Chain · Chips and electronics

China ships two-thirds of the world’s phones, and Taiwan leads chip exports (2024)

In 2024 Taiwan (30%), Korea (17%) and China (15%) led the $1.1tn of trade in integrated circuits, and China shipped 65% of the world’s smartphones, the chain’s most concentrated stage.

14stages from ore to product
$1.1tnlargest stage, 2024: Integrated circuits
HHI 0.44chokepoint, 2024: Smartphones
China · GL 0.99most two-way stage, 2024: Flat panel display modules

The chain in 2024

Feedstock

Silicon metal (below 99.99%)

2804.69

$3.7bn · $2.6/kgCHN 43%

Use share unknownalso in Solar photovoltaics

Side input

Chip-making machines (side input)

8486.108486.208486.90

$122.1bn · $300.7/kgJPN 22%

Side input

Photoresists and photographic chemicals (side input)

3707.90

$6.7bn · $30.3/kgJPN 60%

S1 Quartz

Quartz

2506.10

$1.7bn · $0.49/kgUSA 45%

also in Solar photovoltaics

S2 Silicon metal

Feedstock

Silicon metal (below 99.99%)

2804.69

$3.7bn · $2.6/kgCHN 43%

Use share unknownalso in Solar photovoltaics

Feedstock only, joining from above

S3 Polysilicon and minor metals

Polysilicon (99.99% and purer)

2804.61

$3.5bn · $21.4/kgDEU 34%

Use share unknownalso in Solar photovoltaics

Gallium, germanium, indium (unwrought)

8112.92

$1.1bn · $106.7/kgCHN 25%

S4 Wafers

Doped wafers

3818.00

$18.3bn · $63.3/kgJPN 28%

Use share unknownalso in Solar photovoltaics

S5 Chips

Side input

Chip-making machines (side input)

8486.108486.208486.90

$122.1bn · $300.7/kgJPN 22%

Side input

Photoresists and photographic chemicals (side input)

3707.90

$6.7bn · $30.3/kgJPN 60%

Integrated circuits

8542.318542.328542.338542.39

$1.1tnTWN 30%

Discrete semiconductors (diodes, transistors, thyristors)

8541.108541.218541.298541.30

$46.3bn · $24/kgCHN 32%

S6 Printed circuit boards

Printed circuit boards (bare)

8534.00

$52.8bn · $65.2/kgCHN 51%

S7 Modules and parts

Flat panel display modules

8524 H6

$100.5bn · $123.5/kgCHN 38%

Phone and computer parts (assembled boards and others)

8517.79 H68473.30 H68517.70 H58473.30 H5

$243.4bnCHN 36%

S8 Devices

Smartphones

8517.13 H68517.12 H5

$292.9bn · $693.4/kgCHN 65%

Chokepoint · HHI 0.44

Laptops and computer units

8471.308471.50

$330.6bn · $286.4/kgCHN 44%

World trade and top exporter by stage, 2024; unit value where net weight covers at least 80% of value. Chokepoint: the stage worth at least $1bn with the highest exporter HHI, when above 0.25. Dashed: side inputs and feedstocks, which join from above. Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

Who trades each stage, 2024

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Size

Imports | ExportsHalf-disc area ∝ value; one scale for every year

Smartphones, 2024

World trade, 2024: $292.9bn

Top exporters, 2024

CHN 65%
VNM 8%
IND 8%
HKG 3%
USA 2%
Others 14%

Smartphones is the chain’s chokepoint in 2024: HHI 0.44, CHN 65% of exports.

The ring shows the stage of this chain the economy leads; a dashed rowan ring marks an economy with more than half of the stage’s exports. Click an economy to follow its flows (exports gold, imports teal).

Open in the explorer

Why do some economies both import and export the same stage?

