Study on the competitiveness of chemical-pharmaceutical industry 2026

The Swiss chemical and pharmaceutical industry has held on to its place on the podium in the global rankings: it once again ranks third in the Global Industry Competitiveness Index (GICI) 2026, behind the United States and Ireland. But Switzerland is coming under pressure in one of its most important areas of strength: it has fallen to seventh place in innovation and technological leadership. This is cause for concern. This year’s focus topic shows how artificial intelligence is transforming the industry and what is needed to realise its potential. 

For the seventh consecutive year, Switzerland ranks among the three most competitive locations for the chemical and pharmaceutical industry worldwide. However, its lead over fourth-placed Denmark is narrow, while the gap to the United States and Ireland at the top has widened. The United States remains in first place, thanks in particular to its innovation performance and strong market position. Ireland has consolidated its second place, largely due to the high productivity of its pharmaceutical industry.

The GICI has been calculated by BAK Economics on behalf of scienceindustries since 2020. It compares the competitiveness of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry across four dimensions: performance, market position and capabilities, innovation and technological leadership, and location quality.

Strong foundations, declining innovation ranking 

Switzerland is among the top ten locations in all four dimensions. It performs particularly well in location quality, where it ranks first worldwide. Excellent universities, skilled professionals and a strong research base are among the factors contributing to this result.

The trend in innovation and technological leadership is less encouraging. Switzerland has fallen from fifth to seventh place in this dimension. The analysis indicates that other countries offer better conditions for clinical research and the digitalisation of research. Switzerland now ranks fifth in the performance dimension.

The international balance is also shifting: China, Canada and Malaysia have improved their positions in the overall ranking. It is therefore all the more important for Switzerland to translate its strengths into research, industrial applications and value creation.

Artificial intelligence as a factor in competitiveness 

The focus topic of the GICI 2026 is artificial intelligence. AI is transforming the chemical and pharmaceutical industry across the entire value chain: in research, it supports the discovery of new active substances and materials; in production, it helps optimise processes and chemical reactions. New applications are also emerging in administration, sales and logistics.

Switzerland has a strong scientific base and a well-trained workforce to build on. For AI to be used beyond individual projects, however, it needs access to high-quality data, the right skills and clear regulatory conditions, among other things.

scienceindustries therefore advocates risk-based regulation that is compatible with international frameworks, better access to data—particularly health data—and education and training for skilled professionals. The transfer of research results into industrial applications should also be strengthened.