Cancer drugs make up by far the largest share of the global pharmaceuticals market. The Statista Health Market Outlook estimates their market share of overall drug sales in 2022 at almost 18 percent. For comparison: The second largest segment, vaccines, recorded an increase in sales of more than 142 percent in 2021 due to the coronavirus pandemic, but is still only expected to reach a market share of 7.3 percent this year.
According to Statista analysts, the segment of cancer therapy will only grow more in the future – driven by aging societies all around the globe. By 2025, the market share of cancer drugs in the pharma sector is projected to near 22 percent. While around $143.9 billion were generated worldwide in 2019, revenues are expected to rise to almost $200 billion by 2022 and $282.9 billion by 2025.
Overall, the pharmaceuticals market shows stable growth fueled by innovation and growing demand for healthcare services, particularly in emerging markets. Prescription drugs are responsible for the bulk of sales because of their higher price compared to over-the-counter-products. Following cancer drugs and vaccines, diabetes drugs, anti-rheumatics and immunosuppressants were the biggest revenue segments in pharma.
