Healthcare industries and life science
The healthcare industry is one of the major economic sectors of the capital region.
The capital region is one of the most important healthcare industry locations in Germany. World market leaders, renowned scientists, first-class clinics, innovative startups, and specialists from all over the world work together daily to deliver world-class services for the regional and global healthcare markets. Health promotion, disease prevention, and healthcare all benefit from the region's many organizations active in the healthcare economy and research.
Facts and figures on selected sub-sectors:
- 35 pharmaceuticals companies with approx. 12,340 employees
- approx. 300 biotech companies with more than 8,000 employees
- approx. 380 medical technology and digital health companies with about 16,900 employees
- 145 hospitals with more than 35,800 beds
- around 30 inpatient rehabilitation facilities, almost 1,000 inpatient care facilities, around 1,400 nursing and care services
- the Charité, one of the largest university hospitals in Europe
- the largest hospital laboratory in Europe: Labor Berlin - Charité Vivantes GmbH
- 8 technology parks focusing on the life sciences
(Source: Survey of Berlin Partner for Business and Technology, 2024)
Why Berlin?
„Berlin offers an outstanding ecosystem for the life sciences. The city is home to excellent universities, including the Charité, numerous research institutes, and networks for cutting-edge research on artificial intelligence. The concentration of all these elements in Berlin creates an attractive hub for scientific excellence and innovation.“
Photo: © Peter Himsel
The strengths of the region include especially the unique research and clinical landscape and the close networking between the worlds of research, clinical care, industry, politics, and professional associations. Also the key German interface to the IT industry, the capital region offers the best conditions for the development and application of digital health solutions.
Whether it's medical care, rehabilitation, or nursing, patients of all ages and from all over the world find efficient and well-networked medical care of the highest standard in Berlin-Brandenburg.
(Source: Benchmarkstudie GeWi – WifOR/SNPC 2021; Grafik: statista.com)
Partners in the healthcare industry located in Berlin include: Legislators and government, leading associations, industry, cutting-edge research, clinics, health insurance and patient lobbying groups, training institutions, and innovative startups. Complementary fields such as IT, optics, and materials research are also concentrated in the capital region.
Industry leaders headquartered in the capital region
- B. Braun Melsungen AG
- Bayer AG
- Berlin-Chemie AG
- Berlin Heart GmbH
- BIOTRONIK SE & Co.KG
- B·R·A·H·M·S GmbH (Thermo Fisher Scientific)
- Carl Zeiss Meditec AG
- Caresyntax GmbH
- Doctolib GmbH
- Eckert & Ziegler AG
- Karl Storz Endoskope GmbH
- MELAG Medizintechnik GmbH & Co. KG
- Oracle Cerner Corporation
- Pfizer Pharma GmbH
- Sanofi-Aventis Deutschland GmbH
- Takeda Pharma GmbH
- W.O.M. WORLD OF MEDICINE GmbH
High-growth startups based in the capital region
- Ada Health GmbH
- Adrenomed AG
- Aignostics GmbH
- Lindera GmbH
- Mediaire GmbH
- Noah Labs GmbH
- Patient21 SE
- Recare Deutschland GmbH
- Selfapy GmbH
- Tacalyx GmbH
- ThinkSono GmbH
- T-Knife GmbH
- MX Healthcare GmbH
- x-cardiac GmbH
Science and research
Some 40 institutions conducting research in the life sciences are in the region, including the University Hospital Charité, the Brandenburg Medical School Theodor Fontane, the Berlin Institute for Health Research (BIH), and the Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in the Helmholtz Association, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the German Heart Center, and other well-known Fraunhofer, Helmholtz, Leibniz, and Max Planck institutes in Berlin and Brandenburg.
Over 150 degree courses in health and life sciences at approx. 30 universities and colleges, including:
Gross value created by the healthcare industry
In 2021, the gross value added of the healthcare industry in Berlin amounted to 21.9 billion euros, contributing 14.9 percent to the total economic output of the capital city.
(Source of data illustration: Cluster Gesundheitswirtschaft Berlin-Brandenburg – HealthCapital, Fact Sheet, 2024)
