Growth target: Can Scotland's life sciences sector hit £25bn by 2035?

By its own measure, Scotland’s life sciences sector is an overachiever. 

Leaders hoped it would reach a turnover of £8bn by 2025. Reaching that target, set in 2017, meant doubling the value of the sector within just eight years, driving growth in everything from drug development to agriculture. 

If it was a risk, it paid off – the ambition was met within half of that time and exceeded well before deadline, with the sector’s economic value reaching almost £10.9bn by 2021. Even after the pandemic-related spike in activity subsided, the level remained higher than had been hoped for, sitting at £10.5bn in 2022.