The science industries: driver for Swiss exports

Jan Lucht
scienceindustries | Head Biotechnology

Despite the challenging economic environment, Swiss exports recovered from a slight decline in the previous year to reach a new record of CHF 282.9 billion (+3.2%) in 2024. This was only possible thanks to the strong performance of the chemicals and pharmaceuticals sector. While all the other major sectors, except food and tobacco, saw their exports fall, chemicals and pharmaceuticals rose by CHF 13.6 billion (+10%) to a new record of CHF 149 billion, more than offsetting the losses in the other sectors.

Looking at the evolution of the export shares of the main industrial sectors over the last 25 years, there is a clear shift towards the chemicals and pharmaceuticals category (Figure 1), to which life science products, including pharmaceuticals, vitamins and diagnostics, contribute a large share (more than two thirds in 2024). Since 2013, chemicals and pharmaceuticals has been the largest export sector. It accounted for 52% of all Swiss exports in 2024 and is the central pillar of Swiss foreign trade growth: of the total increase in Swiss exports between 2000 and 2024 (CHF 156.4 bn), 72% came from this sector alone.

Export statistics for goods do not usually take into account production methods. In the case of the immunologicals subsector, however, it is clear that it consists of modern biotechnology products such as monoclonal antibody therapeutics, vaccines, cell cultures and cell therapies. The dynamics here are impressive: in 2000, exports of immunologicals were worth CHF 1.9 billion; by 2024, this figure had risen to CHF 52 billion. In 2024, immunologicals accounted for 18.5% of total exports from Switzerland, and for 32.2% of export growth over the past 25 years.

An excellent combination of framework conditions has earned the Swiss chemical, pharmaceutical and life sciences industry second place behind the US in the international Global Industry Competitiveness Index GICI (BAK Economics, 2024). The ability of Swiss life sciences companies to innovate, provide solutions for global patient and customer needs and adapt quickly to changing requirements, together with a network of international alliances, make Switzerland a global leader in biotechnology.