Biotech Statistics and Facts (2025)
Updated · Mar 19, 2025
WHAT WE HAVE ON THIS PAGE
- Introduction
- Editor’s Choice
- Percentage Of Biotech R&D Expenditure
- Number Of Biotech Companies
- Top 50 Biotech Companies Based On R & D
- Biotech Companies To Develop COVID Vaccine
- Biotech Companies By Type
- Capital Raise For The Biotech Industry
- Biotech Fund Raising
- Biotech Industry Growth & Innovation
- Biotech Industry Workforce And Employment Growth
- Key Investors In The Biotech Industry
- Conclusion
Introduction
Biotech Statistics: The biotechnology sector has experienced significant growth, underscored by substantial market valuations and investment activities. In 2023, the global biotechnology market was valued at approximately USD 1.55 trillion and is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 13.96% from 2024 to 2030. This growth trajectory suggests a market size of around USD 3.88 trillion by 2030.
The United States biotechnology market, specifically, was valued at USD 552.43 billion in 2023 and is anticipated to reach approximately USD 1.79 trillion by 2033, reflecting a CAGR of 12.45% from 2024 to 2033. In 2023, the combined biotechnology industries of the U.S. and Europe secured approximately USD 81.1 billion in capital, encompassing venture capital, initial public offerings (IPOs), follow-on offerings, and debt financing. This robust investment landscape has been instrumental in driving innovation and development within the sector.
These statistics highlight the biotechnology industry’s dynamic expansion and its pivotal role in advancing medical and technological innovations globally.
Editor’s Choice
- Venture capital funding for biotechnology in the U.S. and Europe increased to USD 28.1 billion in 2024 from USD 21.2 billion in the previous year, indicating renewed investor confidence.
- The Indian biotechnology industry was valued at USD 80 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach USD 150 billion by 2025, reflecting the sector’s rapid expansion.
- The biotech industry growth rate was 1.95% in 2023, adding more than 564,000 employees to the existing 9.1 million people employed worldwide.
- The global genomics segment grew from USD 18.9 billion in 2022 to USD 19.6 billion in 2023, with DNA sequencing leading the market, followed by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) techniques.
- In 2024, the biotechnology sector saw a resurgence in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), with 558 deals completed by late November, totaling USD 67.2 billion in value.
- The number of biotechnology initial public offerings (IPOs) increased from 11 in 2023 to 18 in 2024, demonstrating renewed interest in public biotech investments.
- In 2023, biotech and pharma raised USD 81 billion across venture capital, IPOs, follow-ons, and loans.
- The U.S. biotech industry recorded approximately USD 10 billion through IPOs and USD 14.2 billion through risk capital between 2015 and 2020.
- The biotech industry recorded 57,000 funding rounds, with an investment average of USD 45.3 million, driving advancements in medical and technological solutions.
- Major investors in biotechnology include RA Capital Management (USD 3 billion), OrbiMed (USD 2.8 billion), and Perceptive Advisors (USD 2.1 billion).
- Mirador Therapeutics was launched with USD 400 million, attracting attention due to its experienced founders, while Innovation
- Therapeutics and FogPharma also secured significant funding.
- In December 2023, the approval of Casgevy marked the first CRISPR gene therapy to receive regulatory endorsement, signifying a milestone in gene-editing therapeutics.
- Artificial intelligence (AI) is expected to enhance biotechnology sectors, including research, drug discovery, diagnostics, and personalized medicine, with generative AI projected to increase sales productivity by 3–5%.
- Biotech R&D growth was led by Poseida Therapeutics (310.9%), followed by Indivior (274%) and CureVac (172.1%).
- Switzerland had 308 biotech developers and 53 suppliers as of 2023, maintaining steady growth since 2005.
- More than 4,200 biotech startups have generated 257,000 patents and 38,000 grants, with leading innovation emerging from the U.S., India, UK, Germany, and Canada.
