Life sciences industry
The life sciences industry is the most important economic sector in Basel. Did you know that in the Basel region 25,000 jobs were created by companies in the life sciences sector?
Added value
The central role of the life sciences industry in the Canton of Basel-Stadt is demonstrated by the added value generated in the sector. With a quota of about 39 % of the nominal added gross value, it is the most important pillar of the cantonal economy. In 2021, 10 % of employed persons in the Canton of Basel-Stadt were working in the life sciences sector. Furthermore, in the same year, 42 % of the nominal added gross value of the life sciences industry in Switzerland was generated in the region of Basel.
Global leading life sciences location
The life sciences sector includes pharmaceuticals, biotechnology and medical technology. Agricultural chemistry is also of high economic importance in the Canton of Basel-Stadt due to the presence of companies like Syngenta. The two best-known life sciences companies in Basel are Roche and Novartis. They are part of the top ten pharmaceutical companies worldwide. Also a decisive factor for the location Basel is the presence of many smaller life sciences companies. All of these companies attain very high hourly productivity and make Basel a global leading life science location.
Importance as a life sciences cluster
In addition to research-oriented life sciences companies, local suppliers and service providers, the great pool of talented professionals and excellent universities contribute to the economic success. The geographic proximity – everything is located on comparatively few square kilometres - associated with the long industry history is one of the great strengths of the Basel life sciences cluster. The innovation force of the industry results from this.