Healthcare Contract Research Organization Market To Reach $80.61 Billion By 2030

Healthcare Contract Research Organization Market Growth & Trends

The global healthcare contract research organization market size is estimated to reach USD 80.61 billion by 2030, registering to grow at a CAGR of 7.0% from 2025 to 2030 according to a new report by Grand View Research, Inc. The increasing cost of drug development is expected to drive market demand over the forecast period. Also, rising clinical trials cost and challenges pertaining to patient recruitment have led biopharmaceutical companies to turn to regions like Central and Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East for cost savings and quick patient recruitment.

In addition, growing pressure on industry players to follow stringent timelines has increased the demand for outsourcing research activities to contract research organizations(CRO)s. Some government organizations are also outsourcing their clinical trial activities so that they can carry out clinical trials with the required infrastructure and expertise and minimize their cost and timelines.

The CRO market was temporarily affected by the ongoing pandemic, as it led to the closure of clinical trial sites. However, owing to the significant demand for treatments, the clinical trial sites were reopened with certain measures and precautions to avoid the spread of the virus. Moreover, the worldwide focus on finding a vaccine against coronavirus has had a significant impact on the development of vaccines & drugs for COVID-19. This is expected to have a positive impact on the market.

Over the past 5 years, the number of mergers and acquisitions significantly increased. Several large mergers have been witnessed since 2016 till 2023. Moreover, the trend of large transactions seems to be picking up since 2021, as in March 2022, M&B Sciences Inc, acquired Clara Health, which expanded M&B Sciences’ access to digital technology-based clinical trials. Moreover, in December 2021, Thermo Fisher announced the acquisition of pharmaceutical services giant PPD, and in February 2021, ICON plc announced the acquisition of PRA Health Sciences. An era of consolidation has been witnessed around analytical technologies and software solutions used in the biopharmaceutical and pharmaceutical companies’ services space. Hence, the aforementioned factors supported the market’s growth.

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Healthcare Contract Research Organization Market Report Highlights

• Based on type, the clinical segment has dominated the global healthcare CRO market in 2024, with the largest share of 76.2% owing to the fact that it comprises four elaborate phases, including human subjects. The significant demand for new treatments has further contributed to the growth of the segment.

• Among services, the clinical monitoring segment was the largest in terms of market share at 19.91% in 2024.

• North America held a significant market share of 45.50% in 2024 due to the presence of several global players who invest a major part of their revenue in research activities.

• The healthcare Contract Research Organizations market in Asia Pacific is expected to grow at the fastest CAGR over the forecast period.

• China, Japan, and India are projected to witness tremendous growth in the contract research organization market owing to high disease prevalence.China, Japan, and India are projected to witness tremendous growth in the contract research organization market owing to high disease prevalence.

Healthcare Contract Research Organization Market Segmentation

Grand View Research has segmented the global healthcare contract research organization market based on type, service, therapeutic area, molecule, and region:

Healthcare Contract Research Organization Type Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2018 - 2030)

• Drug Discovery

  • Target Validation

  • Lead Identification

  • Lead Optimization

• Pre-Clinical

• Clinical

  • Phase I Trial Services

  • Phase II Trial Services

  • Phase III Trial Services

  • Phase IV Trial Services

Healthcare Contract Research Organization Service Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2018 - 2030)

• Project Management/Clinical Supply Management

• Data Management

• Regulatory/Medical Affairs

• Medical Writing

• Clinical Monitoring

• Quality Management/ Assurance

• Bio-statistics

• Investigator Payments

• Laboratory

  • Sterility Testing

  • Container/Closure Testing

  • Extractables and Leachable Testing

  • Environmental Monitoring (Including Microbiology Testing)

  • Disinfectant Efficacy Studies

  • Others

• Patient And Site Recruitment

• Technology

• Others

Healthcare Contract Research Organization Therapeutic Area Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2018 - 2030)

• Oncology

• CNS Disorders

• Infectious Diseases

• Immunological Disorders

• Cardiovascular Diseases

• Respiratory Diseases

• Diabetes

• Ophthalmology

• Pain Management

• Others

Healthcare Contract Research Organization Molecule Outlook (Revenue, USD Billion, 2018 - 2030)

• Pharmaceutical

  • Small Molecules

  • Biologics

• Medical Device

Healthcare Contract Research Organization Regional Outlook (Revenue, USD Million, 2018 - 2030)

• North America

  • U.S.

  • Canada

  • Mexico

• Europe

  • UK

  • Germany

  • France

  • Italy

  • Spain

  • Denmark

  • Sweden

  • Norway

  • Switzerland

  • Belgium

  • Netherlands

  • Austria

• Asia Pacific

  • Japan

  • China

  • India

  • South Korea

  • Australia

  • Thailand

  • Taiwan

  • Indonesia

  • Malaysia

  • Singapore

• Latin America

  • Brazil

  • Argentina

  • Colombia

  • Chile

• Middle East and Africa (MEA)

  • South Africa

  • Saudi Arabia

  • UAE

  • Kuwait

  • Egypt

  • Israel

List of Key Players in the Healthcare Contract Research Organization Market 

• ICON Plc

• Charles River Laboratories

• Syneos Health

• IQVIA Inc.

• GVK Biosciences Private Limited (Aragen)

• LabCorp

• Parexel International Corporation

• Thermo Fisher Scientific

• CTI Clinical Trial & Consulting

• PSI

• Medpace

• Ergomed

• WuXi AppTec

• Worldwide Clinical Trials

• Medidata Solutions, Inc

• Pharmaron GMBH

• SGS SA

• KCR S.A.

• Advanced Clinical Research Services, LLC

• Pharm-Olam, LLC (Allucent)