South Korea achieved a milestone as its pharmaceutical exports exceeded $10 billion for the first time in the previous year. Data from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety revealed that the country’s pharmaceutical exports reached $10.44 billion in 2025, marking a 12.4 percent increase from the year before. Concurrently, imports also saw growth, rising by 5.9 percent to $8.93 billion.
Trade surplus in the pharmaceutical sector soared by 41.9 percent to $1.56 billion, setting a new record high, according to the data. The surge in exports was primarily led by biopharmaceuticals, driven by the expanding market share of local biosimilar manufacturers and the enhanced competitiveness of their contract development and manufacturing capabilities.
In 2025, South Korea’s pharmaceutical production hit a record high of 33.8 trillion won, reflecting a 3 percent increase from the previous year. This output level is the highest annual figure recorded since the government began compiling such data back in 1998. Notably, the growth in production was most significant in prescription-based medicine and finished drug products, with respective year-on-year increases of 5.3 percent and 3.7 percent.
The annual average growth rate of drug production over the past five years stood at 7.3 percent, surpassing the corresponding figure for South Korea’s gross domestic product (GDP) which was at 4.6 percent, as highlighted by the ministry. Noteworthy companies like Celltrion Inc. and Hanmi Pharm Co. reported annual production figures exceeding 1 trillion won in 2025, with Celltrion’s drug production surging by 27.6 percent to surpass 3 trillion won ($1.9 billion) in the same year.
