Economic Survey 2025-26 | India emerges as electronics export powerhouse as internet users cross 950 million

Bengaluru: In recent years, India’s electronics sector has undergone a structural transformation, with the country becoming the third-largest and fastest-growing electronics market in FY25, and this momentum continued in H1FY6, with exports reaching $22.2 billion, said the Economic Survey. Now, the sector is on track to become the second-largest export segment.

The PLI scheme for large-scale electronics manufacturing has generated a cumulative production of about Rs 9.34 lakh crore, exports of Rs 5.12 lakh crore, and investment of Rs 13,759 crore, as of September 2025.

From a net importer, India has now become the world’s second-largest mobile phone manufacturer, as the mobile phone manufacturing segment witnessed a nearly 30-fold increase in production value, rising from Rs 18,000 crore in FY15, to Rs 5.45 lakh crore in FY25. India now hosts over 300 manufacturing units, from just two units in 2014.

Meanwhile, the ‘Internet in India Report 2025’, jointly prepared by the Internet and Mobile Association of India (IAMAI) and KANTAR, which was launched at the India Digital Summit (IDS) on Thursday, highlighted that the country’s internet user base has crossed the 950 million-mark in 2025.

According to the report, India now has 958 million Active Internet Users (AIU), marking an 8% year‑on‑year growth. The report highlights that AI has reached mass adoption in India. About 44% users have engaged with AI‑enabled features such as voice search, image‑based search, chatbots and AI filters. Usage is highest among younger audiences, with 57% of users aged 15-24 years and 52% of those aged 25-44 years reporting AI usage in the past year.