Industry: Cold Chain & Healthcare Logistics (Logistics & Supply Chain)
Source: https://www.mordorintelligence.com/industry-reports/south-america-pharmaceutical-cold-chain-logistics-market
Scraped Date: 2026-09-17
| Market Metric | Details |
|---|---|
| Base Market Size | USD 2.64 billion |
| Projected Forecast (2031) | USD 2.64 billion |
| Growth Rate (CAGR) | 6.94 % |
| Largest Market Region | N/A |
| Fastest-Growing Region | N/A |
!Major players in South America Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Logistics industry
!South America Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Logistics Market Summary
!South America Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Logistics Market: Market Share by Service
!South America Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Logistics Market: Market Share by Product
!South America Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Logistics Market
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Market Overview
Study Period | 2020 - 2031 |
Forecast Data Period | 2026 - 2031 |
Base Year Market Size (2025) | USD 2.51 Billion |
Market Size (2026) | USD 2.64 Billion |
Market Size (2031) | USD 3.69 Billion |
Growth Rate (2026 - 2031) | 6.94 % |
Market Concentration | Medium |
Major Players*Disclaimer: Major Players sorted in no particular order
Image © Vijeron Intelligence. Reuse requires attribution under CC BY 4.0.
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South America Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Logistics Market Analysis by Vijeron IntelligenceThe Market size is expected to grow from USD 2.51 billion in 2025 to USD 2.64 billion in 2026 and is forecast to reach USD 3.69 billion by 2031 at 6.94% CAGR over 2026-2031.
Accelerating biologics approvals, government immunization drives, and wider IoT adoption are reshaping service-mix economics across South America. Brazil’s newly commissioned biologics plants are anchoring corridors that now stretch from Minas Gerais to Andean export gateways, while Colombia’s airport-centric expansion underwrites the region’s fastest growth. Multinational 3PLs dominate cross-border lanes thanks to dense certified-capacity networks, yet regional specialists retain rural and last-mile strongholds where municipal cold rooms and local licensing define access. Ultra-low storage remains scarce; only nine certified facilities span Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, creating a bottleneck that is fueling brownfield retrofits and M&A interest. Persistently high electricity and diesel prices, however, threaten margin integrity and accelerate solar and ammonia-refrigeration retrofits throughout the pharmaceutical cold chain logistics market.
Key Report Takeaways
South America Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Logistics Market Trends and InsightsDrivers Impact Analysis*
Driver | (~) % Impact on CAGR Forecast | Geographic Relevance | Impact Timeline |
Rapid growth of biologics & vaccine pipelines | +1.8% | Brazil, Argentina, with spillover to Colombia and Chile | Medium term (2-4 years) |
Expansion of pharma manufacturing hubs in Brazil & Argentina | +1.5% | Brazil (Sao Paulo, Minas Gerais), Argentina (Buenos Aires, Cordoba) | Long term (≥ 4 years) |
Government-led immunization campaigns | +1.3% | Global South America, early gains in Brazil, Colombia, Peru | Short term (≤ 2 years) |
Scaling 3PL partnerships for IoT-enabled last-mile delivery | +1.0% | Urban corridors in Brazil, Chile, and Colombia; gradual rural penetration | Medium term (2-4 years) |
Mercosur GDP guideline harmonization | +0.6% | Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay | Long term (≥ 4 years) |
Climate-change-driven demand for ultra-cold storage | +0.7% | Amazon basin (Brazil), coastal Argentina, Andean regions (Colombia, Peru) | Long term (≥ 4 years) |
Source: Vijeron Intelligence |
Competitive Landscape
Five multinationals-DHL Supply Chain, UPS Healthcare, Kuehne + Nagel, DSV, and CEVA Logistics control about 50% of certified GDP capacity, wielding scale economies and integrated sea-air-road service portfolios that attract high-value biologic flows. Each has extended IATA CEIV Pharma accreditations beyond primary hubs to secondary cities such as MedellĂn, Curitiba, and Guayaquil, reinforcing quality leadership while capturing incremental pharmaceutical cold chain logistics market share.
Regional contenders remain formidable in rural and intra-country lanes. Peru’s Ransa, Argentina’s Andreani, and Brazil’s SuperFrio and JSL’s Fadel Logistica Fria combine dense municipal cold-room networks with local regulatory expertise, allowing on-time ratios above 94% for last-mile vaccine deliveries. Energy self-generation, seen in SuperFrio’s solar rollout and Friozem’s ammonia shift, is becoming a differentiator as power costs escalate.
Technology-centric entrants such as Maersk’s blockchain platform and CEVA’s autonomous 2-8 °C lockers represent emerging competitive vectors. Maersk trimmed documentation errors by 41% and won a three-year vaccine contract, while CEVA’s locker network could reach 140 Brazilian cities by 2027, pending ANVISA approval[4]Maersk, “Annual Report 2025,” maersk.com. Lineage and Americold accelerate bolt-on acquisitions to tie up ultra-low warehouse real estate, anticipating mRNA therapy scale-up and aiming to lift their combined pharmaceutical cold chain logistics industry footprint beyond food heritage.
South America Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Logistics Industry Leaders* DHL Supply Chain & Global Forwarding
Image © Vijeron Intelligence. Reuse requires attribution under CC BY 4.0.
South America Pharmaceutical Cold Chain Logistics Market Report ScopeBy Service TypeTransportation | Road |
| Rail |
|---|
| Sea |
| Air |
Warehousing and Distribution |
Value-Added Services and Others |
By CountryArgentina |
Brazil |
Chile |
Colombia |
Peru |
Rest of South America |
Forecasts place the market at USD 3.69 billion by 2031 on a 6.94% CAGR trajectory.
Air freight is projected to grow at an 8.74% CAGR through 2031, outpacing road, sea, and warehousing.
Only nine certified facilities support –80 °C or colder custody across Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, limiting scale-up for mRNA and CAR-T therapies.
An 18% regional rise in industrial electricity and sharp diesel inflation are compressing cold-storage and haulage margins.
Colombia, driven by El Dorado airport's GDP expansion and government cold-room grants, is set to post an 8.98% CAGR to 2031.
Widespread deployment of IoT sensors, predictive analytics, and blockchain tracking now allows shippers to detect temperature breaches in real time and reroute inventory proactively.