Himal Press 
KATHMANDU: Smartphone imports surged by 36.7% in value during the first 10 months of the current fiscal year 2025/26, driven largely by rising demand for higher-priced handsets and the strengthening of the US dollar against the Nepali rupee.
Latest data from the Department of Customs shows that the country imported smartphones worth Rs 39.39 billion between mid-July and mid-May of the current fiscal year. In the same period of the previous fiscal year, smartphone imports stood at Rs 28.76 billion.
A total of 1,863,869 million units entered the country during the review period, up 4.38% from 1,785,654 million units imported a year earlier.
The sharp rise in import value compared to the relatively modest increase in quantity indicates that consumers are increasingly opting for more expensive devices. Currency depreciation against the US dollar has also contributed to the higher import bill.
The government collected Rs 7.34 billion in customs revenue from smartphone imports during the review period.
The latest figures show that imports in the first 10 months alone have already exceeded the total smartphone import bill recorded in the entire previous fiscal year. In fiscal year 2024/25, Nepal imported smartphones worth Rs 35.54 billion. A total of 2,184,694 units were imported during the review year. Likewise, total smartphone imports stood at Rs 28.66 billion in 2023/24, Rs 24.39 billion in 2022/23, and Rs 28.26 billion in 2021/22.
The government collected Rs 7.34 billion in customs revenue from smartphone imports during the first 10 months of fiscal year 2025/26 alone. The collection has already surpassed the Rs 6.62 billion collected in the entire previous fiscal year. Customs revenue stood at Rs 5.33 billion in 2023/24 and Rs 4.55 billion in 2022/23. In 2021/22, the government had mobilised Rs 5.26 billion from smartphone imports.
China continued to dominate Nepal’s smartphone market during the review period. Of the total imports, 1,562,570 units came from the northern neighbour.
Popular Chinese smartphone brands such as Xiaomi, Redmi, Oppo, Realme, Tecno, and OnePlus continue to hold a strong presence in the domestic market.
Likewise, 292,877 units were imported from India during the review period, while imports from other countries remained negligible.
