iPhone exports from India reach the 50 billion mark. Apfelpatient

India now plays a significantly larger role for the iPhone than it did just a few years ago. Within five years, iPhones worth approximately 50 billion US dollars were exported from the country. This figure marks a major milestone for Apple, but also for India's industrial policy. Decisive factors include government incentives, changed trade conditions, and Apple's strategy to become less dependent on China.

iPhone production in India is not a short-term project, but the result of a long-term development. Apple has been manufacturing there since around 2017, initially almost exclusively for the local market. While there were exports, they primarily served to comply with legal requirements for local manufacturing. Only with new subsidy programs and rising tariffs on imports from China did India become a key export location for the iPhone.

$50 billion from iPhone exports from India

According to the Indian business newspaper Economic Times, iPhone exports from India have now exceeded a total value of US$50 billion. This figure refers exclusively to exports achieved since Apple's participation in India's Productive Innovation Programme (PLI).

Apple has been part of this program since the Indian fiscal year 2022. The PLI program is designed to run for five years and follows the Indian fiscal year, which runs from April 1 to March 31. India is currently in fiscal year 2026, which ends on March 31, 2026. Therefore, final export figures for this year are not yet available.

However, an unnamed government official stated that Apple had already exported nearly $16 billion in the first nine months of the current fiscal year alone. This pushed the company's cumulative iPhone exports under the PLI program past the $50 billion mark.

India's growing share of global iPhone production

By April 2025, one in five iPhones worldwide was manufactured in India. This demonstrates the extent to which Apple has expanded its production in the country. Following the introduction of US tariffs, Apple redirected approximately 97 percent of all iPhones produced in India to the United States.

In 2025, this trend intensified even further. Apple doubled the number of iPhones imported from India into the US. The goal was to mitigate the impact of higher tariffs on imports from China and to make the supply chain more flexible.

Production incentives and political framework

A key factor in the expansion of iPhone production in India is the Production Linked Incentive Program. This program offers financial incentives to companies that increase their production in the country and export. Apple is among the biggest beneficiaries of this model.

Political initiatives also played an important role. The Indian Minister of Railways, Information and Broadcasting, Electronics and Information Technology, Ashwini Vaishnav, described the 50 billion US dollar investment as a significant milestone. He referred to the government's Make in India program and stated that electronics production in India had increased sixfold in the past eleven years.

Tariffs, China and Apple's strategy

In addition to government incentive programs, international trade conflicts were another driving force. The reciprocal US tariffs also affected India, but were lower there than those for imports from China. Despite public criticism and Donald Trump's call to halt expansion in India, Apple continued to increase its production.

For Apple, India thus offered an economically viable alternative to reduce costs and diversify risks. The increasing relocation of iPhone production demonstrates how significantly tariffs and political decisions influence global supply chains.

Other manufacturers also benefit from the PLI program

Apple is not the only company benefiting from India's manufacturing incentive program. Samsung exported nearly $17 billion worth of smartphones from India between fiscal years 2021 and 2025. Nevertheless, the iPhone remains the primary growth driver and the most visible example of India's increasing importance in global electronics manufacturing.

iPhone production: India's growing importance in the global market

iPhone exports worth $50 billion demonstrate how rapidly India's role in global technology production has changed. From a location primarily for the domestic market, it has become a key export hub for the iPhone. With ongoing support programs, fiscal years not yet completed, and continued tariff pressure on China, India is likely to play an increasingly important role for Apple in the future. (Image: Shutterstock / Ringo Chiu)