KARACHI: The local manufacturing and assembly of mobile phones in Pakistan increased 5.0 per cent month-on-month (MoM) to 2.61 million units in December 2025, according to the latest data released by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA).
Despite the monthly increase, production declined 12 per cent year-on-year (YoY) from 2.95 million units in December 2024, reflecting weaker consumer demand during the year. Cumulative mobile phone manufacturing and assembly stood at 30.21 million units in 2025, down 4.0 per cent compared with the previous year.
Sania Irfan, an analyst at Topline Research, said the overall decline was largely due to longer replacement cycles. “Consumers are holding on to their devices for longer periods, with replacement cycles globally extending to around 40 months, which has dampened demand,” she said.
Of the total units produced in 2025, smartphones accounted for 52 per cent, or 15.64 million units, while 48 per cent, or 14.57 million units, were 2G handsets. The data also showed a significant shift towards domestic production, with Pakistan meeting 93 per cent of its mobile phone demand through local manufacturing and assembly during the year. This compares with a five-year average of 77 per cent between 2020 and 2024 and a nine-year average of 52 per cent from 2016 to 2024.
In terms of brand-wise production, Infinix led the market with 3.65 million units assembled locally in 2025. It was followed by VGO Tel with 3.57 million units, Vivo with 2.80 million units, and Itel with 2.34 million units. Samsung and Tecno produced 1.85 million and 1.84 million units respectively, while Xiaomi assembled 1.38 million units. Q Mobile, Realme and OPPO completed the top 10 with 1.11 million, 1.06 million and 1.01 million units, respectively.
Looking ahead, Sania Irfan expects a gradual recovery in demand. “We expect mobile phone sales to grow by 7-8 per cent year on year over the next 12 months, supported by a stable rupee, easing inflation, and improving consumer purchasing power,” she said.