Different goods under one code. A six-digit code can hold cheap and costly versions of a product: 2506.10 covers quartzite lumps and high-purity quartz worth many times more per kilogram.
Processing and hub trade. Goods come in, are refined or assembled, and go out again.
Firms and regions. Firms or regions within one economy buy and sell for their own reasons, such as a firm shipping inputs to its own plants abroad.
How trade is recorded. Under the mirror rule an economy’s imports may come from its own reports and its exports from its partners’; origin and consignment, re-exports and misclassification can make one side larger.

“↔ two-way” marks an economy whose Grubel–Lloyd index is at least 0.3 and whose exports and imports are each at least 2% of world trade in the stage. The sentences under a stage give the numbers, never the reason. How two-way trade is measured

S1 · Quartz

2506.10

World trade, 2024$1.7bn×2.8 vs 2019
Unit value, 2024$0.49/kg2019: $0.18/kg
Exporter concentration, 20240.25high · 2019: 0.13
123 exportersUSA 45%98% of value from importers’ reports

Top exporters, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world exports, %	2019, %
1	USA United States	44.7	22.2
2	NOR Norway	13.4	4.6
3	CHN China	13.0	17.6
4	IND India	12.2	13.3
5	ESP Spain	2.4	–

Top importers, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world imports, %	2019, %
1	CHN China	58.0	21.9
2	NOR Norway	9.2	6.8
3	JPN Japan	6.7	9.7
4	THA Thailand	5.4	–
5	GBR UK	2.2	–

China imports $957m and exports $215m of this stage. Imports average $1.1/kg, exports $0.35/kg. Main suppliers: United States, Norway, India. Main buyers: Thailand, UK, Vietnam.

Quartz, 2024: shares of world exports and imports. Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

Also in another chain

This stage also feeds Solar photovoltaics; where both chains use the same code, it is one network, shown in each.

Downstream · S2

Silicon metal (below 99.99%)$2.6/kg · CHN 43%

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Exporter concentration (HHI), 1995–2025

Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

World trade, 12-month sum, by month

Source: UN Comtrade, monthly data, HS6; 12-month sum; one side per flow (the importer's report where it filed as many months). Korea, Jan–Jul 2026: Korea Customs Service, trade by item and country (data.go.kr), fetched 31 Oct 2026.

S2 · Silicon metalFeedstock

S2 · Silicon metal (below 99.99%)

2804.69

World trade, 2024$3.7bn×1.2 vs 2019
Unit value, 2024$2.6/kg2019: $2/kg
Exporter concentration, 20240.22moderate · 2019: 0.21
84 exportersCHN 43%96% of value from importers’ reports

Top exporters, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world exports, %	2019, %
1	CHN China	42.7	38.9
2	BRA Brazil	12.6	14.4
3	NOR Norway	12.6	17.6
4	FRA France	5.7	6.1
5	CAN Canada	3.6	–

Top importers, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world imports, %	2019, %
1	DEU Germany	15.8	16.8
2	USA United States	12.8	11.3
3	JPN Japan	10.5	11.7
4	THA Thailand	9.4	–
5	IND India	4.9	–

France imports $89m and exports $212m of this stage. Imports average $2.6/kg, exports $2.9/kg. Main suppliers: Norway, Netherlands, Germany. Main buyers: Germany, China, Italy.

Silicon metal (below 99.99%), 2024: shares of world exports and imports. Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

What trade cannot see here

Most metallurgical silicon goes to aluminium alloys and silicones, not chips.

Use share: how much of this stage goes to this chain

The share of silicon metal that becomes chip-grade silicon: not given; solar takes over 95% of high-purity silicon, chips and battery anodes share the rest. The map shows the whole flow; the trail draws it in grey only. Source: IEA, Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025, p. 186, data for 2024.

Also in another chain

This stage also feeds Solar photovoltaics; where both chains use the same code, it is one network, shown in each.

