Pharmaceutical industry in the United Kingdom (UK) - Statistics & Facts

The pharmaceutical industry is an important economic factor within the United Kingdom. In 2022, the annual turnover of pharmaceutical goods wholesalers in the UK was over 65 billion British pounds. The United Kingdom's pharmaceutical market is among the global top 10 national markets, holding some 2.4 percent of the global pharmaceutical sector.

Two flagship companies

Cambridge-based AstraZeneca and London-based GSK (formerly GlaxoSmithKline) are the two flagships of the British drug manufacturing industry. For several years, GSK was the leading pharmaceutical company in the UK based on market capitalization. However, AstraZeneca received a significant boost among the leading companies, especially since developing a COVID-19 vaccine in cooperation with a team at Oxford University back in 2020 and after restructuring and refocusing its portfolio over the last years. As of year-end 2024, AstraZeneca was reported to have a market capitalization of around 165 billion British pounds.

An important contributor

In 2022, there were 670 businesses in the manufacture of pharmaceutical products and preparations in the UK. Innovation is a huge part and requirement of the pharmaceutical industry, and as such, research and development expenditures of this industry have the largest share of total R&D performed in UK businesses. The industry is also a large contributor to the economy, providing employment for around 70 thousand people in the biopharmaceutical core sector alone.

Consumer spending and OTC

In 2023, consumers in the United Kingdom spent around 8.7 billion British pounds on pharmaceutical products. In the OTC (over-the-counter) segment for pain relief remedies, there was a slight decrease in sales value in 2023 compared to the previous year. The most valuable categories in the OTC market are usually pain relief, vitamins and minerals, and cough/cold remedies.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Dec 9, 2024

Key insights

Wholesale turnover of pharma goods in the UK 2022
65.5bn GBP
Consumer price index of pharma products in the UK 2023 (2015 = 100)
126.1
Net capital expenditare in IK pharma product manufacturing in 2021
817m GBP
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Current statistics on this topic

Market share of leading 10 national pharmaceutical markets worldwide in 2023

Industry & Market

Market share of the leading global pharmaceutical markets 2023

Leading pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies in the United Kingdom (UK) as of 2024, based on market capitalization (in billion GBP)

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Leading UK pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies ranked by market cap 2024

Approximate gross value added (aGVA) of pharmaceutical products and preparations manufacturing in the UK from 2008 to 2022 (in million GBP)

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Pharmaceutical manufacturing gross value added (aGVA) in UK 2008-2022

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International positioning

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National overview

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Company landscape

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Financial impact

5

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OTC (over-the-counter)

5

OTC (over-the-counter)

Direct and indirect employment

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Further reports

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Pharmaceutical market worldwide
Pharmaceutical market worldwide
Hospitals in the United Kingdom
Hospitals in the United Kingdom
National Health Service (NHS) in the UK
National Health Service (NHS) in the UK
Pharmaceutical trends in Europe
Pharmaceutical trends in Europe
Pharmacy landscape in the UK
Pharmacy landscape in the UK

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