India’s Smartphone Exports Hit USD 30 Billion In 2025 On PLI Push

New Delhi, Jan 15 (KNN) Smartphone exports from India, under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, are estimated to have reached USD 30 billion in the 12 months from January to December 2025. 

This accounts for nearly 38 percent of India’s total smartphone exports over the past five years since 2021, reported the Business Standard. 

Five-Year Exports Touch USD 80 Billion

India’s smartphone exports were close to USD 80 billion, between 2021 and 2025, with 2025 marking the highest exports recorded in any 12-month period. 

The USD 30 billion figure represents a 47 percent increase over the USD 20.45 billion recorded during the same period in 2024.

Apple’s iPhone shipments, valued at over USD 22 billion during the year, accounted for approximately 75 percent of India’s total smartphone exports, underscoring the company’s central role in driving export growth from the country.

PLI Scheme Emerges as Key Catalyst

The surge in exports is largely attributed to targeted policy intervention through the smartphone PLI scheme announced in 2020, shortly before the Covid-19 lockdown. 

Among the 14 PLI schemes introduced that year, the smartphone PLI is widely regarded as the most successful in terms of export performance.

Integration into Global Value Chains

The success of the scheme has also highlighted the role of global value chains in reshaping India’s manufacturing landscape by integrating the country into international supply networks. 

Mobile phones, which ranked 167th on India’s export list in 2015, have since risen to become the country’s largest exported product.

After the rollout of the PLI scheme in 2021, India exported smartphones worth USD 4.85 billion, primarily led by shipments from Samsung and domestic manufacturers, laying the foundation for the export momentum seen in subsequent years.

(KNN Bureau)