Upstream · S1

Quartz$0.49/kg · USA 45%

Downstream · S3

Polysilicon (99.99% and purer)$21.4/kg · DEU 34%

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Exporter concentration (HHI), 1995–2025

Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

World trade, 12-month sum, by month

S3 · Polysilicon and minor metals

S3 · Polysilicon (99.99% and purer)

2804.61

World trade, 2024$3.5bn×1.1 vs 2019
Unit value, 2024$21.4/kg2019: $14/kg
Exporter concentration, 20240.23moderate · 2019: 0.19
56 exportersDEU 34%74% of value from importers’ reports

Top exporters, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world exports, %	2019, %
1	DEU Germany	34.0	25.9
2	USA United States	29.6	28.1
3	CHN China	11.7	–
4	MYS Malaysia	8.0	–
5	JPN Japan	7.3	11.8

Top importers, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world imports, %	2019, %
1	CHN China	25.5	41.1
2	VNM Vietnam	25.2	–
3	JPN Japan	18.1	21.9
4	KOR Korea	7.1	7.0
5	TWN Taiwan	5.3	9.6

China imports $890m and exports $409m of this stage. Imports average $22.1/kg, exports $10.3/kg. Main suppliers: Germany, Malaysia, Japan. Main buyers: Malaysia, Vietnam, Korea.

Polysilicon (99.99% and purer), 2024: shares of world exports and imports. Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

What trade cannot see here

Solar-grade and electronic-grade share the code; solar is most of the tonnage.

Use share: how much of this stage goes to this chain

The share of polysilicon that goes to chips: under 5% by tonnage, shared with battery anodes; not given separately. The map shows the whole flow; the trail draws it in grey only. Source: IEA, Global Critical Minerals Outlook 2025, p. 186, data for 2024.

Also in another chain

This stage also feeds Solar photovoltaics; where both chains use the same code, it is one network, shown in each.

Upstream · S2

Silicon metal (below 99.99%)$2.6/kg · CHN 43%

Downstream · S4

Doped wafers$63.3/kg · JPN 28%

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Exporter concentration (HHI), 1995–2025

The chain’s chokepoint in 2005, 2006.

Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

World trade, 12-month sum, by month

S3 · Polysilicon and minor metals

S3 · Gallium, germanium, indium (unwrought)

8112.92

World trade, 2024$1.1bn×1.6 vs 2019
Unit value, 2024$106.7/kg2019: $10.7/kg
Exporter concentration, 20240.14unconcentrated · 2019: 0.10
61 exportersCHN 25%100% of value from importers’ reports

Top exporters, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world exports, %	2019, %
1	CHN China	25.4	13.0
2	KOR Korea	18.0	–
3	BRA Brazil	15.4	19.0
4	SGP Singapore	8.5	–
5	USA United States	6.5	12.6

Top importers, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world imports, %	2019, %
1	CHN China	26.7	7.4
2	USA United States	25.9	30.1
3	KOR Korea	9.4	–
4	JPN Japan	8.9	15.5
5	HKG Hong Kong	6.3	–

China imports $284m and exports $270m of this stage. Imports average $175.9/kg, exports $185.8/kg. Main suppliers: Korea, Singapore, Brazil. Main buyers: Korea, United States, Germany.

Gallium, germanium, indium (unwrought), 2024: shares of world exports and imports. Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

What trade cannot see here

Shares the code with niobium and vanadium. Gallium goes into compound wafers, indium into display electrodes (ITO).

Downstream · S7, S4

Flat panel display modules$123.5/kg · CHN 38%Doped wafers$63.3/kg · JPN 28%

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Exporter concentration (HHI), 1995–2025

Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

World trade, 12-month sum, by month

S4 · Wafers

S4 · Doped wafers

3818.00

World trade, 2024$18.3bn×1.2 vs 2019
Unit value, 2024$63.3/kg2019: $27.2/kg
Exporter concentration, 20240.16moderate · 2019: 0.16
86 exportersJPN 28%98% of value from importers’ reports

Top exporters, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world exports, %	2019, %
1	JPN Japan	28.5	29.7
2	CHN China	22.6	16.8
3	USA United States	9.9	8.9
4	TWN Taiwan	7.8	14.2
5	KOR Korea	6.4	6.6

Top importers, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world imports, %	2019, %
1	TWN Taiwan	16.2	16.0
2	KOR Korea	14.2	14.5
3	CHN China	13.7	13.2
4	USA United States	8.5	10.6
5	SGP Singapore	7.4	10.2

China imports $2.5bn and exports $4.1bn of this stage. Imports average $437.4/kg, exports $21.3/kg. Main suppliers: Japan, Korea, United States. Main buyers: Korea, Thailand, Taiwan.

