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Global semiconductor sales fell almost 10 percent in November, as the economic slowdown shook the chip sector, an industry trade group said Friday.

Semiconductor sales dropped to $20.8 billion in November from $23.1 billion a year earlier, the Semiconductor Industry Association reported. Sales through the first 11 months of the year rose 0.2 percent to $232.7 billion.

November sales were 7.2 percent lower than the $22.4 billion in October 2008. Excluding memory products, chip sales declined 4.8 percent to $17.3 billion.

“The worldwide economic crisis is having an impact on demand for semiconductors, but to a lesser degree than some other major industry sectors. We expect the industry will remain the second largest exporter in the U.S. for 2008,” the group’s president George Scalise said in a statement.

Mr. Scalise said the memory market, which has been under severe price pressure throughout the year, has seen sales decline significantly while many other product sectors have year-to-date sales above 2007 levels.

Sales in Americas fell 19.5 percent while that in Europe fell 13.9 percent. However, the Asia Pacific region witnessed the least decline of 6.2 percent in sales.

The trade group represents makers of silicon chips that run computers, mobile phones and other electronics devices. Its members include Intel, Texas Instruments and Advanced Micro Devices.