EFPIA report: economic impact of industry clinical trials across Europe

A Frontier Economics study commissioned by EFPIA quantifies what industry clinical trials add to Europe’s economy. The central figure is €35.7 billion in Gross Value Added in 2025—driven by trial activity, R&D spillovers, and avoided sick days—while Europe’s global trial share has fallen.

Key Takeaways

• Industry clinical trials contributed €35.7 billion GVA across Europe in 2025 (€21.7bn trial activity; €3.6bn R&D spillovers; €10.4bn productivity from 26.9 million avoided sick days).
• Activity supported about 165,000 jobs, including over 45,000 clinical research roles.
• Europe’s share of global industry-sponsored trials fell from 22% in 2013 to 12% in 2023 (IQVIA figures cited in the report).
• Meeting stated EU trial-growth targets is linked by EFPIA to about €4 billion extra yearly activity and roughly 35,000 additional patient places under the near-term scenario.

What does the EFPIA Frontier Economics report measure?

“The economic impact of industry clinical trials across Europe” was prepared by Frontier Economics for EFPIA. It estimates four linked impacts: direct/indirect/induced GVA from trial spend, R&D spillover GVA, productivity gains from healthier workers, and scenario analysis if Europe wins more trials.

The headline stack for 2025 is €35.7 billion total GVA. Trial activity alone accounts for €21.7 billion across the EEA once indirect and induced effects are included (€10.1 billion direct GVA inside that total).

How large are jobs, spillovers, and sick-day gains?

According to the same PDF:

• About 45,000 people were directly employed in clinical research across the EEA in 2025; total employment rises to about 165,000 including supply-chain and induced effects.
• R&D spillover GVA is estimated at about €3.6 billion for the EEA, with Germany above €1 billion and Belgium and France each above €600 million.
• Avoided sick days are estimated at 26.9 million, valued at €10.4 billion GVA.

Germany leads EEA trial-related GVA in the country tables, with almost €6.3 billion total GVA from clinical trial activity.

Why does the decline in Europe’s trial share matter?

The report cites IQVIA data showing Europe’s share of global industry-sponsored trials fell from 22% in 2013 to 12% in 2023 even as global trial numbers rose. That decline is the policy backdrop for EFPIA’s growth scenarios.

EFPIA’s accompanying statement says an about 11% rise in trials—aligned with Commission/EMA/HMA targets—could mean around 35,000 more patients gaining trial access, about €4 billion extra yearly economic activity, about 18,000 jobs, and about three million fewer sick days. Larger +25% and +50% scenarios scale benefits to €8.9 billion and €17.9 billion incremental GVA respectively.

How should BD teams use the country tables?

The Frontier Economics PDF breaks GVA into direct, indirect, and induced components and shows large absolute contributions in Germany, with meaningful spillover clusters in Belgium and France. Those tables help prioritise where operational trial footprint and economic narrative reinforce each other, but they do not substitute for site-level feasibility work.

For licensing or build-vs-buy questions, pair the EFPIA aggregate with protocol timelines, ethics-committee throughput, and comparator access. A high national GVA figure can coexist with slow start-up for a specific indication if investigators or imaging capacity are constrained.

What remains model-dependent

GVA, spillover, and sick-day valuations depend on Frontier’s modelling assumptions and input datasets. They are not the same as audited national accounts for “clinical trials” as a single industry code. Competitive read-through for any one sponsor still requires protocol-level and country operational data beyond the EFPIA aggregate.

Scenario uplifts (+11%, +25%, +50%) are policy illustrations, not forecasts. If Europe fails to reverse the 2013–2023 share decline, the incremental €4–17.9 billion GVA cases do not materialise. Conversely, meeting targets would still leave China and the U.S. as the global reference points the report uses for ambition framing.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What total GVA does the EFPIA Frontier Economics report attribute to industry trials?

The report estimates industry clinical trials contributed €35.7 billion in Gross Value Added across Europe in 2025, combining trial-activity GVA, R&D spillovers, and productivity gains from avoided sick days.

How many jobs do industry clinical trials support in Europe?

Industry clinical trial activity supported about 165,000 jobs across Europe in 2025, including over 45,000 clinical research jobs and over 120,000 indirect and induced jobs.

What growth scenario is tied to EU trial targets?

EFPIA’s related statement says meeting an about 11% rise in trials could add roughly €4 billion a year in economic activity, about 18,000 jobs, and prevent about three million sick days, alongside access for about 35,000 more patients.

Primary Sources

1. EFPIA / Frontier Economics — Economic impact of industry clinical trials (PDF)
2. EFPIA — Statement on EU clinical trial targets and patient access
3. EFPIA — Alternate PDF mirror of the Frontier Economics report