Doped wafers, 2024: shares of world exports and imports. Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

What trade cannot see here

Chip wafers (Japan, Taiwan, Korea) and solar wafers (China) in one code.

Use share: how much of this stage goes to this chain

The share of doped wafers (3818) that are chip wafers: no free source; chip wafers carry a far higher unit value, so the layer splits by unit-value band. The map shows the whole flow; the trail draws it in grey only.

Also in another chain

This stage also feeds Solar photovoltaics; where both chains use the same code, it is one network, shown in each.

Upstream · S3

Polysilicon (99.99% and purer)$21.4/kg · DEU 34%Gallium, germanium, indium (unwrought)$106.7/kg · CHN 25%

Downstream · S5

Integrated circuitsTWN 30%

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Exporter concentration (HHI), 1995–2025

Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

World trade, 12-month sum, by month

S5 · ChipsSide input

S5 · Chip-making machines (side input)

8486.108486.208486.90

World trade, 2024$122.1bn×1.8 vs 2019
Unit value, 2024$300.7/kg2019: $266.2/kg
Exporter concentration, 20240.14unconcentrated · 2019: 0.17
158 exportersJPN 22%99% of value from importers’ reports

Top exporters, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world exports, %	2019, %
1	JPN Japan	22.3	26.4
2	NLD Netherlands	18.4	19.3
3	USA United States	15.5	22.2
4	SGP Singapore	10.5	7.8
5	DEU Germany	8.0	6.5

Top importers, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world imports, %	2019, %
1	CHN China	32.6	22.8
2	KOR Korea	13.5	11.1
3	TWN Taiwan	13.3	26.5
4	USA United States	10.1	14.5
5	SGP Singapore	6.7	5.6

United States imports $12.4bn and exports $19.0bn of this stage. Imports average $419.1/kg, exports $460/kg. Main suppliers: Japan, Singapore, Netherlands. Main buyers: China, Korea, Taiwan.

Chip-making machines (side input), 2024: shares of world exports and imports. Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

What trade cannot see here

Capital goods, not material that ends up in the chip; drawn as a side input.

Downstream · S5

Integrated circuitsTWN 30%

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Exporter concentration (HHI), 1995–2025

Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

World trade, 12-month sum, by month

S5 · ChipsSide input

S5 · Photoresists and photographic chemicals (side input)

3707.90

World trade, 2024$6.7bn×1.1 vs 2019
Unit value, 2024$30.3/kg2019: $22/kg
Exporter concentration, 20240.39high · 2019: 0.34
127 exportersJPN 60%98% of value from importers’ reports

Top exporters, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world exports, %	2019, %
1	JPN Japan	60.1	56.5
2	KOR Korea	11.8	–
3	USA United States	7.9	7.4
4	TWN Taiwan	4.9	–
5	BEL Belgium	3.7	–

Top importers, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world imports, %	2019, %
1	CHN China	36.3	9.4
2	TWN Taiwan	15.5	13.8
3	USA United States	7.5	11.4
4	KOR Korea	7.5	7.3
5	DEU Germany	4.4	9.2

Taiwan imports $1.0bn and exports $328m of this stage. Imports average $102.5/kg, exports $19.7/kg. Main suppliers: Japan, Korea, United States. Main buyers: China, Hong Kong, United States.

Photoresists and photographic chemicals (side input), 2024: shares of world exports and imports. Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

What trade cannot see here

Also developers, fixers and other photographic chemicals. In the trade between Japan, Korea and Taiwan, photoresists for chips and displays are most of it (Japan's 2019 export controls on Korea named this code).

