# EU pharmaceutical exports by country in 2025, from Eurostat data

In 2025 the EU exported €365.8 billion of medicinal and pharmaceutical products outside the Union, according to Eurostat. Ireland reported €93.1 billion and Germany €67.9 billion, and the top five countries account for 72% of the total. Exports grew 16% on 2024. If you sell bioprocess or lab equipment, this is a map of where to look first.

[Web version](https://www.crida.studio/en/insights/guides/eu-pharmaceutical-exports-by-country-2025/)

By David Monje, crida studio · Published 2026-11-04 · Updated 2026-11-04

## Which EU countries export the most pharmaceuticals outside the EU

Ireland is the EU's largest pharmaceutical exporter to non-EU markets, with €93,122 million in 2025. Germany follows with €67,911 million, then Belgium with €38,759 million, Italy with €36,166 million and Slovenia with €28,961 million. Spain ranks ninth, with €10,742 million.

Exports are highly concentrated. Ireland and Germany together account for 44% of the EU total, the top five for 72% and the top ten for 95%. Eurostat also notes that Denmark, Ireland and Slovenia sell less than 40% of their pharmaceutical exports to other EU countries, against an EU average of 44%. The rest goes outside the EU.

![Bar chart in billions of euros. Ireland 93.1, Germany 67.9, Belgium 38.8, Italy 36.2, Slovenia 29.0, Netherlands 28.4, France 18.7 and Denmark 16.4.](https://www.crida.studio/recursos/assets/the-eight-eu-countries-exporting-the-most-pharmaceuticals-outside-the.69a59615907b.svg)

The eight EU countries exporting the most pharmaceuticals outside the EU

| Country | Billions of euros |
| --- | --- |
| Ireland | 93.1 |
| Germany | 67.9 |
| Belgium | 38.8 |
| Italy | 36.2 |
| Slovenia | 29 |
| Netherlands | 28.4 |
| France | 18.7 |
| Denmark | 16.4 |

Extra-EU exports of medicinal and pharmaceutical products in 2025, in billions of euros. Eurostat Comext, downloaded on 4 November 2026.

Source: [Eurostat, Comext DS-059331 (downloaded on 4 November 2026)](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/comext/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/DS-059331?format=JSON&lang=en&freq=A&time=2025&product=54&partner=EXT_EU27_2020&flow=2)

## How fast EU pharmaceutical trade is growing

EU pharmaceutical exports have grown every year since 2015 except 2023, according to Eurostat. In 2025 they rose 16% on 2024, an increase of about €50 billion, while imports rose 21%. The trade surplus went from €195 billion to a record €221 billion. In 2015 it stood at €69 billion.

Between 2015 and 2025, exports grew 151% and imports 88%. Part of that growth is price. The unit value index for exports climbed from 91.2 in 2015 to 130.8 in 2025, and Eurostat says this suggests the increase was partly driven by higher prices.

For marketing, read this with care. More export value does not mean the same rise in litres produced or in equipment orders. What it does show is an industry exporting more value, which may leave room to invest in capacity. Check that against your own sales before acting on it.


### Which EU country exports the most pharmaceuticals?

Ireland, with €93,122 million of exports outside the EU in 2025 according to Eurostat, or 25% of the EU total. Germany is second with €67,911 million. These are exports reported by the country where the goods leave the EU, so they are not exactly each country's production, but they clearly show where exports are concentrated.

## The United States is the main market for EU medicines

The United States is the top destination for EU pharmaceutical exports. Its share rose from 26% in 2015 to 44% in 2025. Switzerland, at 16%, is the only other partner with a double-digit share. On the import side the United States also leads, with 41%, followed by Switzerland with 28% and China with 9%.

For a supplier, it is likely that many European customers also produce with the US market in mind. If your equipment helps them with the documentation those markets ask for, show it on your website with concrete examples, without claiming more than it does.

![Bar chart showing the US share of EU pharmaceutical exports, rising from 26 per cent in 2015 to 44 per cent in 2025.](https://www.crida.studio/recursos/assets/us-share-of-eu-pharmaceutical-exports.b04c551d39eb.svg)

US share of EU pharmaceutical exports

| Year | US share |
| --- | --- |
| 2015 | 26% |
| 2025 | 44% |

Share of EU exports of medicinal and pharmaceutical products going to the United States in 2015 and 2025, according to Eurostat, with data from March 2026.

