The overall value of exported antibiotics declined by an average -2.9% for exporting countries 5 years earlier in 2019 when antibiotics shipments were valued at $10.7 billion.
Year over year, the value of globally exported antibiotics rose by 4% compared to $10 billion starting from 2022.
Technically classified as organic chemicals, antibiotics are medicaments used to fight, treat and prevent bacterial infections. Contrary to popular perception, antibiotics fail to inhibit influenza, the common cold and other viruses. In short, antibiotics are not antiviral drugs.
The 5 biggest suppliers of antibiotics on international markets are mainland China, United States of America, India, Italy and Switzerland. Combined, that quintet of leading antibiotics exporters generated about two-thirds (74.8%) of world antibiotics shipments for 2023.
Applying a continental lens, suppliers in Asia sold the highest dollar worth of exported antibiotics during 2023 with shipments valued at $5.6 billion or 53.8% of the global total. In second place were exporters located in Europe at 33.3%.
Smaller percentages originated from sellers in North America (10.4%), Latin America (2.4%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Oceania (0.1%) led by New Zealand and Australia, then providers in Africa (0.03%).
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 2609 for antibiotics.
Top Antibiotics Exporters
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of antibiotics during 2023.
- mainland China: US$4.1 billion (39.2% of overall exported antibiotics)
- United States: $1.1 billion (10.4%)
- India: $1 billion (9.7%)
- Italy: $876 million (8.4%)
- Switzerland: $749.7 million (7.2%)
- Belgium: $415.1 million (4%)
- Spain: $387.6 million (3.7%)
- Denmark: $191.6 million (1.8%)
- Panama: $189 million (1.8%)
- South Korea: $180.4 million (1.7%)
- Singapore: $160.7 million (1.5%)
- France: $132.4 million (1.3%)
- Netherlands: $118.9 million (1.1%)
- Austria: $108.8 million (1%)
- Hungary: $105.8 million (1%)
- Japan: $97.5 million (0.9%)
- Germany: $87.6 million (0.8%)
- Brazil: $54.7 million (0.5%)
- Portugal: $54.6 million (0.5%)
- Croatia: $41.1 million (0.4%)
By value, the listed 20 countries shipped 97.2% of worldwide export sales for antibiotics in 2023.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing antibiotics exporters since 2022 were: Austria (up 75,460%), United States of America (up 153.1%), Panama (up 31.3%) and Germany (up 21.1%).
Listed suppliers that posted declines in their exported antibiotics sales were led by: Japan (down -51% from 2022), Singapore (down -36.6%), Belgium (down -21.7%) and the Netherlands (down -14.9%).
Countries with Best Competitive Trade Advantages
The listed countries posted positive net exports for antibiotics during 2023.
Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported antibiotics and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- mainland China: US$3.6 billion (net export surplus down -8.5% since 2022)
- Switzerland: $576.6 million (up 14.4%)
- United States of America: $356.5 million (reversing a -$325.8 million deficit)
- Denmark: $177.5 million (up 4.6%)
- Singapore: $156 million (down -36.8%)
- Hungary: $95.6 million (down -8.2%)
- Spain: $59.7 million (up 1%)
- Belgium: $42.3 million (up 31.2%)
- Slovakia: $11 million (up 81.7%)
- Malta: $7.2 million (up 55.2%)
- US Minor Outlying Islands: $779,000 (reversing an -$89,000 deficit)
- Sierra Leone: $24,000 (2022 data unavailable)
- Cayman Islands: $1,000 (reversing an -$8,000 deficit)
Mainland China generated the highest surplus in the international trade of antibiotics. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms China’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries with Worst Competitive Trade Disadvantages
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for antibiotics during 2023.
Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported antibiotics purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- India: -US$957.2 million (net export deficit up 45.1% since 2022)
- France: -$396.9 million (up 9.1%)
- Brazil: -$299.5 million (down -13.7%)
- Vietnam: -$285.6 million (down -5.9%)
- Germany: -$261.7 million (down -61.4%)
- Italy: -$229.8 million (down -48.2%)
- Türkiye: -$217.3 million (up 7.6%)
- Mexico: -$176 million (down -7.8%)
- Bangladesh: -$172.4 million (up 10.3%)
- Japan: -$164.8 million (up 243.8%)
- United Kingdom: -$162 million (up 5.2%)
- Indonesia: -$159.7 million (up 17.1%)
- Canada: -$148.4 million (up 4.2%)
- Thailand: -$147.4 million (up 20.7%)
- Russia: -$131.8 million (down -9.5%)
Highly populated India recorded the highest deficit in the international trade of antibiotics. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights the strong Indian competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for antibiotics-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful demand.
Antibiotics Exporting Companies
Below are 3 of America’s biggest pharmaceutical businesses. Also shown is the city where the headquarters for each company.
This trio of Big Pharma companies banded together in 2023. The goal of this collective effort is to develop new antibiotics via a $1 billion AMR Action Fund.
- Pfizer (New York, New York)
- Johnson & Johnson (New Brunswick, New Jersey)
- Merck (Kenilworth, New Jersey)
Two to four newly developed antibiotics are anticipated by 2030.
See also Drugs and Medicines Exports by Country, Heart Pacemaker Export Sales by Country and Top Blood Exporters by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on November 26, 2024
Fierce Biotech, Big Pharma joins forces on $1B fund to shore up struggling antibiotics makers. Accessed on November 26, 2024
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on November 26, 2024
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on November 26, 2024
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on November 26, 2024
Statistica (The Statistics Portal), Leading antibiotics producing companies worldwide in 2019. Accessed on November 26, 2024
Wikipedia, Antibiotic. Accessed on November 26, 2024