Pakistan produces 31.38m mobile phones in 2024: PTA

February 10, 2025 (MLN): Local mobile assembly and manufacturers have produced 31.38 million mobile phones during the first six months of the ongoing calendar year (2024), while commercial imports totaled 1.71m.

A breakup of the data on local production provides details that out of the total 31.38m devices produced units up 47% YoY, 18.64m were smartphones while the remaining 12.74m were 2G devices.

This notable improvement is primarily a result of the import restrictions implemented last year.

However, compared to 2022, the growth remains at 43% YoY.

This increase is primarily fueled by economic recovery, a rising share of locally assembled mobile phones due to higher taxes on imports, and a growing population, among other factors.

Brand-wise, Infinix led production in 2024, manufacturing 3.98mn units.

The top locally assembled brands in 2024 include Itel (3.64mn units), VGO Tel (3.37mn units), Tecno (2.85mn units), Vivo (2.77mn units), Xiaomi (2.35mn units), Realme (1.76mn units), Samsung (1.51mn units), G'Five (1.44mn units), and Nokia (1.36mn units).

It is crucial to note that production has been on a declining trend since 2022 due to economic depression in the country and rising interest rates which acted as a constraint for the local industry.

In 2021, PTA reported that 24.66m devices were manufactured locally, and in 2023 the figure dropped to 21.28m units, around 13.71% lower over the period.

However, a greater drop was noticed in the commercial import section, reducing from 24.51m in 2020 to just 1.58m in 2023.

This decline is attributed to the import restrictions imposed by the central bank to curb the gap between export and import and reduce the outflow of foreign currency.

Air Link Communication (AIRLINK) assembled mobile phones, Tecno and Xiaomi, secured a spot among the top 10 in 2024.

Tecno's production surged by 97% YoY to 2.85mn units, while Xiaomi's output grew by 79% YoY, reaching 2.35mn units.

With the expanding reach of internet services, the threshold of smartphone devices on the Pakistan network has increased to 65%, compared to 59% in 2023 and 56% in 2022.

Conversely, the use of 2G devices on the local network has decreased to 35%, in contrast to 41% in 2023 and 44% in 2022.

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