Downstream · S7, S5

Flat panel display modules$123.5/kg · CHN 38%Integrated circuitsTWN 30%

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Exporter concentration (HHI), 1995–2025

The chain’s chokepoint in 1995, 2025.

Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

No monthly series for this stage.

S5 · Chips

S5 · Integrated circuits

8542.318542.328542.338542.39

World trade, 2024$1.1tn×1.4 vs 2019
Unit value, 2024–hidden: weight covers 71% of value
Exporter concentration, 20240.16moderate · 2019: 0.13
225 exportersTWN 30%94% of value from importers’ reports

Top exporters, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world exports, %	2019, %
1	TWN Taiwan	29.6	25.7
2	KOR Korea	17.2	15.4
3	CHN China	15.4	12.6
4	MYS Malaysia	7.9	12.4
5	SGP Singapore	6.1	–

Top importers, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world imports, %	2019, %
1	CHN China	29.7	34.3
2	HKG Hong Kong	20.0	19.2
3	SGP Singapore	8.6	7.6
4	TWN Taiwan	6.9	5.8
5	VNM Vietnam	5.6	–

China imports $329.0bn and exports $171.3bn of this stage. Main suppliers: Taiwan, Korea, Malaysia. Main buyers: Hong Kong, Korea, Taiwan.

Integrated circuits, 2024: shares of world exports and imports. Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

What trade cannot see here

A chip crosses borders several times under the same code (fab, then assembly and test, then the board maker), so the stage loops on itself.

Upstream · S5, S4

Chip-making machines (side input)$300.7/kg · JPN 22%Photoresists and photographic chemicals (side input)$30.3/kg · JPN 60%Doped wafers$63.3/kg · JPN 28%

Downstream · S7

Phone and computer parts (assembled boards and others)CHN 36%

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Exporter concentration (HHI), 1995–2025

Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

World trade, 12-month sum, by month

S5 · Chips

S5 · Discrete semiconductors (diodes, transistors, thyristors)

8541.108541.218541.298541.30

World trade, 2024$46.3bn×1.3 vs 2019
Unit value, 2024$24/kg2019: $185.7/kg
Exporter concentration, 20240.15unconcentrated · 2019: 0.13
187 exportersCHN 32%98% of value from importers’ reports

Top exporters, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world exports, %	2019, %
1	CHN China	32.5	28.7
2	MYS Malaysia	12.9	13.5
3	DEU Germany	6.8	7.4
4	JPN Japan	6.6	7.4
5	SGP Singapore	6.4	–

Top importers, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world imports, %	2019, %
1	HKG Hong Kong	23.4	22.9
2	CHN China	14.5	16.0
3	DEU Germany	8.4	9.0
4	SGP Singapore	7.8	7.4
5	USA United States	5.3	5.3

China imports $6.7bn and exports $15.0bn of this stage. Imports average $807.8/kg, exports $48.3/kg. Main suppliers: Malaysia, Taiwan, Philippines. Main buyers: Hong Kong, Germany, Singapore.

Discrete semiconductors (diodes, transistors, thyristors), 2024: shares of world exports and imports. Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

What trade cannot see here

Power and signal devices mounted beside the chips; LEDs and solar cells (8541.4) are left out.

Downstream · S7

Phone and computer parts (assembled boards and others)CHN 36%

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Exporter concentration (HHI), 1995–2025

Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

No monthly series for this stage.

S6 · Printed circuit boards

S6 · Printed circuit boards (bare)

8534.00

World trade, 2024$52.8bn×1.2 vs 2019
Unit value, 2024$65.2/kg
Exporter concentration, 20240.28high · 2019: 0.23
177 exportersCHN 51%91% of value from importers’ reports

Top exporters, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world exports, %	2019, %
1	CHN China	50.5	43.9
2	TWN Taiwan	10.0	13.0
3	JPN Japan	8.6	8.5
4	KOR Korea	8.5	11.0
5	VNM Vietnam	3.9	–

Top importers, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world imports, %	2019, %
1	HKG Hong Kong	14.8	19.9
2	CHN China	10.7	15.8
3	TWN Taiwan	9.1	–
4	VNM Vietnam	8.8	7.8
5	MEX Mexico	6.3	5.6

China imports $5.6bn and exports $26.7bn of this stage. Imports average $373.5/kg, exports $50.4/kg. Main suppliers: Taiwan, Japan, Korea. Main buyers: Hong Kong, Taiwan, Mexico.

