The first half of 2025, China’s total import value of medical devices reached 167.793 billion yuan, entering a stage of steady development

The import of medical devices is a key link in supporting the domestic medical system and meeting high-end demands, and its market dynamics have attracted much attention.Based on China’s customs data over the past three years, this article analyzes the import situation in the first half of 2025 from the dimensions of total import volume, category structure, source countries, trade methods, importing provinces, and key segmented fields, providing a reference for the industry.

Trends in total imports

Slight decline in the first half of the year Strengthening in the second half of the year

According to China’s customs data from H1 2023 to H1 2025, the import of medical devices shows a pattern that “demand in the second half of the year is higher than that in the first half of the year”.In the first half of 2024 and the first half of 2025, import volumes both decreased year-on-year, but the decline was still controlled within 1%.
In the first half of 2025, in vitro diagnostic reagents ranked first with an import value of 61.365 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.64%, continuing to lead all categories; the import value of diagnostic and therapeutic equipment was 36.849 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 3.23%; the import value of IVD instruments was 14.230 billion yuan, a year-on-year decrease of 8.42%, continuing the downward trend in recent years; the import values of medical consumables (50.620 billion yuan, year-on-year -1.82%) and other instruments (4.728 billion yuan, year-on-year -3.81%) decreased slightly year-on-year, reflecting the gradual improvement of domestic supply capacity in some fields.

Looking at the trend over the past three years
· The import value of IVD instruments and their proportion have been decreasing for three consecutive years;
· In vitro diagnostic reagents have ranked first in terms of import value proportion for three consecutive years, with both the import value and its proportion showing an upward trend.

· The proportion of imports of other medical devices has remained stable at 2.78%-3.25%, but the import volume has been decreasing year by year, which may reflect the improvement of domestic supply capacity;

· The proportion of imported medical consumables ranks second, with the import value in the first half of 2025 decreasing slightly by 1.82% year-on-year;

The import of medical diagnosis and treatment equipment has seen a significant year-on-year decline. In 2024, both the first half and the second half of the year witnessed double-digit drops, with the decline rates reaching as high as 11.18% and 12.12% respectively. It was not until the first half of 2025 that the year-on-year decline narrowed to 3.23%.

Distribution of Import Sources
US and Germany dominate, with Switzerland as the third.

Data from the past three years showed that the United States and Germany have always been the main import countries of medical devices for China. The total import volume from these two countries accounted for more than 40%, and there was a significant gap with the third place —— Germany’s import volume in a single half-year was about twice that of the third place in the same period.
The import pattern has shown certain changes: before the second half of 2024, Japan was the third largest import country; starting from the second half of 2024, Switzerland replaced Japan to become the third.
By extracting the proportion of each country’s imports in the first half of 2025 and summing them up by continent, it can be seen that Europe, with an approximate share of 49.66%, has become the most important source continent for imports. Countries such as Germany and Switzerland have collectively contributed to this proportion, reflecting the significant advantages of Europe’s medical device industry in terms of technology and trade.
North America accounted for approximately 31.23%, among which the United States accounted for more than 23% and was the core contributing country on this continent.
Asia accounts for approximately 18.09%, with Japan ranking first among Asian countries with a 7.32% share, reflecting the importance of Asia in the global medical device supply chain.

Looking at the year-on-year data, the decline in U.S. imports in the first half of 2025 was kept within 1%, and the overall situation was relatively stable.Looking at the year-on-year data, in the first half of 2025, the decline in U.S. imports was controlled within 1%, and the overall situation was relatively stable. Germany’s decline reached 11.08%; Brazil ranked first with a year-on-year increase of 365.07%, followed by Romania (81.22%) and Sweden (47.71%); New Zealand saw the largest decline (28.18%), with India (24.59%) and the Netherlands (19.43%) ranking second and third in terms of the largest declines, respectively.

Mode of trade
General trade predominant, special regions active

General trade is the main way to import medical devices. Its proportion has reached as high as 46% in the past three years, and the import volume has shown a fluctuating trend: after reaching a small peak in the second half of 2023, it gradually declined. In the first half of 2025, it dropped significantly compared with the second half of 2023, which may be affected by factors such as market demand, policy adjustments, and international supply.
The import volume of logistics goods in special customs supervision areas has remained at a high level for many years, reflecting the key role of these special supervision areas in links such as cross-border logistics of medical devices and bonded warehousing.
The import volume of processing trade with imported materials is relatively stable, with small fluctuations in each period and a stable pattern.

Distribution of Import Volume
Shanghai ranked first, accounting for more than 50%

In the first half of 2025, Shanghai, Beijing, Jiangsu, and Guangdong remained the top four regions in terms of medical device import values, with a significant gap from other provinces. About 50% of the country’s total import value has long been concentrated in Shanghai, which may be related to the fact that many foreign headquarters of medical devices are established in Shanghai.
Looking at the trend of proportions: the proportion of import value in Beijing, Shanghai, and Jiangsu continues to rise; the proportion in Guangdong has decreased slightly, which may be related to the rapid development of the local medical device industry and the increasing number of foreign-funded brands setting up factories in Guangdong.

Looking at the year-on-year situation of medical device imports in various provinces over the past three years:

· Significant disparity among provinces: In the first half of 2025, the import volume of provinces such as Ningxia and Gansu increased significantly year-on-year, while that of Xinjiang, Tibet and other regions dropped significantly.
· Volatile fluctuations in half a year: Most provinces saw a significant contrast in growth rates between the first half and the second half of the year. For example, after a sharp increase in the second half of 2023 in Tibet, the growth rate continued to decline subsequently.
∙Long-term trend instability: In the past three years, the growth rate of most provinces has shown an “alternating rise and fall” pattern. Affected by multiple factors such as domestic demand, international supply chains, and industrial policies, it lacks sustained stability.

Import-export balance
Narrowing of trade deficit and widening of trade surplus

In line with the pattern of the export peak season in the second half of the year, the annual import-export balance is expected to hit a new record.

Looking at the trend, since 2023, the trade deficit has been continuously narrowing, and the trade surplus has been gradually expanding. This reflects that the international recognition of domestic medical devices has been continuously improving.

Segmentation of key product categories

· Ultrasound has shown a significant year-on-year growth rate, reaching 528.25% in the first half of 2025, indicating strong market demand;
· The import volume of categories such as X-ray generators and their parts, X-ray tubes, etc., has been relatively stable, with year-on-year growth ranging from 4.97% to 7.94% in the first half of 2025.
· · The import value of categories such as endoscopes and medical X-ray application equipment has decreased year-on-year, which may be related to the rise of domestic manufacturers and the restrictions on imports by the centralized procurement policy;
· · The X-ray image intensifiers and dental X-ray equipment saw relatively large price drops, at 60.52% and 49.68% respectively.
The import volume of high-end consumables such as pacemakers and vascular stents has fluctuated slightly; the import volume of artificial joints has continued to decline, with a year-on-year decrease of 21.98% in the first half of 2025, indicating that the effect of domestic substitution is gradually emerging.
In specific sub-categories, the demand for “diagnostic or laboratory reagents mounted on a backing for Zika virus and other diseases transmitted by mosquitoes of the genus Aedes” has surged in recent years, which may be related to the active situation of mosquito-borne infectious disease outbreaks. In addition, “other application equipment for alpha, beta, gamma rays or other ionizing rays” showed a reversing trend in the first half of 2025, indicating that the market is actively seeking breakthrough points in overseas demand for medical imaging equipment.

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Source: High-end Medical Device Institute Data Center
Source： Translated & edited：Bradyknown