Pakistan Produces 22.78 Million Mobile Phones in Nine Months, Imports Surge 103%

Pakistan’s mobile phone industry witnessed a significant rise in local production, with 22.78 million handsets manufactured or assembled between January and September 2025, while imports more than doubled compared to last year, highlighting the country’s growing demand for smartphones.

According to official data, local manufacturing plants produced 22.78 million mobile phones in the first nine months of 2025, including 11.92 million smartphones and 10.86 million 2G phones. In September alone, 3.01 million handsets were produced. As per PTA data, 70% of mobile devices on Pakistan’s network are now smartphones, while 30% remain 2G.

However, despite the strong local output, Pakistan imported mobile phones worth $500.011 million during the first quarter (July–September) of FY2025–26  a sharp increase of 103.10% from $246.185 million in the same period last year. In rupee terms, imports jumped from Rs68.63 billion to Rs141.41 billion, showing a 106% growth.

Month-on-month, imports climbed 28.45% in September 2025, reaching $199.27 million, up from $155.13 million in August. Compared to September 2024, imports surged by 94.44%, reflecting higher market demand and relaxed import restrictions.

An industry official noted,

“The growing local production shows Pakistan’s strengthening mobile assembly ecosystem, but rising imports suggest consumer appetite for global brands remains high.”

In FY2024–25, Pakistan imported mobile phones worth $1.494 billion, down 21.31% from $1.898 billion in FY2023–24. Overall telecom imports fell 11.30% year-on-year to $2.099 billion, showing a gradual shift toward local manufacturing dominance.