- In 2023, small biotech companies in Austria allocated 60.9% of their budgets to biotechnology research and development (R&D).
- Moderna, BioNTech, and AstraZeneca continue to lead in COVID-19 vaccine innovations, with smaller biotech companies benefiting from stock value increases.
- In the first quarter of 2024, biotech and pharma raised USD 5.9 billion across 209 funding rounds, with fewer early-stage deals.
Percentage Of Biotech R&D Expenditure
(Reference: statista.com)
- These Biotech statistics give an impression of the share of research and development (R&D) spending by different biotech companies in 2014 across OECD countries by firm size.
- In this country called Austria, for instance, small biotechnology firms accounted for partaking 60.9% of the total biotechnology R&D expenditures.
- This would mean that small firms were responsible for propelling innovations and research during that period for the biotechnology industry in Austria.
- In fact, shown are small-scale firms within the contribution to the total R&D undertaken as a country in biotechnology.
Number Of Biotech Companies
(Reference: statista.com)
- Biotech statistics reveal that the number of biotech companies in Switzerland did not fluctuate much from 2005 to 2023; instead, shown alongside growth in the developmental sector.
- The pack contains both research and innovation and, importantly, supplies itself with essential products and services for the industry.
- So, during this period, while the increase was consistent for both groups, by the year 2023, Switzerland would have had as many as 308 biotech developers and 53 suppliers.
- That showcases great growth on the one hand; on the other, the country boasts a solid presence on the global development landscape.
Top 50 Biotech Companies Based On R & D
(Reference: statista.com)
- Many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies saw great growth in spending in the R&D areas in 2023, which stamped their emphasis on making innovations and breakthroughs.
- Biotech statistics state that Poseida Therapeutics led the way, exuberantly declaring a 310.9% increase, followed closely by Indivior on a healthy 274% rise. CureVac exhibited an astonishing growth of 172.1%, while Sutro Biopharma and Alector claimed increases of 160% and 150.1%, respectively.
- Other remarkable performers included Lyell at 139.2%, Bicycle Therapeutics at 133.1% and Abivax at 123%. Another company on the list was Ventyx Biosciences, with a 100.1% increase, and right next to it was Vaxcyte, which had a rise of 96.1%.
- While Adaptive Biotechnologies achieved an increase of 92.2%, Moderna and Revolution Medicines had rises of 89.2% and 89.1%, respectively.
- Such figures thus drive home the dynamic trend of the industry and the strong focus on moving forward in medical and biotechnological solutions.
Biotech Companies To Develop COVID Vaccine
(Source: statista.com)
- Competition to produce the first COVID-19 vaccine has spurred many investors to put their money on shares of the leading companies in the race, hoping to reap huge returns on their investments once a breakthrough is announced.
- Biotech statistics reveal that Pfizer and BioNTech noted major progress in their announcement that their vaccine candidate is 95 per cent effective according to data from a completed Phase 3 trial.
- Earlier this week, Moderna had a similar preliminary Phase 3 data that also showed this efficacy level for its vaccine candidate.
- Meanwhile, it has been reported that the Oxford University and AstraZeneca vaccine candidate induces a strong immune response among older adults.
- However, as recent trends have indicated, the race for a vaccine is not giving all companies an equal boost for share price performance.
- Smaller biotech firms like Moderna and newer entrants into the market like BioNTech soared in share value over 2020, while the big pharmaceutical giants like Pfizer and AstraZeneca enjoyed modest gains, a 2% decline by Pfizer compared with the beginning of the year.
Biotech Companies By Type
(Reference: statista.com)
- These Biotech statistics show how biotech in the US has been attracting investments through various channels in 2020.
- Approximately US$10 billion came from initial public offerings- an important indicator of market confidence in newly listed biotech companies.
- In addition, US$14.2 billion invested in risk capital indicates investor confidence in their innovation and growth potential.