Printed circuit boards (bare), 2024: shares of world exports and imports. Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

What trade cannot see here

Bare boards only. A board with components mounted is a part of the device it goes into (8517.79, 8473.30).

Downstream · S7

Phone and computer parts (assembled boards and others)CHN 36%

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Exporter concentration (HHI), 1995–2025

Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

No monthly series for this stage.

S7 · Modules and parts

S7 · Flat panel display modules

8524 H6

World trade, 2024$100.5bn
Unit value, 2024$123.5/kg
Exporter concentration, 20240.26high
144 exportersCHN 38%80% of value from importers’ reports

Top exporters, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world exports, %
1	CHN China	37.5
2	VNM Vietnam	28.0
3	KOR Korea	17.3
4	TWN Taiwan	10.0
5	JPN Japan	2.7

Top importers, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world imports, %
1	CHN China	36.8
2	VNM Vietnam	19.3
3	HKG Hong Kong	11.8
4	MEX Mexico	5.5
5	IND India	4.3

China imports $37.0bn and exports $37.7bn of this stage. Main suppliers: Vietnam, Taiwan, Korea. Main buyers: Hong Kong, Vietnam, Mexico.

Flat panel display modules, 2024: shares of world exports and imports. Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

What trade cannot see here

A new heading in HS2022. Before that display modules sat in 9013.80 and 8529.90 with other optical devices and parts, so the series starts in 2022.

HS version split in 2022

Before 2022 this stage had no code of its own, so its series starts with the HS2022 files.

Upstream · S5, S3

Photoresists and photographic chemicals (side input)$30.3/kg · JPN 60%Gallium, germanium, indium (unwrought)$106.7/kg · CHN 25%

Downstream · S8

Smartphones$693.4/kg · CHN 65%Laptops and computer units$286.4/kg · CHN 44%

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Exporter concentration (HHI), 1995–2025

Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

No monthly series for this stage.

S7 · Modules and parts

S7 · Phone and computer parts (assembled boards and others)

8517.79 H68473.30 H68517.70 H58473.30 H5

World trade, 2024$243.4bn×1.1 vs 2019
Unit value, 2024–hidden: weight covers 63% of value
Exporter concentration, 20240.20moderate · 2019: 0.23
223 exportersCHN 36%94% of value from importers’ reports

Top exporters, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world exports, %	2019, %
1	CHN China	36.3	44.5
2	TWN Taiwan	19.1	8.0
3	VNM Vietnam	12.5	10.1
4	KOR Korea	10.3	10.7
5	MYS Malaysia	4.5	–

Top importers, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world imports, %	2019, %
1	USA United States	23.5	10.3
2	HKG Hong Kong	12.0	20.6
3	CHN China	9.6	14.7
4	MEX Mexico	7.4	4.9
5	IND India	6.5	–

China imports $23.4bn and exports $88.3bn of this stage. Main suppliers: Vietnam, Korea, Taiwan. Main buyers: Hong Kong, India, Vietnam.

Phone and computer parts (assembled boards and others), 2024: shares of world exports and imports. Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

What trade cannot see here

Parts of every kind, from populated boards and camera modules to casings; 8517.79 also holds parts of network equipment. Before HS2022, 8517.70 held the parts of all telephone and transmission apparatus.

HS version split in 2022

Before 2022 the parts of phones and of all other telephone and transmission apparatus share 8517.70. Files in HS2017 or older are read through 8517.70, so the years before 2022 join them with this stage; from 2022 the stage reads 8517.79.

