Driven by Biosimilar Growth... Pharmaceutical Exports Surpass $10 Billion for the First Time Last Year

KHIDI Reports Record-High $27.9 Billion in Biohealth Exports
K-Beauty’s Largest Market Shifts from China to the United States

Despite the uncertainty in the global economy, Korea's biohealth industry has achieved its highest-ever export performance, further solidifying its position as a key national strategic sector. For the first time ever, pharmaceutical exports surpassed 10 billion dollars, and there was a clear qualitative shift in the industry structure, with the core of the cosmetics market moving from China to the United States.

According to the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, exports in the biohealth sector (pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and cosmetics) reached a record high of 27.87 billion dollars in 2025, up 10.3% from the previous year, based on its analysis released on March 5.

Last year, pharmaceutical exports increased by 12.3% year-on-year to 10.41 billion dollars. This was the first time that exports of a single item surpassed 10 billion dollars. Notably, biopharmaceuticals—which account for 62.6% of total pharmaceutical exports—grew rapidly by 18.2% from the previous year, driven by rising global demand for biosimilars and increased contract development and manufacturing (CDMO) orders from domestic companies.

By country, the United States maintained its top position, while the European market showed exceptional growth. In particular, exports to Switzerland surged by 153.2% year-on-year, moving up from fifth to second place among export destinations.

Cosmetics exports also reached a record high, growing 12.2% year-on-year to 11.42 billion dollars alongside pharmaceuticals. While China’s share, which had held the top spot for years, dropped to 17.7%, the United States’ share rose to 19.1%, making the United States the largest export market for Korean cosmetics.

The global popularity of 'K-beauty' has spread evenly across North America, Europe, Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and other emerging markets, resulting in the share of exports to regions outside the top five countries rising to 43.4%. This is seen as evidence that Korea’s market diversification strategy has been successful.

Exports of medical devices reached 6.04 billion dollars, up 3.9% from the previous year. Exports of in vitro diagnostic devices, which had declined after COVID-19, returned to profitability and began to recover. Meanwhile, ultrasound diagnostic imaging devices (890 million dollars) and electrically powered medical devices continued steady growth. In particular, demand for general medical devices surged in countries such as the United Arab Emirates and Thailand, contributing to the active expansion into new markets.

Lee Byungkwan, Director of the Biohealth Innovation Planning Division at the Korea Health Industry Development Institute, stated, "Last year, pharmaceutical exports surpassed 10 billion dollars for the first time, and exports in the biohealth sector achieved a record high." He added, "However, as changes in the global trade environment could become a variable, continuous monitoring and strategic government support are urgently needed at this time."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.