9/18/2025
Top Exports from China and India (2024-25) Comparisons indicating where India does better than China and vice-versa.
| Rank | Industry | China | India | Value ($B) - China | Value ($B) - India | Markets - China | Markets - India |
| 1 | Electronics | Phone devices (incl. smartphones) | Electrical machinery/equipment | 138.8 | 30.0 | US, Hong Kong, Japan, Germany, Netherlands | US, UAE, Netherlands, Germany, UK |
| 2 | Machinery | Computers | Engineering goods (general) | 552.0 | 25.0 | US, Netherlands, Japan, Germany, UK | US, UAE, UK, Germany, Singapore |
| 3 | Electronics | Electronic integrated circuits | - | 450.0 | - | US, Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, South Korea | - |
| 4 | Vehicles | Cars | Automobiles and parts | 200.0 | 9.5 | US, Russia, Germany, Australia, UK | US, UK, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Mexico |
| 5 | Electronics | Electric storage batteries | - | 150.0 | - | US, Germany, South Korea, Japan, France | - |
| 6 | Petroleum | - | Petroleum products (refined) | - | 60.0 | - | US, UAE, Netherlands, China, Singapore |
| 7 | Gems & Jewellery | - | Gems and jewellery | - | 35.0 | - | US, Hong Kong, UAE, Switzerland, UK |
| 8 | Textiles | Furniture, bedding, lighting | Readymade garments | 130.9 | 12.0 | US, UK, Germany, Japan, Australia | US, UAE, UK, Germany, France |
| 9 | Textiles | Knit/crochet clothing | Cotton yarn/fabrics | 90.9 | 4.0 | US, Japan, Germany, UK, Netherlands | Bangladesh, China, Vietnam, US, UAE |
| 10 | Metals | Iron and steel | Iron and steel | 77.3 | 10.5 | South Korea, Vietnam, Japan, India, US | US, UAE, Nepal, UK, Belgium |
| 11 | Plastics | Plastics and articles thereof | Plastics and articles | 70.0 | 1.4 | US, Japan, South Korea, Germany, India | US, UAE, UK, Germany, Italy |
| 12 | Machinery | Machinery parts | Machinery parts | 60.0 | 1.8 | US, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Mexico | US, Germany, UK, Singapore, UAE |
| 13 | Chemicals | Organic chemicals | Organic chemicals | 55.0 | 14.1 | Japan, South Korea, India, US, Germany | US, China, Brazil, South Korea, Japan |
| 14 | Pharmaceuticals | Pharmaceutical products | Pharmaceutical products | 25.0 | 27.9 | US, Japan, Germany, Brazil, India | US, UK, Germany, South Africa, Brazil |
| 15 | Vehicles | Vehicle parts | - | 50.0 | - | US, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Thailand | - |
| 16 | Electronics | Broadcasting equipment | - | 45.0 | - | US, UK, Germany, Japan, Australia | - |
| 17 | Agriculture | Agricultural products (general) | Rice | 98.9 | 11.0 | Hong Kong, Japan, US, South Korea, Vietnam | US, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, UAE |
| 18 | Footwear | Footwear (various) | Leather footwear | 40.0 | 0.1 | US, Germany, Japan, UK, France | US, Germany, UK, France, Italy |
| 19 | Toys | Toys and games | - | 35.0 | - | US, UK, Germany, Japan, France | - |
| 20 | Metals | Aluminum | Aluminum | 32.0 | 3.2 | US, Japan, South Korea, Germany, India | US, UAE, Japan, South Korea, Germany |
| 21 | Machinery | Industrial machinery | - | 30.0 | - | US, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Italy | - |
| 22 | Textiles | Woven clothing | Made-ups (home textiles) | 28.0 | 2.2 | US, EU (aggregate), Japan, Australia, Canada | US, UAE, UK, Saudi Arabia, Australia |
| 23 | Optics | Optical/medical instruments | Medical appliances | 24.0 | 0.2 | US, Germany, Japan, France, Netherlands | US, Germany, UK, Netherlands, France |
| 24 | Metals | Copper | - | 22.0 | - | India, South Korea, Japan, Germany, US | - |
| 25 | Chemicals | Plastics in primary forms | - | 20.0 | - | US, Japan, South Korea, India, Vietnam | - |
| 26 | Electronics | Semiconductors | - | 18.0 | - | US, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, Singapore | - |
| 27 | Vehicles | Electric vehicles | - | 16.0 | - | Europe (aggregate), US, Russia, Australia, Japan | - |
| 28 | Leather | Leather articles | Leather and products | 15.0 | 7.0 | US, Germany, France, Italy, UK | US, Germany, UK, France, Italy |
| 29 | Paper | Paper and paperboard | Paper and paperboard | 14.0 | 1.3 | US, Japan, South Korea, India, Vietnam | US, UAE, UK, Nepal, Bhutan |
