Pakistan’s local mobile phone manufacturing and assembling industry has shown significant growth in the first two months of 2025. According to official data, local plants manufactured or assembled 4.88 million mobile handsets between January and February, whereas only 0.37 million units were imported commercially. This indicates a continued trend of reliance on domestic production rather than imports.
Pakistan’s Local Mobile Phone Manufacturing Shows A Significant Rise in the First Two Months of 2025
The local industry manufactured a total of 31.38 million mobile handsets in 2024, a significant number compared to the 1.71 million units imported commercially during the same period. This shift highlights Pakistan’s efforts to boost domestic manufacturing, reduce reliance on imports, and strengthen its local mobile phone industry.
Out of the 4.88 million devices produced in the first two months of 2025, 2.85 million were 2G feature phones, while 2.03 million were smartphones. This shows that a substantial portion of the population still relies on basic mobile devices, though there is an increasing demand for smartphones.
According to data from the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), 66% of mobile devices currently used on Pakistan’s networks are smartphones, while 34% are 2G feature phones. This indicates a gradual transition toward advanced mobile technology, driven by affordability and increasing smartphone penetration.
Decline in Mobile Phone Imports
Despite the rise in local production, Pakistan continues to import mobile phones to meet consumer demand. However, mobile phone imports have seen a decline in value.
Between July 2024 and February 2025, the country imported mobile phones worth $1 billion, reflecting a negative growth of 12.89% compared to $1.148 billion in the same period of the previous fiscal year (2023-24). In local currency terms, mobile phone imports stood at Rs. 278.366 billion, registering a decline of 14.80% from Rs. 326.732 billion in the corresponding period of the previous year.
For the full fiscal year 2023-24, Pakistan’s mobile phone imports amounted to $1.898 billion, a sharp increase from $570.071 million recorded in 2022-23. The data suggests that while imports increased last year, there is now a downward trend, likely due to higher local production, import restrictions, and economic factors affecting consumer spending.
Monthly and Yearly Comparison
On a month-on-month (MoM) basis, mobile phone imports declined slightly by 1.21% in February 2025, totalling $132.620 million compared to $134.243 million in January 2025.
On a year-on-year (YoY) basis, imports dropped by 17.57% in February 2025 compared to $160.890 million in February 2024. This suggests that Pakistan is gradually reducing its dependency on imported mobile phones, potentially due to government policies favouring local manufacturing and economic conditions limiting high-value imports.
Our Thoughts:
Pakistan’s mobile phone industry is experiencing a major shift, with local manufacturing taking a more significant role in fulfilling domestic demand. The decline in imports reflects a combination of local industry growth, import policy adjustments, and economic factors. If this trend continues, Pakistan could see a more self-sufficient mobile phone industry, benefiting from increased job creation, technological advancements, and reduced foreign exchange outflows.