iPhone becomes India's top single export item

Five iPhone assembly plants — three operated by Tata Group entities and two by Foxconn — supported by a supply chain of around 45 companies

Apple Inc.'s iPhone became India's top single export item in 2025, with shipments worth $23 billion, largely to the US, driven by the government's PLI scheme and supply chain diversification from China. Smartphones emerged as India's leading export category with Apple contributing 76 per cent.

Smartphones were India's top export category for the first time, surpassing automotive diesel fuel, with a total $30.13 billion worth of exports in the January-December period. Apple accounted for 76 per cent of total smartphone exports. Apple's five‑year PLI window is scheduled to end in March 2026.

Source: International Business Times

NB: During the last Active conference I discussed with the author of...

NB: ... Apple in China whether Apple could repeat their success in China with India. He said it was not possible. I saw a pattern. China was not the first conquest and it would not be the last. In a future research post I will examine the history, current size and growth potential of iPhone in India. We can measure this market and we can extrapolate it as well as we can do China, Europe or the US. It's remarkable what has already happened.