India’s Export profile shifted in 2025, with smartphones accounting for the highest outbound shipments during the year, as per news reports. Exports were valued at $30.13 billion, up from $20.44 billion in 2024, marking a 47% increase. The category overtook automotive diesel fuel, which stood at $16.34 billion during the year.
Other major export items included diamonds, medicines for retail sale and motor gasoline. The data points to a continued rise in electronics within India’s overall export mix.
Apple’s iPhone was the single largest export item within the smartphone category. Shipments from India were estimated at about $23 billion in 2025, compared with $11.5 billion a year earlier. Roughly 76% of total smartphone exports were linked to Apple products.
Most exports were directed to the United States. Industry participants have associated the increase with the production-linked incentive (PLI) scheme and expanded local assembly operations.
Apple operates 5 iPhone assembly plants in India, 3 managed by Tata Group entities and 2 by Foxconn. The supply network comprises nearly 45 companies, including several micro, small and medium enterprises supplying components for both domestic and overseas markets.
India is the world’s second-largest mobile phone producer. More than 99% of mobile phones sold in the country are assembled locally, showing higher domestic capacity.
Export growth has also coincided with earlier US tariffs on certain Chinese electronics shipments, which did not apply to Indian exports. The subsequent removal of those tariffs may affect comparative cost advantages.
Niti Aayog estimates India’s cost disadvantage in electronics manufacturing relative to China at 11-14%. The current 5-year PLI scheme for smartphones is due to conclude in March 2026.
Read More: India–US Interim Trade Deal Talks Rescheduled Amid Tariff Policy Uncertainty!
In 2025, smartphones topped India’s export list, with iPhones forming a substantial share. The trend highlights the increasing role of electronics in the country’s trade profile.
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Published on: Feb 23, 2026, 1:47 PM IST
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