India has emerged as a leading exporter of smartphones to the United States, surpassing China in this regard, as revealed by research firm Canalys. The success is attributed to the ‘Make in India’ initiative and the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme initiated by the government, which have significantly boosted the electronics sector. These schemes have enabled India to make rapid progress in industrial sectors where it wasn’t traditionally a key player. Between April and June 2025, smartphones manufactured in India accounted for 44% of the US exports, a substantial increase from the 13% share in the same period of 2024. Conversely, China’s share in the US market decreased from 61% to 25% during the same timeframe. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology has reported substantial growth in the electronics and mobile manufacturing sectors between 2014-15 and 2024-25. Exports experienced a significant surge, escalating from Rs 38,000 crore to Rs 3.27 lakh crore, while mobile phone production rose from Rs 18,000 crore to Rs 5.45 lakh crore. Mobile exports witnessed a remarkable increase, jumping from Rs 1,500 crore to Rs 2 lakh crore, reflecting a 127-fold increase. The manufacturing of electronic products has also expanded, with production rising from Rs 1.9 lakh crore in 2014-15 to Rs 11.3 lakh crore in 2024-25, representing a six-fold increase. Furthermore, the mobile manufacturing sector has witnessed substantial expansion, with the number of production units growing from 2 in 2014-15 to 300 in 2024-25, marking a 150-fold increase. This transformation also underscores a reduced reliance on imports for India. In 2014-15, imports fulfilled 75% of the total demand within the Indian market, while this reliance has significantly decreased to approximately 0.02% by 2024-25.
