Egypt’s pharmaceutical exports surge to $400 M

CAIRO - 4 February 2026: A comprehensive report released by the Egyptian Drug Authority (EDA) has revealed a significant upward trajectory for Egypt’s pharmaceutical sector, with exports of medicines and pharmaceutical products rising by 14.9 percent during the first ten months of 2025. Total export value reached 400.9 million dollars compared to 348.7 million dollars during the same period in the previous year.

This growth was further emphasized in October 2025 alone, which saw a 11.7 percent year-on-year increase in pharmaceutical exports to reach 46.39 million dollars. This surge is part of a broader expansion in the medical and chemical industries, as the value of Egyptian perfume and cosmetic exports also jumped by 33.1 percent during the same ten-month period to reach approximately 207.18 million dollars.

Under the framework of Egypt’s national strategic narrative, the state has set an ambitious target to increase total medical industry exports—including pharmaceuticals, vaccines, sera, and medical supplies—to 3 billion dollars annually by the year 2030. This represents a massive planned increase from the 798.5 million dollars recorded in 2024.

Simultaneously, Egypt has successfully reduced its reliance on imported pharmaceutical products, with medical imports dropping by 18.5 percent between January and October 2025 to reach 2.42 billion dollars. The month of October 2025 witnessed a particularly sharp decline of 42.5 percent in imports, signaling a successful shift toward domestic production and self-sufficiency.

The industrial foundation of Egypt’s pharmaceutical sector is currently composed of 176 manufacturing companies alongside seven public sector enterprises and 22 branches of multinational foreign firms. Additionally, there are 1,200 commercial companies that operate through toll manufacturing.

This robust infrastructure manages approximately 17,000 officially registered medical products, nearly 91.3 percent of which are manufactured locally. Currently, domestic companies provide about 93 percent of the total local pharmaceutical needs, showcasing the strength of the national industry in securing the country's health requirements.

On the domestic front, the Egyptian pharmaceutical market experienced unprecedented growth in 2025 as total medicine sales surged by more than 40 percent to reach 307 billion Egyptian pounds. During the first ten months of 2025, sales approached 240 billion pounds compared to 169 billion in the same period of the previous year, marking a growth rate of 42 percent.

This domestic expansion, coupled with the reduction in imports of medical and surgical instruments by 2.7 percent, reflects a comprehensive structural transition within the Egyptian healthcare economy, moving toward high-value manufacturing and regional leadership in medical exports.