- Not only in an immediate time frame but from 2015 to 2020, all these figures form part of much larger financing trends, showing how consistently the biotech industry raises huge amounts through public and private investment channels.
Capital Raise For The Biotech Industry
(Reference: statista.com)
- Biotech statistics state that in the biotech sector of the United States and Europe, around US$81 billion was rozed up in 2023 alone.
- This total includes investments through venture capital sources, IPOs, further offering, and loans. Indeed, a large amount of funding is coming into this sector in terms of innovation and growth, which it is still trying to drive.
- This figure is part of a continuing story about capital generation in the industry over the past years, which includes 2015 to 2023, indicating the interest of the sectors in investors over the years.
Biotech Fund Raising
(Source: cen.acs.org)
- Boasting a whopping US$5.9 billion in 209 separate funding rounds, this reported amount by the Venture Monitor report from PitchBook and the National Venture Capital Association (NVCA) states that the biotechnology and pharmaceutical firms managed to rake in these billions in the first quarter of this financial year.
- Biotech statistics revealed that this amount was the highest above average in quarterly 2022-2023 funding amounts, but it settled on a smaller number of deals.
- This quarterly total was the lowest ever to be recorded among the deals since the summer of 2018 when 202 rounds were recorded. Since then, the number of rounds only fell below this figure in 2016. Declines were particularly sharp at the very early stages of investment.
- “Investors continue to show caution investing in companies that lack drug candidates further down the path,” asserted industry experts, using medicine start-up Mirador Therapeutics as the focus example.
- Launched in March with US$400 million in venture capital, Mirador attracted confidence due to its founders, Mark McKenna, who, along with former Prometheus Biosciences executives, previously sold their company to Merck & Co. for US$10.8 billion.
- Similarly, Innovation Therapeutics, a cancer-focused start-up that debuted with US$102 million in January, is led by former Incyte executives who have a track record of launching commercial drugs.
- Another example is FogPharma, which raised US$145 million in March. Cour Pharmaceuticals, with US$105 million in January, now has several phase 2 studies looking into their nanoparticle drugs.
- Latigo Biotherapeutics raised US$135 million in February, and it was launched with a lead drug candidate for pain relief already in phase 1 trials.
- Latigo’s compound LTG-001 functions in much the same manner as a successful Vertex Pharmaceuticals drug that has recently completed phase 3 trials; thus adding to investors’ confidence.
Biotech Industry Growth & Innovation
- This is all well captured in the Biotech Report 2024, which was aided by the Discovery Platform in confirming the phenomenal growth and welter of innovations in the sector.
- Biotech, which recorded an astonishing growth rate of 1.95% last year, sourced essentially from a very resilient sector, is continuing even with global economic downturns.
- Biotech statistics reveal that the biotechnology sector, with a database of over 94,000 companies, continues to boast extraordinary diversity potential in itself.
- In the past year, half a million or more people earned jobs, increasing the total worldwide hired workforce in biotechnology to 9.1 million and depicting that there is actually a yearning for skilled hands.
- The industry has more than 4,200 biotechnology startups and has contributed to developing 257,000 patents and 38,000 grants, illustrating the vibrant research and innovation activities of biotech.
- Top countries dominating biotechnology come from countries such as the United States, India, the United Kingdom, Germany, and Canada, through their strategically positioned cities of London, New York City, San Francisco, San Diego, and Boston.
Biotech Industry Workforce And Employment Growth
- Biotech now ranks in the top 5 in 20,000 themes tracked in its key categories, revealed in the Biotech statistics sourced from the discovery platform.
- While the industry had over 31,000 publications last year, it has seen more than 57,000 funding rounds so far, without a doubt attesting to its reputation in media.
- Over 9 million people nationwide are working in the sector, and 564,000 new employees were added last year within its bounds. Of the patents held by the sector, over 257,000 are granted. Such strength of innovation is seen across more than 38,000 grants awarded in the industry.
