China to Become the Largest Smartphone Market in 2012

According to market research firm IDC, China will overtake the United States this year to become the world’s largest smartphone market. China’s share of global smartphone shipments is expected to grow from 18.3 percent in 2011 to 26.5 percent in 2012. China’s market share is then predicted to decline slightly until 2016, as smartphone adoption will accelerate in other emerging markets, such as India.

Smartphone adoption in the United States is starting to slow down and as emerging markets are quickly growing, the U.S. share of global shipments is expected to decline from 21.3 percent in 2011 to 14.5 percent in 2016.

Meanwhile, India could become the third largest market by 2016. IDC projects an average annual growth rate of more than 50 percent for the Indian smartphone market in the next five years.