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Overview
Mexico’s pharmaceutical and medical devices industries are the second largest in Latin America, supported by a well‑enforced regulatory framework. In 2025, the Mexican medical devices market was valued at around USD 8.41 billion and is projected to grow by approximately 5.3% between 2026 and 2035. Mexico also has one of the largest private healthcare sectors in the region, with increasing investment in private provision, medical tourism and higher-value healthcare services.
Demographic and epidemiological trends are driving sustained demand for imports, with cardiovascular disease and other non‑communicable conditions remaining leading causes of mortality. These pressures are increasing demand for pharmaceuticals, diagnostics, digital health solutions, and advanced medical devices.
At the end of Quarter 4 2025, medicinal and pharmaceutical products were the UK’s top goods exports to Mexico, valued at £659 million, accounting for around 33% of total UK goods exports to Mexico.
While Mexico has established strengths in pharmaceutical manufacturing and medical device assembly, notable gaps remain across the life sciences value chain. These include limited domestic capacity in high-value biologics, advanced therapies, active pharmaceutical ingredients, specialised diagnostics, digital health, and R&D-intensive products.
As a result, Mexico continues to rely on imported innovation, creating clear opportunities for UK companies with expertise in these areas. At the end of 2024, the UK’s stock of foreign direct investment in Mexico reached £20.3 billion, reflecting strong long‑term commercial ties between the 2 markets.
The UK’s free trade agreements (FTAs) with Mexico provide a strong framework for life sciences businesses to capitalise on these opportunities in one of the region’s largest healthcare markets.
Provisions within these agreements support UK companies by improving market access and making it easier to export pharmaceuticals, medical technologies, and innovative health solutions to Mexican customers. This is particularly relevant as Mexico represents a £3.7 billion export market for UK businesses.
Trade agreements with Mexico
The UK has 2 free trade agreements (FTAs) with Mexico:
- the UK-Mexico Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA) which entered into force on 1 June 2021
- the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a trade agreement including 12 countries (Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the UK and Vietnam), which entered into force between the UK and Mexico on 22 June 2026
The UK-Mexico TCA should be read in conjunction with the following Parliamentary report as certain elements therein have undergone slight changes to adapt the existing agreement to the UK outside the EU.
The UK-Mexico TCA will remain in force alongside CPTPP. At times, you will need to specify which agreement you choose to trade under (notably when applying rules of origin), but benefits from either agreement will mostly apply automatically. Our guides attempt to highlight where businesses may need to make an explicit decision.
CPTPP entry into force and ratification
As of 22 June 2026, CPTPP is in force between the UK and:
- Australia
- Brunei
- Chile
- Japan
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Peru
- Singapore
- Vietnam
This means that the UK can access CPTPP provisions with these countries.
Canada has have not yet ratified the terms of the UK’s accession. This means that the UK cannot yet access CPTPP provisions in this country.
This guidance will be updated following the remaining country's ratification of the terms of the UK’s accession to CPTPP and will include when CPTPP will enter in force between the UK and the relevant remaining country.
Opportunities for UK life sciences and medical technology suppliers in Mexico
Medical devices and diagnostics
Despite a strong medical devices manufacturing base and export capacity, Mexico remains highly dependent on imports for advanced and specialised devices. Demand remains for high-specification, innovative medical devices and diagnostics not widely produced domestically. Medical devices is a high growth industry with estimates suggesting that over 80% of medical devices for domestic use in Mexico are imported.
Growing focus on improving care quality and access is driving demand for advanced equipment, precision diagnostics, and digital health technologies. UK businesses can take advantage of supply chain needs, leveraging strengths in medical technology innovation, diagnostics and regulatory expertise.
Pharmaceuticals and biopharmaceuticals
The pharmaceuticals market offers strong opportunities for UK life sciences firms, driven by its scale, growing healthcare needs, and rising demand for high-quality medicines. Demand is increasing due to an ageing population, chronic disease, and expanding healthcare access, while reliance on imports for innovative and specialised drugs remains high.
UK companies are well positioned with strengths in biopharmaceuticals, advanced therapeutics, and research led products that meet international standards and address unmet clinical needs.
Digital health and health-tech
Digital health is an emerging opportunity, driven by growing digital adoption and the need to improve healthcare efficiency and access. Demand is increasing for solutions such as telemedicine, electronic health records, data analytics, and AI-enabled diagnostics.
UK companies can leverage this shift, with strengths in healthtech innovation, data driven solutions, and scalable, secure system integration.
Relevant CPTPP provisions for UK businesses
Product regulation and testing
CPTPP will mean UK-based conformity assessment bodies will be eligible to apply to carry out conformity assessments against Mexican regulations. This will make it easier for UK manufacturers to have their goods assessed against Mexican regulations prior to exporting, rather than having to send samples to Mexico to be assessed there.
This could reduce the time and costs compared with having conformity assessments take place in in Mexico, which could especially benefit small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) for whom the costs of overseas testing can be prohibitively expensive.
These bodies must be accredited by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA).
Procurement
The UK-Mexico Trade Continuity Agreement (TCA) open and CPTPP open access to public procurement opportunities in Mexico’s healthcare sector. The agreements help ensure that systems for procurement are open, transparent and accessible for UK life sciences businesses.
