WASHINGTON — Worldwide sales of semiconductors totaled $151.7 billion during the first quarter, up 23% over 2021 but 0.5% less than the December period.

Global sales for March were $50.6 billion, up 1.1% compared to the previous month, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced.

Monthly sales are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average. SIA represents 99% of the US semiconductor industry by revenue and nearly two-thirds of non-US chip firms.

“Global semiconductor sales remained strong during the first quarter of 2022, increasing across all major regional markets and product categories compared to the first quarter of last year” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, SIA. “For the month of March, sales into the Americas continued to lead all regional markets, increasing by 40.1% year-to-year.”

In addition to the year-to-year sales increase in the Americas, sales were up compared to March 2021 in Europe (25.7%), Japan (20.4%), Asia Pacific/All Other (17.9%), and China (17.3%). Month-to-month sales increased in Asia Pacific/All Other (2.9%), Europe (2.6%), Japan (1.4%), and China (1.0%), but fell slightly in the Americas (-1.5%).