India has long believed that health is a global responsibility. Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi has expressed this through the vision of One Earth, One Health.
India is today known as the Pharmacy of the World. This recognition has been earned through scale, quality, affordability, and dependable supply.
Over the last 12 years, the Indian pharmaceutical sector has become a strategic sector and a pride of the nation. It has grown from about US$ 20 billion to US$ 60 billion, while ensuring uninterrupted supply of medicines through the pandemic and recent geopolitical disruptions, including the West Asia crisis. It is expected to rise to $130 billion by 2030. This reflects the spirit of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, the world is one family.
India’s pharmaceutical exports have grown from US$ 14 billion in FY 2015 to US$ 31 billion in FY 2026, registering a compound annual growth rate of 7.22 percent. India is the third-largest producer of pharmaceuticals by volume, supplies around 20 percent of global generics demand, and exports to more than 200 countries. More than 60 percent of India’s pharmaceutical exports go to stringently regulated markets.
The United States remains India’s largest pharmaceutical market. By India’s export data, shipments to the US stand at about US$ 10.5 billion, more than two-and-a-half times the level of 2014. By last year’s US import data, Indian pharmaceutical supplies are estimated at nearly US$ 15 billion, almost three times the level in the same period.
India’s growth is also broad-based. Over the last 12 years, exports to France have grown 3.8 times, Brazil 3.1 times, the United Kingdom 1.7 times, and South Africa 1.6 times. The India-EFTA Trade and Economic Partnership Agreement, backed by a commitment of US$ 100 billion in investment over 15 years, opens further possibilities in life sciences, research, manufacturing, and advanced health technologies.
The world today seeks quality, continuity, and affordability in healthcare supply chains. India offers all three.
Quality is reflected in India’s overall 1000 US FDA-registered sites, the highest number outside the United States. Continuity is reflected in India’s ability to deliver medicines during disruption. Since 2023, India has shipped several consignments of medicines in last few years, amounting to nearly 1500 metric tonnes, to 56 countries. Affordability is reflected in the lives of millions across the world for whom Indian generics have made treatment possible.
Indian pharma is therefore an export success and has a strong development partnership element. It carries the spirit of Vishwa Mitra, India as a friend to the world. During the COVID-19 pandemic, India gave meaning to that idea through Vaccine Maitri, supplying vaccines and medicines to many parts of the world. That experience strengthened India’s identity as a reliable global health partner.
The next phase of growth will be defined by India’s movement from volume to value. Generics will remain a foundation, but the future will also be shaped by biosimilars, biologics, gene therapies, specialty medicines, vaccines, complex generics, contract manufacturing capabilities, medical devices, and Active Pharmaceutical Ingredient self-reliance.
Recent initiatives such as Biopharma SHAKTI, with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore over five years, will strengthen biologics, biosimilars, clinical trial infrastructure, NIPERs, and more than 1,000 accredited clinical trial sites. Patent filings in pharma sector have more than doubled as well, showing the growing depth of Indian science, industry, and regulation.
India is also emerging as a hub for pharmaceutical knowledge services. Pharma multinationals now run Global Capability Centres in India, employing more than 30,000 professionals and attracting over US$ 300 million in investment. These centres support analytics, clinical operations, regulatory science, pharmacovigilance, digital health, and research.
Regulatory cooperation will be central to the next stage. Market access for medicines is health diplomacy. Regulatory cooperation is economic diplomacy. Trust between regulators is strategic partnership.
India has set a target of US$ 50 billion in pharmaceutical exports by 2030. To reach this goal, India will strengthen quality, build resilience in Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients and Key Starting Materials, move into higher-value products, become a preferred contract manufacturing and clinical research destination, and use trade agreements to remove avoidable barriers.
As health security is redefined, India brings scale, skill, science, standards, and social commitment. India will remain the Pharmacy of the World, become a laboratory of affordable innovation, and serve as a reliable partner in global health security.
