With exports of 74.6 bn CHF and imports of 37.4 bn CHF in 2011 the chemical and pharmaceutical industry earned a trade surplus of 37.2 bn CHF. It thus contributed the largest export surplus of all industrial sectors to the trade balance of Switzerland.
The export surplus of the chemical and pharmaceutical industry is 9 times higher than that of tourism and would be sufficient to finance Switzerland's total food imports, as well as all imports of textiles, clothing and shoes for a whole year.
The chemical and pharmaceutical industry in Switzerland achieved an export surplus per capita which is one of the highest in the world. In 2011 it amounted to over 3'600 EUR, which is 7 times higher than the comparable figure in Germany.