China’s Cell Phone Shipments Plummeted by 43 Million in 2022 to Lowest Level in Ten Years

A Weibo page about the death of a student in Chengdu with 1.72 billion views is displayed on a mobile phone in Beijing, China, on May 13, 2021. Ng Han Guan/AP Photo

China’s smartphone market fell 13.2 percent in 2022, to their lowest level in a decade, International Data Corporation (IDC)’s latest report shows.

According to IDC’s global mobile tracker report, released Jan. 29, about 286 million smartphones were shipped in China in 2022, the lowest number of smartphones shipped in China in ten years. It was also the first time in that period that shipments fell below the 300 million mark. Some commentators believe that a major underlying reason is China’s rapidly decreasing population.