- It has 9.1 million workers making it a relevant part in employment and innovation, more than half a million new jobs last year alone playing a part in its growth.
- The corporate picture includes over 94,000 companies, thus ensuring competition and motivation for technology development. These firms, ranging from startups to well-established giants, collectively contribute to the sector’s growth and innovation.
- On average, investments within the sector hover around US$45.3 million, thus demonstrating how confident the investors are.
- It involves over 11,000 excellent individual investors in funding biotech, creating a flourishing ecosystem with around 57,000 funding rounds completed and over 20,000 companies supported.
- These investments are the drivers of advances in medical, technological, and sustainable solutions and make biotechnology a real economic and societal engine.
- Funding will not only support scientific discoveries but also pave the way for innovations and new treatments that may greatly influence the future.
Key Investors In The Biotech Industry
More than US$19 billion in total is accounted for by the top ten investors, which shows the potential and importance of the valley in keeping pace with innovations.
- RA Capital Management spent US$3 billion on 98 companies.
- OrbiMed – US$2.8 billion from 92 companies.
- Perceptive Advisors invested US$2.1 billion in 58 companies.
- Goldman Sachs – US$2.1 billion across 17 companies.
- Deerfield – US$2 billion in 41 companies.
- Gurnet Point Capital- US$1.8 billion in 7 companies.
- New Enterprise Associates – US$1.8 billion in 61 companies.
- Hercules Capital: US$1.8 billion in 23 companies.
- Oxford Finance: 1.8 billion in 29 companies.
- European Investment Bank: 1.8 billion in 38 companies.
Conclusion
Biotech statistics in 2024 will be alive with growth and innovation as well as opportunities. It will address very serious global concerns through major improvements in health care, agriculture, and the environment, as well as driving economic development. However, the very important barriers that will continue progress will be those of high costs and regulatory bottlenecks.
FAQ.
In 2023, the biotechnology industry marked great success with an upsurge of 564,000 new employees, expanding the entire global workforce to beyond 9.1 million, exhibiting the endurance of the industry and the important involvement in innovative creation. This is in addition to the fact that close to 4,200 biotech startups are contributing to very active research and development, accounting for more than 257,000 patents and 38,000 grants worldwide.
The top biotech company for R&D growth is Poseida Therapeutics, 310.9% in R&D, with Indivior standing at 274% and CureVac at 172.1%. Others, such as Sutro Biopharma and Alector, recorded great growth rates of 160% and 150.1%, respectively. These companies stand for the industry’s innovation, whose R&D advances can be used to add future innovations in biotechnology and pharmaceuticals.
In 2023, it raised US$81 billion across the U.S. and Europe through venture capital, IPOs, follow-on financing, and loans. Industry funding has garnered US$5.9 billion in less than 209 rounds between the start of 2024 and March alone in that period. Some of the biggest investors, such as RA Capital Management, OrbiMed, and Perceptive Advisors, added billions to the sector, evidently showing high confidence in its possibilities for further innovations.
In Austria, small biotechnology companies accounted for 60.9% of total R&D spending in the country, thus being positioned to drive the innovation agenda. Meanwhile, Switzerland had a steady growth of 308 biotech developers and 53 suppliers as of 2023. These smaller players’ involvement with a support ecosystem in these countries indeed places them in a major role in the development of global biotech solutions.
Moderna, BioNTech, and AstraZeneca have all driven the development of an effective COVID-19 vaccine by achieving highly impressive efficacies in clinical trial terms. This ultimately resulted in research and market success for small companies, generating profits for their stocks and setting a bar for rapid innovation on a worldwide scale in the face of health crises.
Barry is a technology enthusiast with a passion for in-depth research on various technological topics. He meticulously gathers comprehensive statistics and facts to assist users. Barry's primary interest lies in understanding the intricacies of software and creating content that highlights its value. When not evaluating applications or programs, Barry enjoys experimenting with new healthy recipes, practicing yoga, meditating, or taking nature walks with his child.
