India joined the top ten buyers of processor chips
Imports of processors and controllers (HS 854231), US$ billion, ten biggest reporting importers of 2024, against 2015.
- 1. China leads research in 57 of 64 critical technologies
- 2. China's international patent filings grew sixfold since 2010
- 3. Nearly half of top AI researchers studied in China
- 4. China's research spending rose from 12% to 88% of America's
- 5. China spends more importing chips than crude oil
- 6. Two in three working satellites are now Starlinks
- 7. Irish data centres now use more power than city homes
- 8. Indians now file more patents at home than Germans
- 9. India published more science papers than Germany and Britain combined
- 10. Brazilians now use Pix more often than all cards combined
- 11. Poland's digital service exports grew fivefold in a decade
- 12. Africa now holds 32 of the 38 mostly offline countries
- 13. Viet Nam climbed from 30th to fifth in computer exports
- 14. Caracas home internet has caught up with Mexico City's
- 15. Mexico replaced China as America's top computer supplier
- 16. India went from 2% to 42% of America's smartphone imports
- 17. 56 countries got their first satellite after 2010, 51 before
- 18. Billion-dollar digital service exporters rose from 35 to 60
- 19. India joined the top ten buyers of processor chips
India's imports of processor chips in 2024, up from $0.76 bn in 2015 and still rising: $16.6 bn in 2025.
India's place among the economies reporting to UN Comtrade, 2015 to 2024; it was 10th in 2023, when Viet Nam last reported.
Share of India's 2024 processor imports from Other Asia, nes (Taiwan), up from 6% in 2021; China supplied 37%.
the numbers & method
| Imports (bn) | 2015 (grey bar) (bn) | Growth (×) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| China | 192.6 | 108.1 | 1.8 |
| Hong Kong | 93.7 | 30.4 | 3.1 |
| Singapore | 47.6 | 13.3 | 3.6 |
| South Korea | 32.3 | 18.9 | 1.7 |
| United States | 28.4 | 18.2 | 1.6 |
| Malaysia | 22.8 | 9.7 | 2.4 |
| Mexico | 18.7 | 7.8 | 2.4 |
| India | 14.5 | 0.8 | 19.2 |
| Japan | 10.1 | 4.7 | 2.1 |
| Germany | 9.3 | 5.5 | 1.7 |
Claim types Fact
UN Statistics Division, UN Comtrade (HS, annual), commodity 854231: electronic integrated circuits, processors and controllers (part of HS 8542; memories, amplifiers and other chips, and HS 8541 diodes, transistors and solar cells, are not included). Imports from World as reported by each importing economy, US$, read from the UN Comtrade API via the progrss vault (un-comtrade, editions 'UN Comtrade HS 854231 M' versions 0de55332aa (2015) and b496c60085 (2024); GUIDELINES §4.11). India's imports, US$ million: 2015 755.0, 2016 757.1, 2017 937.4, 2018 3,898.8, 2019 5,313.2, 2020 4,409.0, 2021 7,523.6, 2022 9,837.4, 2023 11,863.0, 2024 14,489.6, 2025 16,575.9 (2025 is the latest year; fewer economies have reported it, so ranks use 2024). Chart rows, US$ billion, 2024 (2015 in grey): China 192.55 (108.10), Hong Kong 93.70 (30.42), Singapore 47.63 (13.28), South Korea 32.27 (18.94), United States 28.37 (18.23), Malaysia 22.84 (9.65), Mexico 18.71 (7.80), India 14.49 (0.76), Japan 10.07 (4.69), Germany 9.31 (5.48). Growth multiples (2024 ÷ 2015) and ranks are progrss calculations. Ranks are among economies that reported to UN Comtrade: India was 21st of 165 in 2015 and 8th of 147 in 2024. Viet Nam has not yet reported 2024 (it imported US$17.80 bn in 2023, sixth); in 2023, with 163 reporters including Viet Nam, India was 10th. Taiwan is not a UN Comtrade reporter (it appears only as the partner 'Other Asia, nes', code 490), so its own imports are not ranked. Hong Kong and Singapore are trade hubs: chips they import may be re-exported and not end there. India's suppliers, as reported by India, US$ million: China 3,613.2 (2021) and 5,325.4 (2024); Other Asia, nes (Taiwan) 432.9 and 5,161.5; South Korea 163.6 and 1,819.1; Hong Kong 1,939.6 and 110.6 (shares of India's total: Taiwan 5.8% in 2021, 35.6% in 2024; China 48.0% and 36.8%). Country of origin as recorded by customs says where a chip was made or last substantially processed, not which firm designed it. Values are current dollars. Takeaway 3 is Fact; the plate makes no claim about why imports grew. Comtrade data: free public preview, credit UN Comtrade. In 2025 (127 reporters so far) India is 9th. Live re-read: India's 2024 value matched on the UN Comtrade API; the 2015 value was read through the vault (§4.11). HS 2017 widened heading 8542 to include multi-component integrated circuits, and India's imports rose from US$0.94 bn in 2017 to US$3.90 bn in 2018 in one step: part of the rise since 2015 may reflect that change. From 2018 to 2024 imports still grew 3.7 times.
what connects to this
one plate, every morning
The new world, explained in one chart, in your inbox at 7:00, your time. Free.