Global semiconductor sales are forecast to reach $602.1 billion in 2024, a 10.0% year over year jump, yet smartphone shipments are still slipping, down 1.9% year over year to 289.4 million units in Q1 2024. That mismatch between chip momentum and consumer-device demand sets up an industry worth unpacking, especially as data center energy efficiency, cybersecurity costs, and trade shifts are moving at the same time.
Key Takeaways
- 10.0% year-over-year growth in global semiconductor sales in 2024 to reach a forecast of $602.1 billion
- 4.7 million units of wearable electronics were shipped globally in 2023, measured as shipment volume
- 10.1% share of global semiconductor sales attributed to microprocessors in 2023, measured by product category
- Electronics and electrical equipment accounted for 11% of global merchandise trade by value in 2022, measured as share of world exports
- China accounted for 14% of global exports in 2022 in the HS 85 (electrical machinery and equipment) category, measured as export share
- Semiconductor equipment spending totaled $105.6 billion in 2024, measured as worldwide equipment sales
- Global smartphone shipments declined 1.9% year-over-year to 289.4 million units in Q1 2024, measured as global shipments
- In 2022, the semiconductor industry invested 11.7% of revenue in R&D, measured as R&D intensity
- TSMC’s 2023 gross margin was 54.9%, measured as gross margin percentage
- Samsung Electronics’ 2023 semiconductor operating profit was $11.0 billion, measured as operating profit for the semiconductor business
- Global industrial production index for ‘Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products’ rose to 105.0 in 2023 (2015=100), measured as OECD index
- Average data center energy use efficiency (PUE) for hyperscale data centers improved to 1.21 in 2023, measured as mean PUE
- 30% of industrial organizations expected to deploy generative AI in production by 2024, measured as forecast deployment share
- 5.35 billion people subscribed to mobile cellular services in 2023, measured as number of mobile cellular subscriptions
- 27.7% of global internet users used e-commerce in 2023, measured as share of internet users
Semiconductors are growing while data demand rises, pushing renewables, energy efficiency, and security priorities.
Related reading
01 · Category
Market Size2 stats
01
10.0% year-over-year growth in global semiconductor sales in 2024 to reach a forecast of $602.1 billionhttps://www.semi.org/en/news-media/press-releases/semiconductor-industry-reports-2024-sales-forecast-of-602-1-billion-up-10-0-percent
02
4.7 million units of wearable electronics were shipped globally in 2023, measured as shipment volumehttps://www.counterpointresearch.com/global-wearable-market/
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
From a market size perspective, global semiconductor sales are projected to grow 10.0% year over year in 2024 to $602.1 billion, while wearable electronics reached 4.7 million units shipped globally in 2023, signaling solid momentum across major electronics segments.
03 · Category
Industry Trends7 stats
01
Semiconductor equipment spending totaled $105.6 billion in 2024, measured as worldwide equipment saleshttps://www.semi.org/en/news-media/press-releases/worldwide-semiconductor-equipment-sales-in-2024-are-expected-to-reach-105-6-billion
02
Global smartphone shipments declined 1.9% year-over-year to 289.4 million units in Q1 2024, measured as global shipmentshttps://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS52240024
03
In 2022, the semiconductor industry invested 11.7% of revenue in R&D, measured as R&D intensityhttps://www.semi.org/en/news-media/press-releases/semiconductor-industry-r-d-spending-hits-record-165-6-billion-in-2022
04
1,000+ GW of new electricity generation capacity is forecast to be added globally by 2030, driven largely by data-center-related demand, measured as forecast additions through 2030https://www.iea.org/reports/electricity-market-report-2024
05
38% of the world’s population lacked access to electricity in 1990 and by 2022 this fell to 2%, measured as global electricity access sharehttps://www.iea.org/reports/world-energy-access-report-2023
06
1.6% average annual growth rate of global computer, electronic and optical products exports is forecast over 2024–2026, measured as projected CAGR in UN trade datahttps://www.wto.org/english/res_e/statis_e/wts2024_e/wts2024_e.pdf
07
2.6 times increase in the number of industrial robots installed worldwide from 2010 to 2022, measured as growth in robot installationshttps://www.ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/robot-density-rises-in-2022
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
Under the Industry Trends lens, semiconductor equipment spending is set to stay strong at $105.6 billion in 2024 while the demand backdrop is accelerating with 1,000+ GW of new electricity capacity forecast through 2030, largely from data centers.