Upstream · S6, S5

Printed circuit boards (bare)$65.2/kg · CHN 51%Integrated circuitsTWN 30%Discrete semiconductors (diodes, transistors, thyristors)$24/kg · CHN 32%

Downstream · S8

Smartphones$693.4/kg · CHN 65%Laptops and computer units$286.4/kg · CHN 44%

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Exporter concentration (HHI), 1995–2025

Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

No monthly series for this stage.

S8 · DevicesChokepoint

S8 · Smartphones

8517.13 H68517.12 H5

World trade, 2024$292.9bn×1.1 vs 2019
Unit value, 2024$693.4/kg2019: $552.4/kg
Exporter concentration, 20240.44high · 2019: 0.46
203 exportersCHN 65%90% of value from importers’ reports

Top exporters, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world exports, %	2019, %
1	CHN China	65.2	66.2
2	VNM Vietnam	8.4	15.4
3	IND India	7.5	–
4	HKG Hong Kong	3.2	–
5	USA United States	2.1	–

Top importers, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world imports, %	2019, %
1	USA United States	17.6	19.7
2	HKG Hong Kong	11.7	13.4
3	ARE UAE	7.7	6.6
4	JPN Japan	6.2	5.6
5	DEU Germany	4.0	4.2

Hong Kong imports $34.2bn and exports $9.3bn of this stage. Imports average $874.3/kg, exports $779/kg. Main suppliers: China, United States, Japan. Main buyers: UAE, Netherlands, Malaysia.

Smartphones, 2024: shares of world exports and imports. Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

What trade cannot see here

Before HS2022, 8517.12 held every mobile phone, smart or not.

HS version split in 2022

Before 2022 smartphones and all other mobile phones share 8517.12. Files in HS2017 or older are read through 8517.12, so the years before 2022 join them with this stage; from 2022 the stage reads 8517.13.

Upstream · S7

Flat panel display modules$123.5/kg · CHN 38%Phone and computer parts (assembled boards and others)CHN 36%

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Exporter concentration (HHI), 1995–2025

The chain’s chokepoint in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024.

Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

World trade, 12-month sum, by month

S8 · Devices

S8 · Laptops and computer units

8471.308471.50

World trade, 2024$330.6bn×1.5 vs 2019
Unit value, 2024$286.4/kg2019: $207.7/kg
Exporter concentration, 20240.23moderate · 2019: 0.38
226 exportersCHN 44%96% of value from importers’ reports

Top exporters, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world exports, %	2019, %
1	CHN China	43.5	59.8
2	MEX Mexico	14.5	13.0
3	TWN Taiwan	10.3	–
4	VNM Vietnam	7.9	–
5	USA United States	5.4	3.4

Top importers, 2024

#	Economy	Share of world imports, %	2019, %
1	USA United States	33.9	32.4
2	DEU Germany	5.3	6.7
3	JPN Japan	4.6	5.7
4	HKG Hong Kong	3.7	–
5	CHN China	3.7	–

Laptops and computer units, 2024: shares of world exports and imports. Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

Upstream · S7

Flat panel display modules$123.5/kg · CHN 38%Phone and computer parts (assembled boards and others)CHN 36%

Show on map Cut a supplier

Exporter concentration (HHI), 1995–2025

The chain’s chokepoint in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014.

Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule.

World trade, 12-month sum, by month

How these numbers are made

Each chain has its own ladder of stages, one rung per step of production that customs records can see: four for clothing, eight for chips. Each stage is a set of six-digit HS codes, written down once with the rung it sits on and what else its code holds. World trade is the sum of bilateral flows under the mirror rule: the importer’s report where the importer reported that year, otherwise the exporter’s. Unit value is value over net weight, shown only where weight covers at least 80% of value. HHI is the sum of squared exporter shares; 0.15 and 0.25 mark moderate and high concentration.

Customs records see goods crossing a border, not what they were for. Production used at home, codes that hold two products and codes split by HS versions are named at the stage where they matter. Use shares, where a stage mostly goes elsewhere, come from dated sources outside trade; they scale the trail, never the map. The full method

Source: UN Comtrade, Final data, HS6; mirror rule. Updated 2 Nov 2026.