The value of worldwide shipments of wireless phone devices flatlined via an average 0.5% upturn since five years earlier in 2019 when exported wireless phone devices sold on international markets were valued at $270 billion.
The 5 biggest exporters of mobile phones including smartphones are mainland China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, India and the Czech Republic. Collectively, that powerful quintet of phone suppliers generated well over four-fifths (81.2%) of globally exported wireless phone devices.
From a continental perspective, suppliers in Asia were responsible for $221.7 billion or 65.7% of all mobile phones exported during 2023.
In second place were North American cell phone providers at 21.4%, trailed by exporters in Europe at another 3.4%.
Tinier percentages originated from Oceania (1.5%) led by Australia, Africa (0.09%) then Latin America (0.05%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean.
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System (HTS) code prefix is 851712 for telephones for cellular networks or other wireless networks.
In 2023, a separate HTS code was introduced exclusively for smartphones which is presented below.
Wireless Phone Devices Exported by Country
Below are the 15 countries that reaped the greatest dollar amounts selling mobile phones by value on international markets during 2023. These statistics include smartphones.
- mainland China: US$137 billion (50.5% of total phone devices exports)
- Vietnam: US$31.9 billion (11.8% of total exports)
- Hong Kong: $26.3 billion (9.7%)
- India: $14.3 billion (5.3%)
- Czech Republic: $10.8 billion (4%)
- United States: $9.2 billion (3.4%)
- Singapore: $5.4 billion (2%)
- Slovakia: $4 billion (1.5%)
- Netherlands: $3.8 billion (1.4%)
- Austria: $3.8 billion (1.4%)
- Germany: $3.5 billion (1.3%)
- Italy: $3.2 billion (1.2%)
- South Korea: $3 billion (1.1%)
- Sweden: $2 billion (0.7%)
- United Kingdom: $1.5 billion (0.5%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 95.7% of globally exported wireless phone devices in 2023.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing phone devices exporters from 2019 to 2023 were: India (up 319.1%), Italy (up 121.9%), Netherlands (up 82.3%) and Czech Republic (up 61.5%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported phone devices sales were led by: South Korea (down -36.3% from 2019), Germany (down -32.7%), Hong Kong (down -14.3%), Sweden (down -14%) and the United States of America (down -9.1%).
Again, exports of smartphones are embedded in the above statistics. Smartphone exports are also separated out in the next section.
Smartphones Exported by Country
By value, here are the 15 countries that sold the highest amounts from exporting smartphones in 2023.
- mainland China: US$137 billion (50.6% of exported smartphones)
- Vietnam: $31.4 billion (11.6%)
- Hong Kong: $26.3 billion (9.7%)
- India: $14.3 billion (5.3%)
- Czech Republic: $10.8 billion (4%)
- United States: $9.2 billion (3.4%)
- Singapore: $5.4 billion (2%)
- Slovakia: $4 billion (1.5%)
- Netherlands: $3.84 billion (1.4%)
- Austria: $3.76 billion (1.4%)
- Germany: $3.5 billion (1.3%)
- Italy: $3.2 billion (1.2%)
- South Korea: $3 billion (1.1%)
- Sweden: $2 billion (0.7%)
- United Kingdom: $1.5 billion (0.5%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 95.8% of globally exported smartphones in 2023.
As previously reported, 2022 was the first year in which distinct metrics exclusively for exported smartphones were published.