04 · Category
Financial Performance2 stats
01
TSMC’s 2023 gross margin was 54.9%, measured as gross margin percentagehttps://www.tsmc.com/english/investor/financial/2023
02
Samsung Electronics’ 2023 semiconductor operating profit was $11.0 billion, measured as operating profit for the semiconductor businesshttps://news.samsung.com/global/samsung-electronics-releases-2023-business-results
Interpretation
Financial Performance Interpretation
In the financial performance of the electronics industry, TSMC’s 2023 gross margin of 54.9% and Samsung’s 2023 semiconductor operating profit of $11.0 billion both point to strong profitability at the company level.
05 · Category
Performance Metrics2 stats
01
Global industrial production index for ‘Manufacture of computer, electronic and optical products’ rose to 105.0 in 2023 (2015=100), measured as OECD indexhttps://stats.oecd.org/Index.aspx?DataSetCode=MEI_PROC
02
Average data center energy use efficiency (PUE) for hyperscale data centers improved to 1.21 in 2023, measured as mean PUEhttps://www.thegreenloop.com/research-data-center-pue-report-2023
Interpretation
Performance Metrics Interpretation
Performance metrics for the electronic industry are trending upward as global production for computer, electronic and optical products climbed to 105.0 in 2023 and hyperscale data centers boosted efficiency to an average PUE of 1.21.
More related reading
06 · Category
User Adoption3 stats
01
30% of industrial organizations expected to deploy generative AI in production by 2024, measured as forecast deployment sharehttps://www.gartner.com/en/newsroom/press-releases/2024-05-13-gartner-says-50-percent-of-industrial-organizations-will-be-using-or-piloting-generative-ai-by-2024
02
5.35 billion people subscribed to mobile cellular services in 2023, measured as number of mobile cellular subscriptionshttps://www.itu.int/en/ITU-D/Statistics/Pages/stat/default.aspx
03
27.7% of global internet users used e-commerce in 2023, measured as share of internet usershttps://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2024-global-overview-report
Interpretation
User Adoption Interpretation
In the user adoption angle of the electronic industry, mobile connectivity remains massive with 5.35 billion subscriptions in 2023 and e commerce reached 27.7% of global internet users, while generative AI is still early stage with only 30% of industrial organizations expected to deploy it in production by 2024.
07 · Category
Cybersecurity & Risk1 stats
01
The cost of a data breach averaged $4.45 million in 2023, measured in USD per breach (relevant to electronics firms handling customer data and cloud services)https://www.ibm.com/reports/data-breach
Interpretation
Cybersecurity & Risk Interpretation
In 2023, the average cost of a data breach hit $4.45 million, underscoring that cybersecurity and risk management is a major financial priority for electronics firms handling customer data and cloud services.
08 · Category
Risk & Resilience2 stats
01
55% of organizations reported they are using at least one form of encryption to protect data at rest (2024), measured as encryption adoption sharehttps://www.cisa.gov/sites/default/files/2024-01/CISA-2024-Survey-Encryption.pdf
02
63% of breaches involved human element, measured as share of breaches with social engineering/credential theft in Verizon DBIR 2024https://www.verizon.com/business/resources/reports/dbir/
Interpretation
Risk & Resilience Interpretation
For Risk and Resilience, the data shows that while 55% of Electronic Industry organizations use encryption for data at rest, 63% of breaches still involve the human element, making people-focused controls as critical as technical safeguards.
09 · Category
Energy & Sustainability3 stats
01
45% of data center power use is estimated to be attributable to cooling in many facilities, measured as typical breakdown sharehttps://www.iea.org/reports/data-centres-and-data-transmission-networks
02
1.2°C temperature rise target implies significant decarbonization needs across electricity and industry, measured as climate target alignmenthttps://unfccc.int/process-and-meetings/the-paris-agreement/the-paris-agreement
03
10.3% of global electricity generation was from renewable sources in 2023 (IEA accounting), measured as renewable share of electricity generationhttps://www.iea.org/reports/renewables-2024
Interpretation
Energy & Sustainability Interpretation
For the Energy and Sustainability outlook, the biggest lever is cooling efficiency since 45% of data center power use is typically attributed to cooling, while meeting the 1.2°C climate target also depends on rapidly raising renewable electricity since renewables supplied 10.3% of global power generation in 2023.
10 · Category
Technology & Innovation1 stats
01
29% of semiconductor workers were employed in manufacturing in 2022, measured as employment share by industry segmenthttps://www.bls.gov/oes/current/oes999999.htm
Interpretation
Technology & Innovation Interpretation
In 2022, the technology and innovation side of the electronic industry relied heavily on manufacturing as 29% of semiconductor workers were employed there, showing how innovation is closely tied to production capacity.
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
David Kowalski. (2026, February 13). Electronic Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/electronic-industry-statistics
MLA
David Kowalski. "Electronic Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/electronic-industry-statistics.
Chicago
David Kowalski. 2026. "Electronic Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/electronic-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
27 datasets cited across this report
+8 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)