Paracetamol: Production
How India came to supply the world's painkiller
How India came to supply the world's painkiller What this tab covers Who makes it and how much: world capacity and output, utilisation, the top producing countries and companies globally and in India, concentration, new capacity coming, and each region's position.| Measure | Figure | Detail | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| World capacity | India about 6,000 t/month across six producers (2020); global not published | Business Today (May 2020) | |
| World output | not published globally | ||
| Capacity utilisation | not published | In 2020 India had about 4,000 t/month available for export after domestic use (Business Today). | Business Today (2020) |
| Concentration | India and China dominate; Granules claims about 30% of world supply | Pharmaoffer shows India with 49.4% of recorded export transactions (12 months to June 2026). | Angel One (2023); Pharmaoffer (2026) |
| New capacity | Meghmani PAP 13,500 t/yr (PLI, commissioned) | Further capacity not published. | PSU Watch (2026) |
Top producing countries
India 40% · almost 40% of world demand (2020)- China: large producer and dominant PAP supplier; producers include Yankuang Lunan and Jiangsu Sopu
- France: Seqens rebuilding paracetamol capacity at Roussillon (indicative)
Largest producers: global
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granules India targets 50% | India | not published | 2023 | Angel One |
| Yankuang Lunan | China | not published | 2023 | Angel One |
| Jiangsu Sopu | China | not published | 2023 | Angel One |
| Seqens European reshoring project (indicative) | France | not published | 2026 | not confirmed |
Largest producers: India
| Company | Country | Volume | Year | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Granules India | India | not published | 2023 | Angel One |
| Farmson Pharmaceutical | India | not published | 2020 | Business Today |
| Sri Krishna Pharmaceuticals | India | not published | 2020 | Business Today |
| Meghmani LLP PLI project | India | 13,500 t/yr para-aminophenol (KSM) | 2026 | PSU Watch |
| IOL Chemicals and Pharmaceuticals integrated with acetic anhydride | India | not published | 2023 | Angel One |
India is a net exporter of paracetamol API with roughly three times domestic demand in capacity (2020). Its weakness was PAP, imported mainly from China until PLI plants started.
Position by region
| Region | Position |
|---|---|
| US | Imports almost all paracetamol API from India and China. |
| EU | Imports most API; France reshoring. |
| India | Exporter; PAP dependence easing with PLI. |
| China | Major producer and PAP exporter. |
| Japan | Importer. |
| Middle East | Importer. |