🇺🇸 #1 Export Destination

United States

India's largest pharmaceutical partner

$15.1B CY 2025

The United States is the single largest destination for Indian pharmaceutical products, $15.1B in the most recent year. That figure has grown 3.0× over the past decade, driven by demand for affordable generics and active pharmaceutical ingredients. The vast majority are finished medicines, drug formulations ready for dispensing.

Dual-source profile. Both series show finished pharmaceutical products aligned to calendar year (Jan–Dec). Census records what United States imports from India. DGCIS records what India exports to United States. Category and product detail from DGCIS.

$15.1B

Scale

India supplies $15.1B in pharmaceutical products to United States each year, one of the largest pharmaceutical trade flows in the world.

91%

Medicine

Overwhelmingly finished medicines, drug formulations account for 91% of shipments.

3.0×

Trajectory

Rapid expansion: United States' imports of Indian pharmaceutical products have grown 3.0× over the past decade, from $4.8B to $15.1B.

Context

India's largest pharmaceutical export destination.

✦

Impact

Indian pharmaceutical companies have both exported to and invested directly in United States, building trade and operational presence.

$9.4B

Ranking Basis

India's official export data (DGCIS, FY 2025–26) records $9.4B in pharmaceutical products to United States, the figure behind the #1 ranking.

Additional pharmaceutical categories from DGCIS, APIs, surgical, herbal, and more

Medicines $8.6B (91.1%) Medicine Ingredients $550M (5.8%) Traditional & Herbal $151M (1.6%) Surgical & Hospital Supplies $128M (1.4%) Vaccines $8.7M (0.1%)

Active Pharmaceutical Ingredients DGCIS India-side

India also supplied $518M in active pharmaceutical ingredients and bulk drugs to United States in 2025 (India-reported, DGCIS).

Total RBI-approved ODI commitments by Indian pharmaceutical companies into United States: $4.9B across 233 filings (2011-2026).

The relationship flows both ways. American pharmaceutical companies are among the largest investors in India's health ecosystem, operating manufacturing plants, R&D centres, and clinical trial networks across the country.

Johnson & Johnson

$94B global revenue

138,200 employees

DARZALEX (Oncology) · STELARA (Immunology) · TREMFYA (Immunology)

Pfizer

$64B global revenue

81,000 employees

Eliquis (Cardiovascular) · Prevnar (Vaccines) · Paxlovid (Anti-infectives)

AbbVie

$61B global revenue

57,000 employees

Skyrizi (Immunology) · Rinvoq (Immunology) · Humira (Immunology)

MSD (Merck & Co)

$60B global revenue

72,000 employees

KEYTRUDA (Oncology) · GARDASIL (Vaccines) · JANUVIA (Diabetes)

Bristol Myers Squibb

$48B global revenue

30,000 employees

Eliquis (Cardiovascular) · Opdivo (Oncology) · Revlimid (Hematology)

Eli Lilly

$45B global revenue

47,000 employees

Mounjaro (Diabetes) · Verzenio (Oncology) · Zepbound (Obesity)