Source: [Eurostat, International trade in medicinal and pharmaceutical products (data from March 2026)](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=International_trade_in_medicinal_and_pharmaceutical_products)

## Where the plants that buy equipment and consumables are

Our working hypothesis is that where exports are concentrated, there are many production plants buying bioreactors, filtration systems, single-use consumables and services. Eurostat does not measure equipment purchases. Even so, Ireland, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Slovenia account for 72% of exports, which makes them a sensible starting point when ranking markets.

Read the figures carefully. Eurostat warns that trade with non-EU countries is reported by the Member State where the customs declaration is lodged, usually where the goods cross the EU border, which is not always the real buyer or seller. It mainly affects countries with large ports such as Antwerp and Rotterdam, hence the name Rotterdam effect. Belgium and the Netherlands may rank higher than their actual production.

![Industrial hall seen from above with stainless steel bioreactors and process equipment of several sizes and three people at work](https://www.crida.studio/recursos/assets/nau-amb-equips-de-proces.d91489b606d3.webp)

Bioreactors and process equipment in an industrial hall, photographed by TECNIC Bioprocess Solutions.
TECNIC Bioprocess Solutions / Unsplash — https://unsplash.com/photos/YvQJI4M513c


### How much have European pharmaceutical exports grown?

According to Eurostat, EU exports of medicinal and pharmaceutical products grew 16% in 2025 compared with 2024, and 151% between 2015 and 2025. They have risen every year since 2015 except 2023. Part of the growth comes from higher prices, as the export unit value index went from 91.2 to 130.8 over those ten years.

## What a supplier should change in the marketing plan

These figures help you decide which languages and markets deserve budget and time. Before you move money, cross them with your sales, your Search Console traffic by country and your trade show contacts. These are the areas where the data matters most.

At crida studio we help suppliers in the sector turn public data like this into an international marketing plan, with languages, websites, campaigns and trade shows ranked by priority. We do not promise results, because they depend on each market and each product.

- Website languages. English covers Ireland and probably works for many buyers in Denmark and Slovenia. German is the next language to look at, with Italian and French after that.
- International SEO. Pages built for each market, with hreflang and the terms a process engineer in that country actually uses, rather than word-for-word translations.
- Google Ads. Separate campaigns by country and language, starting with the biggest exporting markets and keeping budgets small where search volume is low.
- Trade shows. Favour the ones that bring together buyers from Germany, Ireland, Belgium and Italy, with material in English and German.
- Distributors. If you have no sales team of your own in a high-export market such as Italy or Slovenia, a local distributor can open doors your website cannot.
- Messaging. If your customers export to the United States, talk about documentation, validation and FDA requirements as well as performance.


### Can I use this data to choose which country to sell in?

Use it to rank where to look first, not to decide on its own. It shows where export manufacturing is concentrated, not who buys equipment or when. Cross it with your sales, your traffic by country and your trade show contacts. We have a separate guide on choosing your next export market step by step.

## Where the data comes from and what it does not tell you

The country figures come from Eurostat's Comext dataset DS-059331, downloaded on 4 November 2026 and last updated on 16 October. We filtered for 2025, SITC Rev. 4 division 54, which covers medicinal and pharmaceutical products, the export flow and extra-EU partners. We used the value in euros.

These are extra-EU exports reported by the country where the goods leave the EU. They are not each country's production and they leave out sales within the EU. Growth, destinations and intra-EU shares come from the Statistics Explained article, with data from March 2026, and may shift slightly if Eurostat revises its figures.

## References

- [Eurostat, Comext DS-059331, extra-EU exports of SITC division 54 in 2025 (downloaded on 4 November 2026)](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/api/comext/dissemination/statistics/1.0/data/DS-059331?format=JSON&lang=en&freq=A&time=2025&product=54&partner=EXT_EU27_2020&flow=2)
- [Eurostat, International trade in medicinal and pharmaceutical products (Statistics Explained, data from March 2026)](https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=International_trade_in_medicinal_and_pharmaceutical_products)

## The crida perspective

We are a marketing, brand and technology studio based in Girona. We bring identity, content and development together so a digital experience makes sense from beginning to end.

crida studio, Caldes de Malavella (Girona, Spain). David Monje, founder and director.

## Want to rank your markets with public data?

Tell us what you sell and where you sell it today. We will work through with you which countries, languages and channels make most sense and where we would start.

[Get in touch](https://www.crida.studio/en/#contact)

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