Verified Market Size

Pharmacies market size in the UK

✓ Official figures, every one sourced

The pharmacies market in the UK was worth £13.1bn[3] in 2024, measured by the total turnover of businesses in the industry, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Dispensing chemist in specialised stores · NACE G4773 · UK SIC 47.73 · Last verified 24 September 2026

Market size, 2024

£13.1bn[3]

Total turnover, high confidence
Change, 2020 to 2024

+2.4%[3]

Not adjusted for inflation
Latest signal, 2025

Not yet

Not published for this industry yet
Businesses, 2024

6,161[3]

Enterprises in the industry

Turnover, 2020 to 2024

Turnover by year2020: £12.8bn; 2021: £13.2bn; 2022: £14.9bn; 2023: £12.8bn; 2024: £13.1bn0£5.0bn£10.0bn£15.0bn£20.0bn2020: £12,778 million£12.8bn20202021: £13,179 million£13.2bn20212022: £14,938 million£14.9bn20222023: £12,793 million£12.8bn20232024: £13,087 million£13.1bn2024
Source: Office for National Statistics, Annual Business Survey: UK non-financial business economy, sections A to S. Division 47, cell E569.Get the data in Excel

Key figures, 2024

Total turnover£13,087 million[3]
Approximate gross value added£3,158 million[3]
Enterprises6,161[3]
What this figure measures

The total turnover of businesses whose main activity is this industry, from official business statistics. It's the industry's sales, including exports and excluding VAT. It isn't the same as what customers in the UK spend on these products, which would also include imports.

Common questions

What is the market size of the pharmacies industry in the UK?

£13.1bn in 2024[3], measured by the total turnover of businesses in the industry, according to the Office for National Statistics.

Has the pharmacies market in the UK grown?

Turnover changed by +2.4%[3] between 2020 and 2024 (not adjusted for inflation).

How many businesses are in the pharmacies industry in the UK?

6,161 enterprises in 2024[3].

How does the UK compare with other European countries?

The UK is the fifth largest of the 5 countries we cover for this industry in 2024, behind Germany, France, Italy and Spain. See the comparison above.

Where do these figures come from?

From official business statistics published by the Office for National Statistics. We don't estimate or model anything: every number is either published by official statisticians or calculated directly from those figures (percentage changes and currency conversion), and each one links to its source. How we work.

Notes on these figures

  • No official 2025 turnover growth is published for this industry or its wider industry in United Kingdom.
  • UK figures are ONS 'total turnover'; other countries show Eurostat 'net turnover'. The measures are close but not identical, so compare with care.

Sources

  1. Eurostat, Euro/ECU exchange rates - annual data (dataset ert_bil_eur_a). Retrieved 24 September 2026; source updated 2026-07-08. Source link. Eurostat reuse policy (Commission Decision 2011/833/EU), attribution required
  2. Eurostat, Enterprises by detailed NACE Rev. 2 activity and special aggregates (dataset sbs_ovw_act). Retrieved 24 September 2026; source updated 2026-09-15. Source link. Eurostat reuse policy (Commission Decision 2011/833/EU), attribution required
  3. ONS, Annual Business Survey: UK non-financial business economy, sections A to S (dataset abssectionsas). Retrieved 24 September 2026; source updated 2026-05-26. Source link. Open Government Licence v3.0, attribution required

Hover over any [n] to see the exact cell a number comes from.

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