New Delhi: India has achieved a landmark in its manufacturing journey by overtaking China in smartphone exports to the United States during the April–June quarter of 2025. The development, highlighted in a post by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) citing research firm Canalys, underscores how government schemes such as Make in India and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) have reshaped the country’s electronics sector.
According to Canalys, India accounted for 44 per cent of all smartphones shipped to the US in the second quarter of this year, a sharp leap from 13 per cent in the same period of 2024. China’s share, in contrast, dropped dramatically from 61 per cent last year to just 25 per cent. This shift marks the first time India has taken the lead over China in a sector long dominated by the latter.
The post added that this achievement reflects a broader industrial transformation over the last decade. Data from the Ministry of Electronics & Information Technology (MeitY) reveals that India’s electronics and mobile manufacturing industry has witnessed exponential growth between 2014-15 and 2024-25. Exports rose from ₹38,000 crore in 2014-15 to ₹3.27 lakh crore in 2024-25, reflecting a nearly ninefold expansion.
Mobile phone production itself grew from ₹18,000 crore to ₹5.45 lakh crore during the same period, while exports surged from just ₹1,500 crore to ₹2 lakh crore—a 127-fold increase. The production of electronic goods also recorded a sixfold rise, moving from ₹1.9 lakh crore in 2014-15 to ₹11.3 lakh crore in 2024-25.
Equally significant has been the rapid expansion of India’s mobile manufacturing ecosystem. The number of production units grew from only two in 2014-15 to 300 by 2024-25, signaling a 150-fold increase. Industry experts say this ecosystem growth is crucial in making India a reliable and competitive hub for global smartphone brands.
Another milestone highlighted by MeitY is India’s reduced reliance on imported mobile phones. A decade ago, in 2014-15, 75 per cent of the country’s smartphone demand was met through imports. By 2024-25, that figure had dwindled to just 0.02 per cent, reflecting India’s transition from an import-dependent market to a self-reliant manufacturing hub.
Analysts believe that the sustained push from government schemes like PLI and Make in India, coupled with global manufacturers seeking to diversify beyond China, has played a defining role in this transition. With India now leading in smartphone exports to the US, policymakers and industry leaders view this as a pivotal moment in the country’s ambition to establish itself as a global electronics manufacturing powerhouse.
