Gartner Says Worldwide PC Shipments Increased 0.3% in Fourth Quarter of 2023 but Declined 14.8% for the Year
January 11, 2024 | Gartner, Inc.Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
Worldwide PC shipments totaled 63.3 million units in the fourth quarter of 2023, a 0.3% increase from the fourth quarter of 2022, according to preliminary results by Gartner, Inc. This marks the first time that quarterly shipments have increased after eight straight quarters of decline. For the year, PC shipments reached 241.8 million units in 2023, a 14.8% decrease from 2022. This marks the first time that shipment volume has dipped below 250 million since 2006, when 230 million units were shipped.
“The PC market has hit the bottom of its decline after significant adjustment,” said Mikako Kitagawa, Director Analyst at Gartner. “Inventory was normalized in the fourth quarter of 2023, which had been an issue plaguing the industry for two years. This subtle growth suggests that demand and supply are finally balanced. However, this situation will likely change due to the anticipated component price hike 2024, as well as geopolitical and economic uncertainties.
“Throughout these challenges, all top six vendors maintained their position without notable share gains or losses,” added Kitagawa. “With this in mind, Gartner projects that the PC market will return to annual growth in 2024.”
There were no changes in the top six vendor rankings in the fourth quarter of 2023. However, there were mixed results in performance. Lenovo, HP, Apple, and Acer recorded year-over-year growth, while Dell and ASUS showed a decline.
Lenovo marked its first year-over-year growth in worldwide PC shipments since the third quarter of 2021, registering 3.2% growth. EMEA and the Americas saw double-digit growth, offset by weakness in Asia Pacific and Japan. The depressed economy in China impacted PC demand in general but impacted Lenovo strongly as the country is its largest market. Laptop growth in EMEA and Latin America was robust, well exceeding the regional average.
Other vendors had mixed results. HP Inc. had its second consecutive quarter of year-over-year growth and sequential growth in worldwide PC shipments, while Dell registered its seventh consecutive quarter of year-over-year shipment decline.
Regional Overview
The U.S. PC market recorded its first year-over-year growth since the second quarter of 2021, with a 1.8% increase in the fourth quarter of 2023. A decline in desktops offset laptop growth.
“PC growth in the U.S. reflected consumer confidence as it stabilized during the quarter,” said Kitagawa. “The solid U.S. economy helped small and midsize business spending as the segment grew steadily. Large companies were still cautious about spending, postponing PC refreshes to 2024.”
HP maintained the top spot in the U.S. PC market based on shipments with 27.7% market share. Dell followed with 24.2% of U.S. PC market share.
EMEA and North America, recorded year-over-year growth, leading the worldwide growth, although the Asia Pacific region was still in decline in the fourth quarter of 2023, pulled by the depressed results in China. The EMEA PC market saw the highest growth of 8.7%, its first year-over-year growth since the fourth quarter of 2021.
“The EMEA market is reflective of the overall market, with inventory levels finally under control,” said Kitagawa. “However, this could change if demand becomes weak, and the channel would be wary of adding new stock, especially as higher interest rates means holding inventory now costs much more for the channel.”
Asia Pacific declined by 8%, recording seven consecutive quarters of decline. Laptops and desktops declined in the region, with desktops more impacted than laptops. The significant decline in Greater China impacted the overall Asia Pacific market, with double-digit decline compared to a year ago, while Mature Asia Pacific declined slightly, and Emerging Asia Pacific grew by a single digit.
Annual Overview: PC Market Collapses After COVID Boom
2023 records as the worst year in PC history, declining 14.8% in 2023. This is the second year in a row with a double-digit decline. Worldwide PC shipments totaled 241.8 million units in 2023, down from 284 million units in 2022.
“The PC market underwent a significant adjustment period in the past two years after an extraordinary growth period between 2020 and 2021,” said Kitagawa.
These results are preliminary. Final statistics will be available soon to clients of Gartner’s PC Quarterly Statistics Worldwide by Region program. This program offers a comprehensive and timely picture of the worldwide PC market, allowing product planning, distribution, marketing and sales organizations to keep abreast of key issues and their future implications around the globe.
Suggested Items
Cadence Unveils Millennium M2000 Supercomputer with NVIDIA Blackwell Systems
05/08/2025 | Cadence Design SystemsAt its annual flagship user event, CadenceLIVE Silicon Valley 2025, Cadence announced a major expansion of its Cadence® Millennium™ Enterprise Platform with the introduction of the new Millennium M2000 Supercomputer featuring NVIDIA Blackwell systems, which delivers AI-accelerated simulation at unprecedented speed and scale across engineering and drug design workloads.
Zhen Ding Releases April 2025 Monthly Revenue Report
05/07/2025 | Zhen Ding TechnologyZhen Ding Technology Holding Limited, a global leading PCB manufacturer, reported April 2025 revenue of NT$13,589 million, up 22.90% YoY, marking a record high for the same period in the company’s history.
Schweizer Electronic AG: Business Development in Q1 of 2025
05/07/2025 | Schweizer Electronic AGThe Schweizer Group continued its growth trajectory in the first quarter of 2025. Revenue reached EUR 39.4 million in the first quarter of 2025, up 14.9% on the previous quarter (Q4 2024: EUR 34.4 million) and slightly above the level of the same quarter of the previous year (Q1 2024: EUR 39.2 million).
Koh Young Invites You to the 2025 IEEE Electronic Components and Technology Conference
05/06/2025 | Koh YoungKoh Young, the industry leader in True3D™ measurement-based inspection solutions, invites you to join us at the 2025 IEEE Electronic Components and Technology Conference (ECTC), taking place May 27–30, 2025, at the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Grapevine, Texas
Global Semiconductor Sales Increase 18.8% in Q1 2025 Compared to Q1 2024; March 2025 Sales up 1.8% MoM
05/06/2025 | SIAThe Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced global semiconductor sales were $167.7 billion for the first quarter of 2025, an increase of 18.8% compared to the first quarter of 2024 but 2.8% less than the fourth quarter of 2024.