The figures, reported by Reuters for the first time, reveal that Apple has focused its India exports primarily on the US market, whereas previously, devices were distributed more broadly to countries such as the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Britain.
During March-May, Foxconn
exported iPhones valued at $3.2 billion from India, with an impressive 97% sent to the United States, compared to the 2024 average of 50.3%, as per commercially available customs data reviewed by Reuters.
In May 2025, shipments of iPhones from India to the United States amounted to nearly $1 billion, marking the second-highest total after a record $1.3 billion worth of devices shipped in March, according to the data.
Neither Apple nor Foxconn responded to Reuters’ requests for comments.
On Wednesday (June 11), US President Donald Trump mentioned that China would face 55% tariffs after the two nations agreed on a plan, which requires approval from both leaders, to reduce levies that had escalated to triple digits.
Similar to most US trading partners, India is subject to a baseline 10% tariff and is negotiating to prevent a 26% “reciprocal” levy that Trump announced and subsequently paused in April.
Trump criticized Apple’s increased production in India in May, stating, ”We are not interested in you building in India, India can take care of themselves; they are doing very well, we want you to build here,” he recalled telling CEO Tim Cook.
In the initial five months of this year, Foxconn has already exported iPhones worth $4.4 billion to the US from India, compared to $3.7 billion for the entirety of 2024.
Apple has been taking measures to accelerate production in India to avoid tariffs, which would significantly increase costs for phones shipped from China to the US. In March, it chartered planes to transport iPhone 13, 14, 16, and 16e models valued at around $2 billion to the United States.
Additionally, Apple has advocated for Indian airport authorities to reduce customs clearance time at Chennai airport in Tamil Nadu from 30 hours to six hours, as reported by Reuters. This airport serves as a crucial hub for iPhone exports.
”We anticipate made-in-India iPhones will represent 25% to 30% of global iPhone shipments in 2025, up from 18% in 2024,” stated Prachir Singh, senior analyst at Counterpoint Research.
Tata Electronics, another smaller Apple iPhone supplier in India, exported nearly 86% of its iPhone production to the US during March and April, according to customs data. Data for May is not yet available.
The company, part of India’s Tata Group, began exporting iPhones in July 2024, with only 52% of its shipments reaching the US during 2024, as indicated by the data.
Tata did not comment on the statistics.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has promoted India as a smartphone manufacturing hub in recent years. However, high duties on importing mobile phone components compared to many other nations keep production costs in India high.
Historically, Apple has sold over 60 million iPhones in the US annually, with approximately 80% manufactured in China.