Searchable List of Countries that Export Mobile Phones in 2023
The following automated database of major exporters of wireless phone devices records the 100 sources that collected 99.995% of the revenues from global exports for wireless phone devices during 2023.
| Rank | Exporter | Phone Exports | 2019-23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | mainland China | $136,972,491,000 | +9.3% |
| 2. | Vietnam | $31,936,495,000 | -6.5% |
| 3. | Hong Kong | $26,312,198,000 | -14.3% |
| 4. | India | $14,274,001,000 | +319.1% |
| 5. | Czech Republic | $10,834,188,000 | +61.5% |
| 6. | United States | $9,218,673,000 | -9.1% |
| 7. | Singapore | $5,445,105,000 | +16% |
| 8. | Slovakia | $4,017,349,000 | +6.9% |
| 9. | Netherlands | $3,840,668,000 | +82.3% |
| 10. | Austria | $3,755,054,000 | -4.5% |
| 11. | Germany | $3,470,102,000 | -32.7% |
| 12. | Italy | $3,207,838,000 | +121.9% |
| 13. | South Korea | $3,022,414,000 | -36.3% |
| 14. | Sweden | $2,012,656,000 | -14% |
| 15. | United Kingdom | $1,485,017,000 | -3.2% |
| 16. | Hungary | $1,355,740,000 | +95.8% |
| 17. | Belgium | $1,068,080,000 | +91.8% |
| 18. | United Arab Emirates | $1,041,721,000 | -94.2% |
| 19. | Spain | $785,219,000 | +17.3% |
| 20. | Thailand | $702,552,000 | -44% |
| 21. | France | $626,812,000 | -40.8% |
| 22. | Australia | $596,829,000 | -4.6% |
| 23. | Armenia | $492,006,000 | +141281% |
| 24. | Lithuania | $425,031,000 | +175.6% |
| 25. | Malaysia | $337,392,000 | -20% |
| 26. | Indonesia | $311,763,000 | -36.7% |
| 27. | Estonia | $304,314,000 | +103.2% |
| 28. | Latvia | $303,537,000 | -16% |
| 29. | Canada | $297,229,000 | +7.2% |
| 30. | Kazakhstan | $287,595,000 | +2763% |
| 31. | Macao | $230,033,000 | +30.9% |
| 32. | Greece | $207,335,000 | +155.2% |
| 33. | Mexico | $207,300,000 | -52.2% |
| 34. | Romania | $196,745,000 | -4.4% |
| 35. | Morocco | $192,174,000 | +21.6% |
| 36. | Denmark | $188,521,000 | -18.2% |
| 37. | Taiwan | $161,392,000 | +33.2% |
| 38. | Bulgaria | $159,623,000 | -5.5% |
| 39. | Slovenia | $139,782,000 | -14.7% |
| 40. | Finland | $125,034,000 | +18.3% |
| 41. | South Africa | $85,932,000 | +16.4% |
| 42. | Kyrgyzstan | $83,588,000 | +5812% |
| 43. | Japan | $80,454,000 | -62.5% |
| 44. | Dominican Republic | $78,561,000 | -14.4% |
| 45. | Norway | $77,444,000 | +34.9% |
| 46. | Switzerland | $76,537,000 | -33.9% |
| 47. | Panama | $72,716,000 | -64.8% |
| 48. | Ireland | $67,380,000 | -69.6% |
| 49. | Portugal | $49,860,000 | -46.4% |
| 50. | Croatia | $43,481,000 | -11% |
| 51. | Luxembourg | $36,884,000 | -66.2% |
| 52. | Serbia | $18,874,000 | -39.3% |
| 53. | Türkiye | $17,556,000 | -5.5% |
| 54. | Cyprus | $16,433,000 | +6.8% |
| 55. | Brazil | $10,770,000 | -59.5% |
| 56. | Tunisia | $7,945,000 | +5456% |
| 57. | Chile | $5,841,000 | -92.2% |
| 58. | Russia | $5,086,000 | -98.1% |
| 59. | Costa Rica | $3,805,000 | +1.3% |
| 60. | Qatar | $3,435,000 | 0% |
| 61. | Colombia | $3,405,000 | +182.6% |
| 62. | Mauritius | $2,675,000 | -37.7% |
| 63. | Malta | $2,233,000 | -13.9% |
| 64. | El Salvador | $2,217,000 | +63.6% |
| 65. | New Zealand | $2,077,000 | -91.8% |
| 66. | Iceland | $2,063,000 | -26.8% |
| 67. | Paraguay | $1,719,000 | +347.7% |
