While the United States dominates the pharmaceutical market and has a huge number of pharmacies (around 88,000), countries like China have a massive number of small retail pharmacies, and India is known as the "world's pharmacy" for generic drug production, so the answer depends on whether you mean total count, per capita, or market dominance. China boasts around 120,000 small retail pharmacies, while the U.S. leads in market size and large chains like Walgreens, with Egypt noted for high pharmacists per capita.
Egypt has the highest number of pharmacies per capita of the countries surveyed with 6.66 pharmacists per capita.
1. United States of America. The U.S. remains the world's pharmaceutical powerhouse. With the most significant number of FDA-approved manufacturing facilities and home to major pharmaceutical companies such as Pfizer, Merck, and Johnson & Johnson, the U.S. dominates both the branded and generic pharmaceutical markets.
Walgreens Boots Alliance, based in the United States, takes the lead as the world's largest pharmacy chain. The company serves millions of customers daily with an extensive network of over 18,500 stores across 11 countries.
Numerous industry reports confirm that the PBM market is currently highly concentrated among very few firms. For 2023 and 2024 data, analysts find that the three familiar PBM names – CVS Caremark (CVS Health), Express Scripts (Cigna/Evernorth), and OptumRx (UnitedHealth) – dominate U.S. prescription claims.
In 1997, the World Health Organization introduced the “Seven-star pharmacist” concept covering the different roles each pharmacist must perform: caregiver, decision-maker, communicator, manager, life-long-learner, teacher, and leader.
An average Australian pharmacist with general registration can expect to be on an annual salary of between $80,000–$100,000AUD depending on location and job setting. With seniority, this can increase to anywhere between $100,000–$140,000AUD.
The Top 10 Highest Paying Countries for Pharmacists
Vatican Pharmacy. The Vatican Pharmacy (Latin and Italian: Farmacia Vaticana) is the only pharmacy in the Vatican City. It was founded in 1874 by Eusebio Ludvig Fronmen, a Fatebenefratelli monk. According to Vatican sources, it is the busiest pharmacy in the world, with 2,000 customers per day.
The US has the highest death rates from opioids and illicit drugs. Opioids are responsible for the largest number of overdose deaths globally. Death rates from illicit drugs are the highest in the United States. This is largely the result of a steep rise in opioid deaths in recent years.
The profession of pharmacist is experiencing a major shortage of staff in Switzerland, which on average is greater than that of all healthcare specialists, in second position after that of doctors and before that of carers.
The pharmacists who make the most money are typically in executive, specialized clinical, or industry roles, such as Pharmacy Directors/Managers, Pharmacometricians, Clinical Pharmacologists, and Nuclear Pharmacists, often earning well into the six figures, especially in hospitals, ambulatory care, or the pharmaceutical industry, exceeding typical retail pharmacist salaries. Roles in drug development, research, or specialized areas like oncology also offer high earning potential, focusing on complex medication management or scientific study rather than dispensing.
The United States takes the most prescription drugs, with a national average of each person spending around $1200 each year on Rx medication.
AI enhances pharmacy operations by automating tasks, predicting medication demand, and improving efficiency, but cannot replace human empathy and clinical judgment. Ethical implementation and human oversight are crucial to avoid pitfalls like biased data and ensure AI complements rather than replaces pharmacists.
Job market
At times there can be higher demand for pharmacists and more opportunities in regional or remote areas. The Australian Government can have formal agreements with state or territory governments or regional authorities that provide access to more overseas workers.
The pharmacists who make the most money are typically in executive, specialized clinical, or industry roles, such as Pharmacy Directors/Managers, Pharmacometricians, Clinical Pharmacologists, and Nuclear Pharmacists, often earning well into the six figures, especially in hospitals, ambulatory care, or the pharmaceutical industry, exceeding typical retail pharmacist salaries. Roles in drug development, research, or specialized areas like oncology also offer high earning potential, focusing on complex medication management or scientific study rather than dispensing.
🌎 Whether it's Australia, the UK, Canada, or the Gulf countries, each offers incredible opportunities, salaries, and growth in the pharmacy field.
Yes, $130k is a very good salary in Australia, placing you well above the median income and in the top earnings bracket, but whether it's "comfortable" depends heavily on your location (high-cost cities like Sydney/Melbourne vs. regional areas) and lifestyle, as high rents can still strain finances, though it generally allows for a solid middle-class life with budgeting.
A pharmacist in their mid twenties saving around 30% of their income. It could realistically cross the $1 million mark by the age of 40. Now, you could apply this timeline at any point in your career.
Marie Curie has made significant contributions to the world of pharmacy and radio pharmacy. Marie Curie is most famous for her discovery of radium and polonium, and her vast and phenomenal contribution to finding treatments for cancer.
Regulations 2004) is a list published in Part XVIIIA of the NHS Drug Tariff denoting medicines and/or specific brands of medicines that cannot be prescribed on NHS medical prescriptions. If such a prescription is dispensed, then NHS Prescription Services will refuse to refund the cost to the dispensing pharmacy.
Pharmacy 777's original owner, Ken Hurst, a man with great drive and vision, opened the first store at 777 Canning Highway – the address that lends it's name to today's family of stores.