India’s electronics production is in a major breakthrough to set new milestones in global electronics trajectory with its increased exports competitiveness. India is now among the most reliable electronics producers in the World with the tremendous increase in its production possibilities. The electronics products production in India has increased from Rs. 1.9 lakh crore in 2014-15 to Rs. 11.3 lakh crore in 2024-25.

India’s electronics growth trajectory has been supported by the ease of doing business vis-à-vis conducive policy environment, technological advancements, and innovative workforce along with the confidence of the domestic and global investors in India’s manufacturing capabilities. The meaningful & effective reforms undertaken by the government during the last many years since the advent of Make in India campaign, PLI (Production-linked Scheme), ECMS (Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme), and the National Policy on Electronics, has boosted the expansion of production possibilities in the electronics sector and has attracted global investors. This breakthrough in electronics manufacturing is supporting India’s medium-term goal to become an electronics manufacturing hub by 2030 with an electronics manufacturing target of USD 500 billion. The tremendous growth of electronics production has also crated about 2.5 million jobs in the country.

Insights about India’s electronics revolution

Source : Compiled from Ministry of Commerce and Industry and PIB
USD figures are according to the current exchange rates

India is not only becoming strong in quantitative terms but also in competitiveness at the domestic and global levels, as demand for India’s electronics products is increasing in a big way in the domestic and global markets as well. The trajectory of India’s exports of electronic products has increased significantly from USD 9 billion in 2017-18 to USD 15 billion in 2019-20 and USD 44 billion in 2024-25. This reflects India’s growing innovation & state-of-the-art manufacturing processes along with the facilitative economic policy environment.

India’s Electronic Products Export

Source : Ministry of Commerce and Industry, Government of India

The breakthrough in the production possibilities of electronics products is majorly supported by the mobile phone manufacturing in India with the number of units of mobile manufacturing increasing from 2 in 2014-15 to 300 in the recent years. The production of mobile phones has jumped from Rs. 18,000 crores in 2014-15 to Rs. 5.45 lakh crores in 2024-25. This tremendous jump in the production possibilities of mobile phones has placed into at the 2nd largest producer of mobile phones in the World. The production of mobile phones has went up to nearly 330 million devices annually which supports around one billion active mobile users in the country along with the exports.

The production and exports of mobile phones have given a great leap to the electronics boom in India, electronics exports are now at the third position in the overall export’s trajectory of India after the gems and Jewellery and pharmaceutical exports in the manufacturing segments. The exports of mobile phones alone have jumped 127 times form USD 171 Million in 2014-15 to USD 22 billion in 2024-25.

The smart phone exports in the current financial year 2025-26 has achieved a milestone of Rs. 1 lakh crore (USD 12 Billion) in the first five months (April-August) with a 55% increase over the previous year. The trajectory of India’s trade electronics has shifted from a major importer of electronics products to one of the major exporter of electronics in the World. India’s competitiveness in the electronics exports and mobile phones particularly is setting new trends for the global electronics conglomerates and supporting India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat.

Now India has become one of the major countries of strongly connected societies in the World, as more than 85 per cent of Indian households now owning at least one smartphone. With the support of smart phones, the platforms such as Unified Payments Interface (UPI), Digi Locker, and Aadhaar-enabled services have reached the remotest parts of the country, enabling seamless digital transactions and access to essential government schemes.

Visionary policies support production possibilities

The effective and efficient policy environment with slew of reforms has supported the trajectory of electronics production in India. One of the most effective and prominent scheme PLI has not only expanded the production possibilities of electronics but also attracted the attention of the global investors as USD 4 billion FDI has been attracted by the electronics sector in India since 2021-22.

Complementing the PLI is the Scheme for Promotion of Manufacturing of Electronic Components and Semiconductors (SPECS), which offers a 25 per cent financial incentive on capital expenditure for producing critical components. And the Electronics Components Manufacturing Scheme (ECMS), approved in 2025 with an outlay of ?22,919 crore. The scheme is expected to generate production worth over ?10 lakh crore and create more than 1.4 lakh direct jobs, signalling strong investor confidence and large-scale industry participation.

The National Policy on Electronics (NPE) 2019 has further laid the roadmap for positioning India as a global hub for Electronics System Design and Manufacturing (ESDM). By promoting design-led innovation and research, the policy ensures that India moves beyond assembly to higher value-added manufacturing, ensuring long-term competitiveness and technological sovereignty.

India’s brands gaining recognition in advanced economies

India’s Made in India brand in electronics and mobile technology is now gaining recognition in both advanced and emerging economies. The United States, the United Arab Emirates, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Italy have emerged as top destinations for Indian electronic exports. This expansion demonstrates not just an increase in export volume but also a growing trust in India’s production quality, reliability, and adherence to international standards. Global giants such as Apple, Samsung, and Foxconn have significantly expanded their production facilities in India, contributing to technology transfer, job creation, and ecosystem development.

Electronics breakthrough support Atmanirbhar Bharat and Viksit Bharat

The electronics and mobile revolution is a central pillar of India’s broader national vision of Atmanirbhar Bharat (self-reliant India) and Viksit Bharat (developed India by 2047). By expanding domestic production, reducing import dependence, and enhancing exports, India is ensuring that its economic growth is both inclusive and sustainable. Every mobile phone assembled in India today symbolizes the country’s capability to produce world-class products at competitive costs while generating employment and advancing technological self-reliance. The journey from importing mobile phones a decade ago to exporting billions of dollars’ worth of devices today illustrates the success of India’s developmental model rooted in reform, resilience, and technology.

In conclusions, India’s electronics breakthrough is supported by the conducive business environment and supportive policies along with the innovation in the manufacturing processes. As India is progressing in its mission mode approach in the Atmanirbhar Bharat, the new paradigms in the production of electronics will continue which will further accelerate the production possibilities in the manufacturing of electronics and attract global investors to Make in India and exports from India like Apple has emerged as strong player in the trajectory of mobile manufacturing in India as exports of iPhone alone crossed Rs. 1,00000 crore (USD 12 billion) in 2024. Going ahead, the confluence of manufacturing competitiveness, digital revolution and confidence of the global investors will further strengthen India’s electronics space in global charts and give strong support to India’s journey towards Viksit Bharat.

(Dr. S.P. Sharma is Managing Director, Chief Economist, NDIM NEO Research Centre • Former Chief Economist, PHDCCI (PHD Chamber of Commerce and industry, India)

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