| 68. | Guatemala | $1,208,000 | -64.3% |
| 69. | North Korea | $1,145,000 | -10.1% |
| 70. | Kuwait | $1,035,000 | -98.4% |
| 71. | Ukraine | $988,000 | -97.7% |
| 72. | Peru | $938,000 | -70.4% |
| 73. | Saudi Arabia | $851,000 | -99.7% |
| 74. | Curaçao | $836,000 | +4080% |
| 75. | North Macedonia | $753,000 | -12% |
| 76. | Jordan | $750,000 | -99.3% |
| 77. | Kenya | $749,000 | -51.7% |
| 78. | US Minor Outlying Is | $709,000 | +134% |
| 79. | Cameroon | $653,000 | +16225% |
| 80. | Christmas Island | $554,000 | 0% |
| 81. | Algeria | $446,000 | -94.7% |
| 82. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $444,000 | -47.6% |
| 83. | Ecuador | $409,000 | -53.2% |
| 84. | Namibia | $396,000 | -85.9% |
| 85. | Uruguay | $330,000 | -71.8% |
| 86. | Sri Lanka | $298,000 | -89.2% |
| 87. | Honduras | $259,000 | -35.7% |
| 88. | Botswana | $258,000 | -64% |
| 89. | Jamaica | $243,000 | -68.7% |
| 90. | Andorra | $240,000 | -52.8% |
| 91. | Montenegro | $223,000 | -71.5% |
| 92. | Azerbaijan | $212,000 | +542.4% |
| 93. | Senegal | $207,000 | -64.9% |
| 94. | Nicaragua | $178,000 | +295.6% |
| 95. | Bahrain | $166,000 | -94.4% |
| 96. | Israel | $144,000 | -98.3% |
| 97. | Tanzania | $133,000 | +1109% |
| 98. | Guinea | $132,000 | -75.9% |
| 99. | Mongolia | $103,000 | +151.2% |
| 100. | Pakistan | $86,000 | -95.8% |
Fastest growers among the top 100 top exporters of mobile phone devices are relatively small players. These include Armenia (up 141,281% from 2019), Cameroon (up 16,225%), Kyrgyzstan (up 5,812%), Tunisia (up 5,456%), Curaçao (up 4,080%), Kazakhstan (up 2,763%) and Tanzania (up 1,109%).
Note that an entry of 0% in the right-most column means that 2019 data was unavailable.
Companies Making Wireless Phone Devices
The following companies are among the top global companies that manufacture mobile phones.
- Acer (Taiwan)
- Apple (United States)
- Blackberry (Canada)
- BLU Products (United States)
- Bullitt Group (United Kingdom)
- FT Group’s F-Mobile (Vietnam)
- Google Nexus (United States)
- Huawei (China)
- Lenovo Group (Hong Kong)
- Microsoft Mobile (United States)
- Panasonic (Japan)
- Philips (Netherlands)
- Samsung Electronics (South Korea)
- Xiaomi Tech (China)
- ZTE (China)
According to Gartner, South Korea’s Samsung Electronics had a 21.9% market share of worldwide smartphone sales as of June 2018. In second place is the faster-growing American rival Apple which captured a 14.2% market share. Chinese companies Huawei (7.8%), Lenova Group (5%) and Xiaomi Tech (4.9%) collectively accounted for a 17.7% share.
Other mobile phone makers represent a 45.9% portion of global wireless phone device sales, up from 44.6% in the prior quarter.
See also Wireless phone devices Imports by Country, American Global Technology Companies and US Imported Mobile Phone Purchases
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on July 28, 2024
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on July 28, 2024
Gartner Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users by Vendor in 2Q15 (August 2019), Table 1. Accessed on July 28, 2024
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 28, 2024
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 28, 2024