Statistics

Laptop Market Shipments Statistics: Global Trends and Forecasts

A source-based review of global notebook shipments, quarterly patterns, market forecasts, and manufacturing shares.

Contents

Laptop market shipments statistics: annual global notebook shipment totals and changes

Global notebook shipment figures tell a story of contraction followed by forecasts for recovery, but the estimates must be read with their publication dates in view. TrendForce estimated 166 million notebook units shipped worldwide in 2023, down 10.8% year over year. In January 2024, the firm projected 172 million units for 2024, representing approximately 3.6% annual growth. These are an estimate for 2023 and a forecast for 2024, respectively; they do not form two realized annual observations. TrendForce, 11 January 2024

TrendForce updated its 2024 outlook during the year. Its August forecast was 173.65 million units, up 3.7% from 2023. Its November forecast was 174 million units, up 3.9% year over year. Those two observations are dated forecast versions for the same year, rather than separate shipment totals. The small differences in both units and growth rate show why a forecast should be identified by its vintage when comparing market estimates. TrendForce, August 2024; TrendForce, November 2024

The November 2024 release projected 183 million notebook shipments in 2025, an increase of 4.9%. By September 2025, TrendForce forecast growth of 2.2% for that year and shipments exceeding 180 million units. The latter is a later forecast, not a reported final annual result. Both forecasts point to growth, while the later release gives a lower rate. TrendForce, November 2024; TrendForce, September 2025

YearShipment observationStatus and publication date
2023166 million units; down 10.8% year over yearEstimate, January 2024
2024172 million units; approximately 3.6% growthForecast, January 2024
2024173.65 million units; up 3.7%Forecast, August 2024
2024174 million units; up 3.9% year over yearForecast, November 2024
2025183 million units; up 4.9%Forecast, November 2024
2025More than 180 million units; up 2.2% year over yearForecast, September 2025

TrendForce, January 2024; TrendForce, August 2024; TrendForce, November 2024; TrendForce, September 2025

Laptop market shipments statistics: quarterly notebook shipment patterns and pull-forward effects

Quarterly growth rates are not all measured against the same period. TrendForce reported that notebook brand shipments rose 7.2% year over year in Q1 2025. Its April release also said inventory frontloading in late 2024 pushed Q4 shipment growth to 5.1%, but the passage does not specify whether that Q4 rate is quarter over quarter or year over year. The figures should therefore remain separate, without assigning Q4 an unstated comparison basis. TrendForce, April 2025

In September 2025, TrendForce reported global notebook shipments grew 9.5% quarter over quarter in Q2 and forecast 7.5% quarter-over-quarter growth in Q3. The Q2 figure is a reported change; the Q3 figure is a projection. The same release’s annual forecast of 2.2% growth provides a different time frame and should not be substituted for either quarterly rate. TrendForce, September 2025

For Q1 2026, TrendForce forecast a 14.8% quarter-over-quarter decline in global notebook shipments. In September 2026, it described the projected distribution of full-year shipments as approximately 53:47 between the first and second halves of 2026. This is a split across half-year periods, not a year-over-year change or a quarterly growth rate. TrendForce, January 2026; TrendForce, September 2026

PeriodChange or distributionBasis and status
Q4 20245.1% growthComparison basis unstated; reported April 2025
Q1 20257.2% increaseYear over year; reported April 2025
Q2 20259.5% growthQuarter over quarter; reported September 2025
Q3 20257.5% growthQuarter over quarter; forecast September 2025
Q1 202614.8% declineQuarter over quarter; forecast January 2026
2026 halvesApproximately 53:47First half to second half; forecast September 2026

TrendForce, April 2025; TrendForce, September 2025; TrendForce, January 2026; TrendForce, September 2026

Laptop market shipments statistics: commercial, consumer, and Chromebook shipment outlooks

TrendForce’s November 2024 segment outlook expected commercial notebook shipments to recover in 2025, with annual growth surpassing 7%. In the same release, consumer notebook shipment growth was expected to slow to 3%. These are distinct market segments and forecasts; the commercial figure is a threshold described as exceeding 7%, while the consumer rate is stated as 3%. TrendForce, November 2024

The release also forecast 8% growth in Chromebook shipments in 2025, associating the outlook with momentum from Japan’s GIGA School 2.0 initiative. The 8% figure applies to Chromebook shipments, not all notebooks. Separately, TrendForce’s August 2024 release projected global notebook shipments would increase 5% year over year in 2025 as business upgrade demand was expected to support the market. This is a broader notebook forecast from an earlier release, not an additional segment rate. TrendForce, November 2024; TrendForce, August 2024

Laptop market shipments statistics: notebook shipment forecasts and revisions

Forecast revisions show how the outlook changed as new releases appeared. In April 2025, TrendForce reduced its full-year 2025 notebook brand shipment growth forecast from 3.6% to 1.4%. It also described a conditional downside scenario: if tariff negotiations failed, annual notebook brand shipment growth could reach -2.1%. That scenario was not the base forecast. The growth rates are for notebook brand shipments, so they should not be silently treated as an identical series to every global notebook shipment estimate in other releases. TrendForce, April 2025

