,000 | 0.1% |
| 73. | Luxembourg | $456,310,000 | 0.1% |
| 74. | Belarus | $452,857,000 | 0.1% |
| 75. | Myanmar (Burma) | $434,309,000 | 0.1% |
| 76. | Kenya | $431,075,000 | 0.1% |
| 77. | Kuwait | $417,324,000 | 0.1% |
| 78. | El Salvador | $391,626,000 | 0.1% |
| 79. | Ethiopia | $380,146,000 | 0.1% |
| 80. | Georgia | $366,674,000 | 0.1% |
| 81. | Democratic Rep. Congo | $358,341,000 | 0.1% |
| 82. | Qatar | $342,221,000 | 0.1% |
| 83. | Tunisia | $334,023,000 | 0.1% |
| 84. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $283,567,000 | 0.1% |
| 85. | Sri Lanka | $276,336,000 | 0.1% |
| 86. | Cyprus | $269,908,000 | 0.1% |
| 87. | Azerbaijan | $261,550,000 | 0.1% |
| 88. | Oman | $260,510,000 | 0.1% |
| 89. | Malta | $246,651,000 | 0.1% |
| 90. | Senegal | $242,285,000 | 0.1% |
| 91. | Tanzania | $241,340,000 | 0.1% |
| 92. | Ghana | $237,240,000 | 0.1% |
| 93. | Macao | $232,054,000 | 0.1% |
| 94. | Uganda | $231,951,000 | 0.1% |
| 95. | Libya | $215,265,000 | 0.1% |
| 96. | Cambodia | $204,793,000 | 0.05% |
| 97. | Nepal | $199,068,000 | 0.05% |
| 98. | Sudan | $192,914,000 | 0.05% |
| 99. | Ivory Coast | $188,268,000 | 0.04% |
| 100. | Honduras | $181,974,000 | 0.04% |
| 101. | Armenia | $180,913,000 | 0.04% |
| 102. | Zimbabwe | $172,841,000 | 0.04% |
| 103. | Dominican Republic | $172,753,000 | 0.04% |
| 104. | Paraguay | $171,025,000 | 0.04% |
| 105. | Kyrgyzstan | $168,365,000 | 0.04% |
| 106. | Cameroon | $167,243,000 | 0.04% |
| 107. | Mozambique | $162,601,000 | 0.04% |
| 108. | Albania | $162,100,000 | 0.04% |
| 109. | Uruguay | $161,748,000 | 0.04% |
| 110. | Mali | $160,234,000 | 0.04% |
| 111. | Moldova | $156,574,000 | 0.04% |
| 112. | Zambia | $155,784,000 | 0.04% |
| 113. | Burkina Faso | $155,540,000 | 0.04% |
| 114. | Yemen | $154,039,000 | 0.04% |
| 115. | North Macedonia | $152,536,000 | 0.04% |
| 116. | Iceland | $145,774,000 | 0.03% |
| 117. | Namibia | $142,431,000 | 0.03% |
| 118. | Nicaragua | $142,347,000 | 0.03% |
| 119. | Mauritius | $138,865,000 | 0.03% |
| 120. | Guinea | $132,384,000 | 0.03% |
| 121. | Bahrain | $131,721,000 | 0.03% |
| 122. | Angola | $128,827,000 | 0.03% |
| 123. | Madagascar | $118,590,000 | 0.03% |
| 124. | Venezuela | $106,310,000 | 0.03% |
| 125. | Benin | $107,764,000 | 0.03% |
| 126. | Malawi | $103,450,000 | 0.02% |
| 127. | Bolivia | $101,778,000 | 0.02% |
| 128. | Botswana | $101,200,000 | 0.02% |
| 129. | Bangladesh | $89,462,000 | 0.02% |
| 130. | Montenegro | $86,300,000 | 0.02% |
| 131. | Afghanistan | $85,712,000 | 0.02% |
| 132. | Turkmenistan | $82,705,000 | 0.02% |
| 133. | Togo | $75,021,000 | 0.02% |
| 134. | French Polynesia | $73,560,000 | 0.02% |
| 135. | Mongolia | $73,424,000 | 0.02% |
| 136. | New Caledonia | $71,717,000 | 0.02% |
| 137. | Niger | $61,313,000 | 0.01% |
| 138. | Congo | $57,727,000 | 0.01% |
| 139. | Brunei Darussalam | $55,966,000 | 0.01% |
| 140. | Gabon | $55,215,000 | 0.01% |
| 141. | Syria | $48,852,000 | 0.01% |
| 142. | Jamaica | $52,195,000 | 0.01% |
| 143. | Somalia | $50,884,000 | 0.01% |
| 144. | Free Zones | $50,332,000 | 0.01% |
| 145. | North Korea | $50,047,000 | 0.01% |
| 146. | Cuba | $47,532,000 | 0.01% |
| 147. | Rwanda | $44,290,000 | 0.01% |
| 148. | Lesotho | $43,439,000 | 0.01% |
| 149. | Chad | $43,172,000 | 0.01% |
| 150. | Barbados | $41,447,000 | 0.01% |
| 151. | Mauritania | $40,863,000 | 0.01% |
| 152. | Eswatini | $38,273,000 | 0.01% |
| 153. | Tajikistan | $38,245,000 | 0.01% |
| 154. | Trinidad/Tobago | $35,013,000 | 0.01% |
| 155. | Papua New Guinea | $35,320,000 | 0.01% |
| 156. | Djibouti | $33,217,000 | 0.01% |
| 157. | Laos | $31,840,000 | 0.01% |
| 158. | Andorra | $32,232,000 | 0.01% |
| 159. | Aruba | $31,754,000 | 0.01% |
| 160. | Palestine | $30,512,000 | 0.01% |
| 161. | Sierra Leone | $26,844,000 | 0.01% |
| 162. | Curaçao | $25,653,000 | 0.01% |
| 163. | Central African Rep | $24,945,000 | 0.01% |
| 164. | Burundi | $24,164,000 | 0.01% |
| 165. | Liberia | $23,713,000 | 0.01% |
