Kathmandu: Nepal imported 1.229 million smartphones worth Rs 18.98 billion in the first seven months of the current fiscal year (FY 2024/25), according to the Department of Customs (DoC). The government collected Rs 3.35 billion in customs duty on these imports between mid-July and mid-February.
The latest figures show an increase of 126,000 units compared to the same period last fiscal year, when 1.05 million smartphones were brought into the country. The total import value of smartphones this year is Rs 1.6 billion higher than last year’s Rs 17.38 billion.
Smartphones priced between Rs 20,000 and Rs 30,000 dominate the market, with rising imports indicating a growing number of users in Nepal, according to the DoC.
Despite fluctuations, Nepal recorded its highest mobile phone imports in FY 2020/21, with devices worth Rs 28.38 billion brought in from mid-July to mid-February. In comparison, the country imported mobile phones worth Rs 14.76 billion in 2022 and Rs 12.60 billion in 2020.
Over the past five years, the volume of mobile phone imports has declined, but the total value has increased. In the same seven-month period five years ago, Nepal imported 2.6 million mobile sets, but their customs value was significantly lower at Rs 12.60 billion. The shift from bar phones to higher-priced smartphones has contributed to this trend.