India Education Computing Devices Market (2021 - 2028)

Report Overview

The India education computing devices market size was valued at USD 6.3 billion in 2020 and is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 7.7% from 2021 to 2028. Over 280 million students in India were impacted by the pandemic in 2020 and forced to transition to e-learning. However, with the huge disparity in terms of access to the internet and technology, the transition was a challenging one for most students as well as educators. The pandemic has necessitated the need to address the long-standing issue concerning the digital divide in India.

Although India offers lucrative opportunities for online education, the market growth is expected to be impacted by factors such as limited peer-to-peer engagement, poor digital infrastructure, language barriers in non-urban areas, poor internet connectivity, and frequent power cuts. In 2020, several students belonging to economically backward classes were forced to opt out of schools owing to the lack of technology to access digital learning. The economic disruption caused by the pandemic further added to the economic burden of underprivileged students, making it difficult for them to continue their education.

In India, computing devices for educational purposes are largely purchased by individual consumers rather than educational institutions procuring them for students. The pandemic has propelled the online learning trend among students between 12 and 18 years old, further contributing to the growth of the consumer device industry. In 2020, as educational institutes switched to e-learning, more than 70% of consumers preferred using a smartphone or tablet for online classes as opposed to making a new purchase. Hence, the demand for education computing devices remained moderate in the education sector.

The pandemic has served as an effective catalyst for the market in 2020. Most companies experienced a revenue decline in the first quarter of the year. The major impact on revenue was marked by the disruption in the supply chain and the closure of production units. Additionally, the shutdown of showrooms, warehouses, hypermarkets, and supermarkets also affected the market growth. However, the latter half of the year witnessed a high demand for computing devices, thereby propelling the overall year-on-year growth.

The India education computing devices market is expected to further witness growth as schools and other educational institutions continue to remain shut. Many companies are still receiving contracts and orders, which is anticipated to provide impetus to the market growth in the long run. For instance, in December 2020, Lenovo received a contract from the Government of Tamil Nadu to offer 15 lakh laptops under the Free Laptop Scheme.

Product Insights

In India, smartphones witnessed the highest demand for educational purposes, accounting for over 85% of the overall volume share in 2020. Post pandemic, online learning is expected to become mainstream in the Indian education system and would no longer be considered as an alternative to traditional schooling. However, there is a vast digital divide in the country, primarily due to the affordability factor associated with devices that enable online education.

Over 80% of children in India are deprived of internet connectivity. Moreover, the country’s smartphone penetration was only approximately 25% as of 2020. This suggests that the growth of online education in India is dreary. However, since smartphones are the most economical option for online education, students from government-aided schools and institutions are widely adopting smartphones. Therefore, smartphones accounted for the largest share of the overall educational device sales in India. As of 2020, over 70% of Indian students used smartphones as many could not afford a tablet or a laptop.

The sale of laptops for education in India surpassed 100K units in 2020, registering a year-on-year growth of over 150% from 2019 to 2020. The