The agreements work to:
- ensure procurement is done according to rules agreed by both countries
- provide schedules describing what goods and services are covered by the relevant agreement and are therefore subject to the agreed rules, known as Market Access Schedules
- treat each other’s suppliers fairly when they are competing for contracts covered by either agreement
Mexico’s market access schedule sets out the procurement Mexico has agreed to cover, for example, the procuring entities, goods, services and construction services subject to the Government Procurement Chapter.
This means that UK businesses bidding for contracts under the categories listed in Mexico’s market access schedule have a right to transparent and fair treatment, on the same terms Mexican procuring entities give to their domestic businesses and other CPTPP businesses. This schedule includes entities under Ministry of Health.
For further information, refer to our Mexico procurement guide.
Rules of Origin
To find out more about the rules for accessing preferential tariffs under the UK-Mexico FTA and CPTPP, see the Mexico Rules of Origin guide.
Import conditions
Information on importing goods into Mexico can be found in our Mexico tariffs and customs guide.
In the case of medical devices and healthcare products, there are additional requirements as follows:
- the products must comply with applicable standards
- foreign manufactured products need to have a legally appointed representative or distributor in Mexico
- the products must be registered with the Secretariat of Health (Secretaría de Salud or SSA) and approved by the Federal Commission for the Protection against Sanitary Risk (COFEPRIS), Mexico’s main regulatory authority for health products
Except for blood, blood derivative products, and organs, almost all medical products can be imported into Mexico, provided they comply with existing regulations. For more information, see the Healthcare section of this guide.
For regulated products or services, such as healthcare solutions, regulatory approvals require time and local support.
You can also check our Mexico guide on product regulation.
Please note that there are also specific import requirements for life sciences and medical technology products. Sanitary requirements for medicine imports and for medical devices imports can be found on the Government of Mexico website.
If you are importing goods from Mexico, you can use the Trade Tariff Look up tool on GOV.UK to find the current list of goods and duty rates. There is also a step-by-step guide on how to import on GOV.UK.
Supporting your export journey
Doing business in Mexico
Mexico has a population of around 131 million people, making it one of the largest consumer and labour markets in the world. In economic terms, Mexico is one of the world’s largest economies – it ranks around 15th globally and second in Latin America and the Caribbean. This scale, combined with a large industrial base and strong domestic demand, makes Mexico an important market for international business opportunities.
From a business culture perspective, Mexico is generally considered a high-context culture, where successful communication and outcomes depend on relationships. Communication tends to be relatively formal, especially in first meetings and when engaging with senior counterparts, with clear respect for hierarchy and titles. Face-to-face interaction remains especially important for building trust, strengthening relationships, and moving commercial conversations forward. While virtual engagement is common, in-person meetings are still highly valued in many sectors and can play a decisive role in establishing credibility and long-term partnerships.
In relation to the existing trade relationship, Mexico is the UK’s 39th largest export market. Total UK exports to Mexico amounted to £3.7 billion in the 4 quarters to the end of Quarter 4 2025.
For the latest statistics on trade between the UK and Mexico, see Mexico’s trade and investment factsheet.
Department for Business and Trade support
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) helps businesses export, drives inward and outward investment, negotiates market access and trade agreements, and champions free trade. Helpful links, tools and services available from DBT and wider government include:
Export Support Service (ESS) team
Get support on how to do business abroad. Businesses in Wales can also access support from Business Wales.
Export Support Service – International Markets (ESS-IM)
DBT's overseas in-market export support service for SMEs with high-export potential. Our International Market Advisers provide tailored support and market introduction information to new and current UK exporters looking to enter or expand into new markets. The service may be accessed globally with International Markets teams in South Asia, China, the Middle East, Africa, Eastern Europe, North America and Latin America.
Sign up to access webinars on how to grow your international sales.
Information on finance and insurance for UK exports.
Trade and investment factsheets
The latest statistics on trade and investment between the UK and individual overseas partners.
Overseas business risk profiles
Information for UK businesses on political, economic and security risks when trading overseas.
Advice and warnings about travel abroad, including entry requirements, safety and security, health risks and legal differences.
Check or report a trade barrier
If you encounter an issue when exporting to any country – report the issue and UK government officials will be able to assess the issue and consider the options we have open to addressing it as appropriate.
Search for your specific product to find applicable tariffs for each market, explore rules of origin and step-by-step help on customs procedures.
Check import duties and allows you to check the status of available tariff rate quotas.
Useful resources
To find out more about export opportunities to Mexico, please consult DBT’s market guide. This page will also help you understand more about business culture in Mexico, and links to existing trade barriers with this market.
Prior to export, you must be aware of local regulations and import conditions in Mexico that apply to your goods or services. This can include tax considerations, labour laws, intellectual property rules, labelling and packaging regulations, among others.
For further information related to local regulations, business culture, or to find a local lawyer, translator, importer or distributor, use the following contacts:
- DBT’s Export Support Service International Markets team
- get in touch with DBT at the local British Embassy
- get in touch with the British Chamber of Commerce in Mexico
For information on political, economic and security risks when trading with Mexico, see:
Legal disclaimer
This document is provided as an information guide only and should not be relied on as a substitute for your own research or independent advice.
No investment and/or business decision should be made solely on the basis of information presented in this document. It is recommended that an independent due diligence investigation is conducted before entering into engagement with any individual, business or other organisation mentioned.
The Department for Business and Trade accepts no responsibility for any loss or damage caused to any person as result of any error, omission, inaccurate or misleading statement in this document.
The accuracy, completeness or timeliness of the content of any website mentioned in this document is not guaranteed in any way, implied or explicit.
