India’s PC market achieved its strongest year on record in 2025, surpassing the surge in demand seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. This growth was driven by millions of first-time buyers who purchased laptops during lockdowns and have now begun upgrading their devices. According to analysts at IDC, shipments of desktops, notebooks, and workstations in India rose 10.2 percent year over year to 15.9 million units in 2025. This total marks the first time annual shipments have crossed the 15-million-unit milestone, exceeding the peaks seen in 2021 and 2022.
Bharath Shenoy, a research manager at IDC, explained that pandemic-driven lockdowns exposed many people in India to PCs for the first time. This expanded the country’s PC user base and is now creating demand for upgrades as those initial devices age. He added that growing digitization, rising PC adoption among startups and small businesses, and the wider availability of devices in smaller cities have also supported demand.
India’s share of global PC shipments increased to 5.6 percent in 2025, up from 3.3 percent in 2020. Worldwide PC shipments grew 8.1 percent to 284.7 million units in the same year. The South Asian nation remains one of the fastest-growing PC markets as demand expands beyond major cities.
Commercial buyers accounted for 52.9 percent of PC shipments in India in 2025, while the consumer segment made up the remaining 47.1 percent. Shenoy noted that enterprise purchases were partly driven by a Windows refresh cycle last year, while many small and medium-sized businesses and some public sector organizations are now beginning to replace older devices.
HP, Lenovo, Dell, Acer, and Asus were among the top PC vendors in India last year. Apple’s Mac computers, however, hold a smaller share of India’s PC market than in the United States. MacBooks accounted for about 5.6 percent of India’s notebook market in 2025, compared with roughly 11 to 12 percent globally and around 20 percent in the U.S. MacBooks’ share of India’s notebook market had peaked at 7.4 percent in 2022, up from 3.9 percent in 2020.
Shenoy stated that about 85 to 87 percent of Mac shipments in India come from the consumer segment, reflecting Apple’s limited presence in enterprise purchases. The premium notebook segment, which includes devices priced above one thousand dollars, grew 8.2 percent year over year in 2025, indicating steady demand for higher-end devices.
Demand for Macs in India could see an uptick as Apple recently introduced its lower-priced MacBook Neo, while Windows notebooks are becoming more expensive. Shenoy added that Apple is also focusing on expanding its presence in the commercial segment, which could help it gain market share.
Artificial intelligence features are beginning to appear in premium laptops, though they are not yet a major driver of PC demand in India. Shenoy observed that many enterprises that previously bought premium notebooks are now opting for AI-enabled PCs as they come within the same budget range. Demand from content creators could also support adoption as digital media consumption rises.
Despite the strong performance last year, the market could face headwinds in the near term as rising prices and component shortages weigh on demand. Shenoy noted that PC shipments in India could decline about 5 percent in 2026, compared with a low double-digit drop expected globally.
India is still expected to perform better than many other markets because of its relatively low PC penetration and the scale of demand. PC penetration in the country is estimated at around 17 to 20 percent, leaving significant room for growth as digital adoption spreads across households and businesses. The market could remain under pressure into 2027 before returning to growth as demand from businesses and consumers stabilizes.