Abstract

This IDC study presents the five-year forecast for mobile phone shipments worldwide by device type. The worldwide mobile phone market will reach 1,474.6 million units shipped in 2022, down 10.9% from the 1,655.5 million units shipped in 2021. From there, total mobile phone shipments will grow to 1,550.7 million units worldwide by 2026, resulting in a CAGR of -1.3% from 2021 to 2026.

"2022 will represent the first time we have witnessed a drop in every region for the mobile phone market," said Anthony Scarsella, research director with IDC's Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker. "The 10.9% drop for 2022 also represents the largest yearly drop we have ever recorded and even slightly surpasses the 10.4% drop we witnessed in 2020 from the COVID-19 pandemic. Inflation has hindered consumer spending and ultimately decreased demand for mobile phones in the short term."

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