There are not a lot of mobile manufacturing countries in the world. Of the 195 countries in existence today, only a handful have any mobile production facilities. In all, there are less than 20 countries with cell phone production facilities.
Of these roughly twenty, three of them account for about 80% of the world’s mobile phone production. If you are shocked, it used to be worse: in 2020, only one country accounted for that same 80%, so some serious diversification is happening and mobile manufacturing is no longer a monopoly. Let’s look at the list of the top three countries where phones are produced today.
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Number 1: China
In number one spot is China, and in the fiscal year ending March 2023, it accounted for 50% of total mobile phone production in the world. That might seem huge, but China commanded much more until recently when companies like Samsung, Apple, Nokia, and others began to move some of their manufacturing away from China.
According to CounterPoint Research [1], China contributed to 67% of the global handset production in 2021. Three years ago, it was difficult to find mobile phones that were not made in China, as over 80% of the phones used in the world were made in this country at that time.
Number 2: India
India has become the world’s preferred alternative to China for mobile phone manufacturing [2], and its share of global production is sharply on the rise. As at this year, mobile phones have become India’s 5th largest export.
Samsung has the world’s largest phone production facility in India, and Apple also makes most iPhones in India now. When you consider that before 2016, phone manufacturing in India was a small industry and the country barely exported phones, you would realise how fascinating it is that it is now in 2nd place on the list of mobile manufacturing countries.
In 2014, India had only two phone plants; in 2023, it has over two hundred and sixty (260). Fascinating. India’s speedy rise has resulting in about the country accounting for 20% of the world’s mobile manufacturing, which has seen Vietnam being pushed down to the 3rd spot.
Number 3: Vietnam
Vietnam is in 3rd place with about 10% of global mobile phone production. Vietnam used to be in second place behind China, until India’s recent ramp up in phone production.
Where Are The Rest Of The Phones Made?
Other mobile manufacturing countries are the United States, Singapore, Japan, Italy, France, United Kingdom, Hong-Kong, South Korea, Germany, Czech Republic, Austria, Rwanda, Romania, and South Africa. These countries make up for the remaining 20% of cell phones produced and sold globally.
Top 10 Mobile Manufacturing Countries 2023 & 2024
Here is a list of the top 10 mobile manufacturing countries in the world in 2023 and 2024:
- China
- India
- Vietnam
- United States
- Japan
- Germany
- Italy
- France
- United Kingdom
- South Korea
The Largest Phone Manufacturing Country in the World
For several years, China has been the top mobile manufacturing country in the world, once accounting for up to 80% of global mobile phone production. While it is still the top country, India is fast rising and diluting China’s share of cellphone production. As at today, China produces about 50% of all mobile phones manufactured.
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