Growth, Diversification and Structural Transformation of India’s Drug and Pharmaceutical Exports: An Econometric Analysis of Product and Destination Patterns, 2014–15 To 2024–25
Keywords:
Pharmaceutical exports, Drug exports, Export growth, Export diversification, Destination diversification, Product diversification, Structural transformation, Herfindahl–Hirschman Index, Shannon Entropy, Econometric analysis, IndiaAbstract
This study examines the growth, geographical diversification and product structural transformation of India's drug and pharmaceutical exports during 2014–15 to 2024–25. Using secondary data from the Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics (DGCI&S), the study analyses aggregate exports, major destination markets and product categories. CAGR, trend regression, Herfindahl–Hirschman Index (HHI), Shannon Entropy, product-share analysis, correlation analysis and period-wise mean comparisons are employed. The findings show that pharmaceutical exports increased from US$15.43 billion in 2014–15 to US$30.47 billion in 2024–25, registering a CAGR of 7.04 per cent and a significant positive long-term trend. Geographical concentration declined moderately, as reflected by the fall in HHI and rise in Shannon Entropy. However, Drug Formulations & Biologicals remained the dominant product category, indicating limited product diversification despite significant structural changes. The study concludes that India's pharmaceutical export sector has achieved strong growth and expanding market reach, but future policy should focus on market diversification, higher-value pharmaceutical products, research and development, and export resilience
Downloads
References
[1] . Ahmed, A., Chakraborty, D., & Bhattacharyya, R. (2020). The recent coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic: A review of issues for Indian pharmaceutical exports. Foreign Trade Review, 55(3), 335–345. https://doi.org/10.1177/0015732520926329
[2] Chadha, A. (2009). Product cycles, innovation, and exports: A study of Indian pharmaceuticals. World Development, 37(9), 1478–1483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.worlddev.2009.01.002
[3] Mahajan, V., Nauriyal, D. K., & Singh, S. P. (2015). Trade performance and revealed comparative advantage of Indian pharmaceutical industry in new IPR regime. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, 9(1), 56–73. https://doi.org/10.1108/ IJPHM-05-2013-0030
[4] Mahajan, V., Nauriyal, D. K., & Singh, S. P. (2019). Structural changes and trade competitiveness in the Indian pharmaceutical industry in product patent regime. International Journal of Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Marketing, 13(1), 21–39. https://doi.org/10.1108/ IJPHM-12-2016-0066
[5] Mishra, P., & Jaiswal, N. (2017). Impact of mergers and acquisitions on firms' export competitiveness: Experience of Indian pharmaceutical industry. Journal of the Asia Pacific Economy, 18(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1177/1391561416661625
[6] Rentala, S., Anand, B., & Shaban, M. (2014). Technological capabilities and firm resources as determinants of export competitiveness: Evidence from Indian pharmaceutical industry using quantile regression approach. Journal of Medical Marketing, 14(2–3), 133–144. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745790414564262
[7] Tyagi, S., & Nauriyal, D. K. (2017). Do innovative activities matter to Indian drug and pharmaceutical firms? An application to export performance. Journal of Generic Medicines, 13(4), 193–205. https://doi.org/10.1177/1741134317716221
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
Terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.