| 166. | Haiti | $23,578,000 | 0.01% |
| 167. | Bermuda | $21,587,000 | 0.01% |
| 168. | Faroe Islands | $21,214,000 | 0.01% |
| 169. | Maldives | $21,203,000 | 0.01% |
| 170. | Gibraltar | $18,447,000 | 0.004% |
| 171. | Fiji | $16,219,000 | 0.004% |
| 172. | Bahamas | $14,688,000 | 0.003% |
| 173. | Suriname | $14,554,000 | 0.003% |
| 174. | Guyana | $13,300,000 | 0.003% |
| 175. | Cayman Islands | $12,878,000 | 0.003% |
| 176. | Cabo Verde | $11,712,000 | 0.003% |
| 177. | Belize | $10,208,000 | 0.002% |
| 178. | Antigua/Barbuda | $9,928,000 | 0.002% |
| 179. | Gambia | $8,128,000 | 0.002% |
| 180. | Equatorial Guinea | $7,645,000 | 0.002% |
| 181. | Timor-Leste | $7,618,000 | 0.002% |
| 182. | Bonaire/St Eustatius/Saba | $7,543,000 | 0.002% |
| 183. | Guinea-Bissau | $7,451,000 | 0.002% |
| 184. | Seychelles | $5,684,000 | 0.001% |
| 185. | St Maarten (Dutch) | $5,671,000 | 0.001% |
| 186. | Bhutan | $5,626,000 | 0.001% |
| 187. | Comoros | $5,526,000 | 0.001% |
| 188. | Saint Lucia | $5,202,000 | 0.001% |
| 189. | South Sudan | $4,544,000 | 0.001% |
| 190. | Vanuatu | $3,844,000 | 0.001% |
| 191. | Grenada | $3,665,000 | 0.001% |
| 192. | Samoa | $3,594,000 | 0.001% |
| 193. | British Virgin Islands | $3,537,000 | 0.001% |
| 194. | St Vincent/Grenadines | $3,204,000 | 0.001% |
| 195. | Saint Kitts/Nevis | $3,052,000 | 0.001% |
| 196. | Greenland | $2,543,000 | 0.001% |
| 197. | St. Pierre/Miquelon | $2,477,000 | 0.001% |
| 198. | Solomon Islands | $2,454,000 | 0.001% |
| 199. | Turks/Caicos Islands | $2,361,000 | 0.001% |
| 200. | Dominica | $2,017,000 | 0.0005% |
| 201. | Eritrea | $1,977,000 | 0.0005% |
| 202. | Sao Tome/Principe | $1,763,000 | 0.0004% |
| 203. | Falkland Islands (Malvinas) | $1,569,000 | 0.0004% |
| 204. | Tonga | $1,416,000 | 0.0003% |
| 205. | US Minor Outlying Is | $1,410,000 | 0.0003% |
| 206. | Wallis/Futuna Islands | $1,247,000 | 0.0003% |
| 207. | Marshall Islands | $1,184,000 | 0.0003% |
| 208. | Tokelau | $1,144,000 | 0.0003% |
| 209. | Saint Helena | $1,084,000 | 0.0003% |
| 210. | Kiribati | $690,000 | 0.0002% |
| 211. | Nauru | $620,000 | 0.0001% |
| 212. | Micronesia | $456,000 | 0.0001% |
| 213. | Anguilla | $451,000 | 0.0001% |
| 214. | Cook Islands | $374,000 | 0.0001% |
| 215. | Christmas Island | $315,000 | 0.0001% |
| 216. | Palau | $308,000 | 0.0001% |
| 217. | Cocos (Keeling) Islands | $244,000 | 0.0001% |
| 218. | Montserrat | $204,000 | 0.00005% |
| 219. | Tuvalu | $91,000 | 0.00002% |
| 220. | Niue | $77,000 | 0.00002% |
| 221. | Norfolk Island | $28,000 | 0.00001% |
| 222 | French S./Antarctic Terr | $26,000 | 0.00001% |
| 223 | British Ind. Ocean Terr | $5,000 | 0.000001% |
The countries showcased in the above table represent 100% of pharmaceutical imported drugs and medicines purchased in 2019.
Major Companies
Drugs and Medicines Suppliers
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.
- Pfizer (United States)
- Novartis (Switzerland)
- Sanofi (France)
- Roche Holding (Switzerland)
- Merck & Co (United States)
- GlaxoSmithKline (United Kingdom)
- AstraZeneca (United Kingdom)
- Eli Lilly & Co (United States)
- Abbott Laboratories (United States)
- McKesson (United States)
- AbbVie (United States)
- Bristol-Myers Squibb (United States)
- Teva Pharmaceutical (Israel)
- Takeda Pharmaceutical (Japan)
- Merck (Germany)
- Novo Nordisk (Denmark)
- Cardinal Health (United States)
- Otsuka Holding (Japan)
- Astellas Pharma (Japan)
- AmerisourceBergen (United States)
- Daiichi Sankyo (Japan)
- Allergan (United States)
- Mylan (United States)
- Actavis (Ireland)
- Sinopharm Group (China)
- Valeant Pharmaceuticals (Canada)
See also Drugs and Medicine Exports by Country, Fresh or Frozen Beef Imports by Country and Natural Honey Imports by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Imports – Commodities. Accessed on May 3, 2020
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on May 3, 2020
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on May 3, 2020
Wikipedia, Drug. Accessed on May 3, 2020
