A grand study conducted by the Centre for Development Studies (CDS) reiterates the major talking point all through the mobile ecosystem: India had soared further into the elite international group of suppliers of mobile phones and was positioned as the third-largest exporter of mobile phones in the world, with exports worth around US $20.5 billion during the calendar year 2024.
The Meteoric Rise: From Dependent on Imports to Export-Driven Power:
Six years ago, in 2017-18, India was exporting a mere amount of US $0.2 billion worth of mobile phones. By 2024, this figure has crossed the $24 billion mark marking an astonishing almost 11,950 per cent increase. Such explosive growth coincided with India moving from being a player in domestic manufacturing only to a scale export-led manufacturing partner in the bigger global arena.
Government encouragement and production-related incentives:
Key to this change is the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme floated in 2020 and implemented ever since. Since then, this bold policy has largely helped the foreign Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and contract manufacturers to invest in local facilities and infrastructure. So, we have a big-scale output and a robust integration into global value chains (GVCs).
Multi-layered domestic value addition stood out as a strong trend. Direct value for production of mobiles has seen an almost 283% rise from US $1.2 billion in FY 2016–17 to about US $4.6 billion in FY 2019–20. Even more impressive has been the growth in indirect value addition upstream supply chains by 604%, from US $470 million in FY 2016–17 to about US $3.3 billion in FY 2019–20.
With this economic growth came a greater occasion for employment: Further estimates indicate that more than 1.7 million direct and indirect jobs were linked to mobile production in 2022–23, and the number of export-related jobs rose at an astounding 33-fold. Wages too are rising, thanks to growing high-skill jobs in export-oriented units.
Global Trade Strategic Development:
India now ranks third in the mobile phone exports after China and Vietnam, having achieved exports worth nearly US $20.5 billion in 2024. World’s Top Exports data suggests that India exported 7.1% of global mobile exports in 2024, amounting to US $20.48 billion an increase of 585% compared to 2020.
This is in consonance with the CDS findings, positing India as a major exporting hub for mobiles. Contract manufacturing for brands such as Apple, Samsung has further accelerated exports, while the competitive ecosystem consisting of the likes of Foxconn, Wistron, Pegatron, and Dixon Technologies leads to high-volume outputs.
Conclusion:
The mobile export surge in India is more than just headline numbers; it means a structural global competitiveness transformation, portraying how policy-driven incentives together with industrial ecosystems can facilitate a rapid climb. With this blueprint led by mobiles now gaining momentum, other electronics floors such as laptops, networking equipment, and consumer electronics are ready to replicate the success, taking India one step further into becoming a global manufacturing powerhouse.
Governed jointly by the Centre for Development Studies and the Indian Cellular and Electronics Association (ICEA), the report intends to provide a clearer understanding of the effect of government policies on India’s electronics manufacturing sector.
