India’s electronics import stack
India now exports far more finished phones, but the production system still draws heavily on imported chips, displays, batteries and computing hardware.
$100.5bn
$43.2bn
$57.2bn
+61.8%
since FY21–22
+244.4%
since FY21–22
Imports, exports and the widening gap
Current US$ customs values for the selected HS-4 product group. The latest year is FY25–26.
● Imports
● Exports
The products inside the headline total
Import value, export offset and the economic role of each large line. Coverage is exports divided by imports for the same HS-4 code.
Electronic integrated circuits
HS 8542 · Core input
$30.3bn
$0.3bn
0.9%
Chip imports feed almost every device category; exports offset less than 1% of the bill.
Phones and telecom equipment
HS 8517 · Export engine
$21.7bn
$33.8bn
155.5%
Finished-device exports now exceed imports, the clearest evidence of assembly scale.
Computers and data-processing machines
HS 8471 · Finished goods
$13.7bn
$1.1bn
7.8%
A large import bill with limited export offset keeps computing hardware externally dependent.
Semiconductor devices
HS 8541 · Core input
$6.2bn
$1.2bn
19.6%
Diodes, transistors and photovoltaic semiconductor devices remain a component bottleneck.
Electric accumulators
HS 8507 · Scaling input
$5.6bn
$0.7bn
12.7%
Battery demand is rising across electronics, mobility and storage faster than exports.
Flat-panel display modules
HS 8524 · Core input
$5.6bn
$0.3bn
5.2%
A concentrated, import-heavy display layer sits upstream of phones, TVs and computers.
From imported input to Indian market
The same import total can support domestic consumption, processing, manufacturing or exports. This flow shows where value can be added.
01
Advanced inputs
Chips, displays and battery cells
02
Components
Boards, cameras, power units and enclosures
03
Device assembly
Phones, computers and communications equipment
04
Markets
Indian demand and rapidly growing phone exports
Where the chapter-level imports come from
Share of HS85 imports among the major partners available in the local partner dataset. This is a directional chapter proxy, not an exact supplier split for the selected HS-4 basket.
Observed major-partner share · HS85 proxy
CHINA
58.2%
HONG KONG
13.2%
SINGAPORE
7.8%
KOREA
7.2%
U S A
7.0%
JAPAN
3.3%
GERMANY
3.1%
SWITZERLAND
0.2%
Scale and value creation in India
Official production indicators show strong scale-up, but value addition remains much lower than the share of phones assembled domestically.
18–20%
₹12 lakh cr
₹3.3 lakh cr
99.2%
Sources & method
Trade values are current US$ millions from India’s Ministry of Commerce TradeStat HS-4 world tables. Sector totals sum the listed HS-4 codes; they are analytical baskets rather than a claim that every code in the wider HS chapter belongs to the sector. Partner shares use HS85 chapter data for the major countries captured locally, so they are labelled as a proxy.