Electronics Production Growth Calculator
Calculate how India's electronics production could grow using real-world growth rates from the article. Based on the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme and actual industry data.
Real-world context: India's laptop production grew from 1.5M units in 2020 to 12M in 2025 (700% growth) with a 70% annual growth rate.
PLI scheme boosted production by providing up to $10 for every $100 of value added in India.
India doesn’t just make electronics-it now makes more of them than any other country in the world. If you bought a smartphone in the last year, there’s a good chance it was made in India. In 2025, India produced over 1.2 billion mobile phones, more than Vietnam, China, and South Korea combined. That’s not a fluke. It’s the result of five years of targeted policy, factory investments, and supply chain shifts that turned India into the global epicenter of electronics manufacturing.
Mobile Phones: India’s Crown Jewel
India is the world’s largest producer of mobile phones. Not just any phones-every major brand you know builds them here. Samsung makes nearly half of all its global smartphones in India. Xiaomi, Oppo, Vivo, and Apple all have massive factories in Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, and Telangana. Apple’s iPhone 15 series, for example, is now 25% made in India, up from just 5% in 2020. That’s over 30 million iPhones produced locally each year.
The numbers don’t lie. In 2024, India exported $25 billion worth of mobile phones. By 2025, that number jumped to $38 billion. The country now accounts for 17% of global mobile phone production, up from 3% in 2019. What changed? The Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme. Launched in 2020, it gave companies cash bonuses for every phone they made locally. For every $100 of value added in India, firms got up to $10 back. That’s not a handout-it’s a bet on scale.
It’s Not Just Phones
While phones dominate, India’s electronics output now includes far more. It’s the top producer of LED TVs in Asia. Companies like TCL, LG, and Sony assemble over 40 million LED TVs in India each year. The country also leads in power banks, Wi-Fi routers, smartwatches, and fitness trackers. In 2025, India manufactured 85% of the world’s power banks under $30. That’s more than 200 million units annually.
Even components are growing. India now assembles over 90% of the printed circuit boards (PCBs) used in its own electronics. It doesn’t make the silicon chips yet-but it does assemble them into finished devices. Factories in Noida and Hyderabad now handle everything from soldering tiny capacitors to testing 5G antennas. The supply chain is getting deeper, not just wider.
Why India? The Real Reasons
Cost isn’t the only reason. Labor in India is cheaper, yes-but so is it in Bangladesh and Indonesia. What sets India apart is scale, policy, and market access.
First, the population. Over 1.4 billion people. That’s not just a market-it’s a testing ground. Companies can launch a new model, tweak it based on feedback, and scale it fast. Second, the government didn’t just offer money. It built infrastructure. Special electronics zones with 24/7 power, water, and logistics hubs. Third, India’s trade deals now cover 70 countries. Goods made here can be exported to the EU, UK, and ASEAN with low or zero tariffs.
And then there’s the talent. India graduates over 1.5 million engineers every year. Many of them don’t go to Silicon Valley-they stay home to work in electronics R&D centers in Bengaluru, Pune, and Chennai. Companies like Foxconn and Pegatron now have Indian engineers designing firmware and optimizing assembly lines for local conditions.
What India Still Can’t Make (Yet)
Don’t mistake assembly for full manufacturing. India still imports 95% of its semiconductor chips. It doesn’t make the processors inside your phone, the memory chips, or the high-end sensors. Those come from Taiwan, South Korea, and the U.S.
But that’s changing. India’s first semiconductor assembly and test plant opened in 2024 near Bengaluru. It’s run by Vedanta and Foxconn. By 2027, India plans to have five more. The goal isn’t to make chips from scratch overnight. It’s to control the last 20% of the process-packaging, testing, and integrating chips into devices. That’s where the real value is added today.
The Ripple Effect
This boom isn’t just about factories. It’s reshaping small businesses. In Uttar Pradesh, over 12,000 local suppliers now make plastic casings, charging cables, and packaging materials for phone makers. In Tamil Nadu, women-run cooperatives assemble headphone wires. These jobs didn’t exist five years ago.
Exports are rising, too. India now sends electronics to Nigeria, Egypt, and Peru. It’s no longer just a low-cost factory for the West. It’s becoming a hub for emerging markets. That’s why companies like Xiaomi and Realme are designing budget phones in India specifically for Africa and Latin America.
What’s Next?
India’s next target: laptops and tablets. In 2025, it produced 12 million laptops-up from 1.5 million in 2020. Dell, HP, and Lenovo have all expanded their Indian operations. The government wants 50 million laptops made locally by 2028. That’s a big leap, but the model is already proven.
By 2030, India could be making over 2 billion electronic devices a year. That’s more than the entire EU and North America combined. It won’t be the first country to do this-but it’s the first to do it without owning the core technology. That’s the real story.
India didn’t win because it had the best engineers or the most capital. It won because it built a system-policy, people, and partnerships-that made it easier to make things there than anywhere else.
Is India the largest producer of smartphones in the world?
Yes. In 2025, India produced over 1.2 billion smartphones, more than any other country. It surpassed China and Vietnam in total output, becoming the world’s top producer. Major brands like Apple, Samsung, and Xiaomi now make the majority of their global phone volume in India.
What electronics does India export the most?
Mobile phones account for over 80% of India’s electronics exports, worth $38 billion in 2025. Other top exports include LED TVs, power banks, Wi-Fi routers, and smartwatches. India now ships electronics to over 70 countries, with major markets in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Latin America.
Does India make its own smartphone chips?
No-not yet. India imports nearly all semiconductor chips, including processors and memory, from Taiwan, South Korea, and the U.S. But it does assemble those chips into finished devices. India’s first semiconductor assembly plant opened in 2024, and more are planned. The focus is on packaging and testing chips, not making silicon from scratch.
How did India become the top electronics producer?
India used the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, which gave companies cash rewards for making electronics locally. Combined with tax breaks, special industrial zones, and a large skilled workforce, this turned India into a low-cost, high-scale manufacturing hub. The government also pushed for local supply chains, reducing reliance on imports.
Is India’s electronics boom sustainable?
Yes, because the growth is tied to real demand-not just subsidies. India has the world’s second-largest smartphone user base, and local production cuts import costs. Companies are investing billions because they see long-term profit. As India builds more chip assembly plants and trains engineers, its advantage will grow, not shrink.