In this article, we take a look at the 5 most advanced countries in biotechnology. If you want to check out our detailed analysis of the sector, head to 12 Most Advanced Countries in Biotechnology.
5. The Netherlands
Number of Biotechnology Companies: 571
The Netherlands is an advanced country located in Northwestern Europe. It is home to over 571 companies as of 2022. Some of the top corporations operating in the country include the Belgian Galapagos NV (NASDAQ:GLPG) and the native Dutch Pharming Group N.V. (NASDAQ:PHAR).
Two of the most noteworthy startups in The Netherlands include Matricore and DeepTrial, with $15,000 and $10,000 in funding as of 2022. The former is a tissue engineering startup developing a personalized bone implant to replace the current method of autografting. The latter is working on a unified operating system for drug research and clinical trials.
4. Denmark
Number of Biotechnology Companies: 639
Denmark is a European country located in the Scandinavian region. It has 639 Biotech corporations as of 2021. Denmark is widely regarded as one of the best countries in biotechnology, owing to its high quality academic institutions, research facilities and private corporations. It is also among the top countries that host the most clinical trials in the world according to clinicaltrials.gov.
3. Switzerland
Number of Biotechnology Companies: 1,000+
Switzerland is located in Central Europe. The country is home to over 1,000 biotech companies (large and small) as of 2021 as per Swiss Biotech. Further, the companies employ 50,000 Swiss citizens and contribute more than 40% in Switzerland’s overall exports.
The country spends nearly $3 billion every year on average in Research and Development in the biotechnology industry. Its top startups, as of late, include Araris Biotech, Deep Breath Intelligence and CDR-Life.
2. United States
Number of Biotechnology Companies: 2,880
The United States comes at the second spot on the list of most advanced countries in biotechnology. Although it has far more companies than the number one country on the list, the Nature study downgraded it to number two spot because of the lower quality of its public education in STEM relative to some European countries.
The US has 2,880 companies involved in the biotechnology industry in 2022 as per Ibis World, with the industry growing at a rate of 3.9% for the year. Some of its top companies include Eli Lilly, Pfizer and Johnson & Johnson.
On the startup front, some of the top companies in the US are Indigo, Zymergen, Inscripta and Human Longevity. Indigo is the only startup that has surpassed $1 billion in venture-capital funding as of 2022. The company provides microbial technology for plant protection.
Inscripta and Human Longevity are by far its top most exciting startups, working in genomics. The companies have raised $342 million and $330 million so far, respectively.
1. Sweden
Number of Biotechnology Companies: 285
According to the Nature study, Sweden is the most advanced country in the world in biotechnology. It has one of the best education systems in the world, combined with one of the highest per capita R&D investment in the biotech sector. Some of its top biotech companies include Calliditas Therapeutics, Boule Diagnostics and Diamyd Medical.
Its top startup to watch is AlzeCure, which has raised $11 million in venture capital to finance clinical trials for its small molecule drugs for Alzheimer’s disease.
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