For 2026, the forecast path first moved toward a steeper decline and then narrowed. TrendForce’s March release revised the expected full-year global notebook shipment change from -9.2% to -14.8% year over year. Its July forecast put the decline at 13.6%. In September, the expected decline narrowed to 9.4% year over year. Each is a dated outlook, not a measured final result. TrendForce, March 2026; TrendForce, July 2026; TrendForce, September 2026

Forecast vintageShipment outlookScope
April 20252025 growth revised from 3.6% to 1.4%Notebook brand shipments
April 2025-2.1% in a tariff downside scenarioNotebook brand shipments; conditional
March 20262026 decline revised from 9.2% to 14.8%Global notebook shipments, year over year
July 202613.6% declineGlobal notebook shipments
September 20269.4% declineGlobal notebook shipments, year over year

TrendForce, April 2025; TrendForce, March 2026; TrendForce, July 2026; TrendForce, September 2026

The July 2026 release also forecast approximately 23.1 million Apple notebook shipments worldwide in 2026. This is a company-specific shipment forecast and should be read on its own scope, rather than as a global market growth rate. TrendForce, July 2026

Laptop market shipments statistics: regional notebook production and manufacturing shares

Production geography measures where notebooks are made, not where shipments are sold. In August 2024, TrendForce forecast Vietnam’s share of global notebook manufacturing would reach 6% in 2024 and Thailand’s share of global notebook production would reach 2.3%. The same release estimated that the proportion of notebook manufacturing outside China would rise from 7.2% in 2023 to 12.4% in 2024. These are manufacturing-location shares, with the 2024 values stated as forecasts in that release. TrendForce, August 2024

By September 2025, TrendForce forecast Vietnam would account for 13.5% of global notebook production in 2025, while Thailand would hold 6.7% of global notebook capacity. The measures differ: Vietnam’s number is a production share, and Thailand’s is a capacity share. The release also estimated localized notebook capacity would represent 3.7% of global notebook production in 2025. Its context identifies India, Indonesia, and Brazil local manufacturing partnerships and domestic procurement or localization programs. TrendForce, September 2025

Location or measureSharePeriod and measure
Vietnam6%2024 forecast; global notebook manufacturing
Thailand2.3%2024 forecast; global notebook production
Manufacturing outside China7.2% to 12.4%2023 estimate to 2024 forecast; manufacturing proportion
Vietnam13.5%2025 forecast; global notebook production
Thailand6.7%2025 forecast; global notebook capacity
Localized capacity3.7%2025 estimate; share of global notebook production

TrendForce, August 2024; TrendForce, September 2025

Laptop market shipments: historical and forecast notebook shipment levels

Earlier observations provide additional context, though one explicitly covers ODM shipments. TrendForce estimated global notebook shipments from ODMs at around 186 million units in 2022, down 24.5% year over year. Its January 2023 forecast put global notebook shipments for 2023 at 171 million units, with an approximately 7.8% year-over-year decline. This was a forecast at the time; a later TrendForce estimate put 2023 shipments at 166 million units, as noted above. The 2022 ODM scope should remain distinct from the broader annual figures. TrendForce, January 2023; TrendForce, January 2024

For Q1 2023, TrendForce forecast 35.1 million global notebook shipments, down 9.5% quarter over quarter. The release characterized this projection as a 10-year low for a first-quarter result. Both statements describe the forecast and its comparison, not a subsequently confirmed shipment count. TrendForce, January 2023

IDC’s worldwide personal computing device (PCD) table gives a different kind of context. PCD includes traditional PCs and tablets. In that population, notebooks represented 45.7% of worldwide shipments in Q2 2025 and 47.0% in Q2 2026; IDC reported notebook shipments declined 4.0% year over year in Q2 2026. The shares use all worldwide PCD shipments as their denominator, while the -4.0% figure is the notebook row’s year-over-year change. These figures are not notebook-only market shares of a broader laptop market. IDC, WW Personal Computing Device Market: Q2 2026 Performance & 2026 Outlook

PeriodMeasureValue
2022Global notebook ODM shipments; year-over-year changeAround 186 million units; down 24.5%
2023Global notebook shipment forecast; year-over-year change171 million units; approximately -7.8%
Q1 2023Global notebook shipment forecast; quarter-over-quarter change35.1 million units; -9.5%
Q2 2025Notebook share of worldwide PCD shipments45.7%
Q2 2026Notebook share of worldwide PCD shipments47.0%
Q2 2026Worldwide notebook shipment change year over year-4.0%

TrendForce, January 2023; IDC, WW Personal Computing Device Market: Q2 2026 Performance & 2026 Outlook

Sources

Written by

computerlaptopbattery.com Editorial Team

Editorial team

Independent editorial coverage of laptop power & mobile computing.