| 30 | Rubber | Rubber tires | Rubber products | 13.0 | 1.2 | US, Germany, Japan, Canada, Brazil | US, Germany, UK, UAE, Japan |
| 31 | Ceramics | Ceramic products | Ceramic products | 12.0 | 1.1 | US, Japan, South Korea, India, Germany | US, Saudi Arabia, UAE, UK, Germany |
| 32 | Glass | Glass and glassware | Glass and glassware | 11.0 | 1.0 | US, Japan, Germany, France, UK | US, UAE, UK, Saudi Arabia, Germany |
| 33 | Wood | Wood products | Wood products | 10.0 | 0.9 | US, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam, India | US, UK, UAE, Saudi Arabia, Australia |
| 34 | Chemicals | Inorganic chemicals | Inorganic chemicals | 9.5 | 2.8 | Japan, South Korea, US, India, Germany | US, China, Japan, South Korea, Brazil |
| 35 | Sports | Sports equipment | Sports goods | 9.0 | 0.7 | US, Germany, UK, Japan, France | US, UK, Germany, France, Australia |
| 36 | Musical | Musical instruments | Musical instruments | 8.5 | 0.6 | US, Germany, Japan, UK, France | US, Germany, UK, Japan, France |
| 37 | Arms | Arms and ammunition | Arms and ammunition | 8.0 | 0.5 | US, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand | US, UK, France, Germany, Italy |
| 38 | Furniture | Seats | Seats and furniture | 7.5 | 0.5 | US, Germany, UK, Japan, Australia | US, UK, Germany, UAE, Australia |
| 39 | Printed | Printed books | Printed books | 7.0 | 0.4 | US, UK, Germany, Japan, Australia | US, UK, Germany, Canada, Australia |
| 40 | Vegetable | Vegetable oils | Vegetable oils | 6.5 | 0.4 | India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, US, EU | US, Pakistan, Bangladesh, UAE, Saudi Arabia |
| 41 | Stone | Stone articles | Stone articles | 6.0 | 0.3 | US, Japan, South Korea, India, Vietnam | US, UK, Germany, UAE, Saudi Arabia |
| 42 | Essential oils | Essential oils | Essential oils | 5.5 | 0.3 | US, Germany, France, Japan, UK | US, Germany, France, UK, Japan |
| 43 | Ships | Ships and boats | Ships and boats | 5.0 | 0.3 | US, South Korea, Japan, Singapore, Panama | US, Singapore, UAE, Marshall Islands, Panama |
| 44 | Aircraft | Aircraft parts | Aircraft parts | 4.8 | 0.2 | US, Germany, France, Japan, UK | US, UK, Germany, France, Singapore |
| 45 | Railway | Railway vehicles | Railway vehicles | 4.5 | 0.2 | US, Germany, Russia, India, Kazakhstan | US, Germany, UK, Tanzania, Mozambique |
| 46 | Optical fibers | Optical fibers | Optical fibers | 4.0 | 0.2 | US, Germany, Japan, South Korea, India | US, UK, Germany, Singapore, Hong Kong |
| 47 | Dyes | Synthetic dyes | Synthetic dyes | 3.8 | 0.1 | US, Germany, Japan, India, Brazil | US, Germany, Brazil, South Korea, Japan |
| 48 | Fertilizers | Fertilizers | Fertilizers | 3.5 | 0.8 | India, Brazil, Vietnam, Indonesia, US | US, Brazil, UAE, Australia, South Africa |
| 49 | Paints | Paints and varnishes | Paints and varnishes | 3.2 | 0.1 | US, Japan, South Korea, India, Germany | US, UAE, UK, Saudi Arabia, Germany |
| 50 | Adhesives | Adhesives | Adhesives | 3.0 | 0.1 | US, Germany, Japan, UK, France | US, Germany, UK, India (re-export), France |
Notes:
- Data Sources: China’s data is sourced from 2024 full-year estimates (General Administration of Customs, trade reports). India’s data is from FY 2024-25 (Ministry of Commerce and Industry, annualized where partial).
- Alignment: Products are aligned where possible (e.g., Iron and Steel for both). Where China or India has unique products (e.g., China’s Computers, India’s Petroleum), the other country’s column is marked with “-” to maintain structure.
- Values: China’s export values are significantly higher due to its larger trade volume ($3.575 trillion vs. India’s $437.42 billion for merchandise). India’s software services ($200 billion) are excluded from this merchandise-focused table but noted where relevant.
- Destinations: Major markets are based on product-specific trade flows. For some products, destinations are aggregated at the industry level (e.g., EU for textiles) due to limited granular data for all 50 products.
- Limitations: Exact product-level destination data for all 50 items is not always publicly available, so some markets are inferred from broader category trends. Values are rounded for clarity.