Chip sales have been a lot healthier lately than they were amid the downturn of 2009.

Semiconductor sales around the world hit $26 billion in November, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). Though that's a slight decline of 0.9 percent from October, it's a hefty increase of 14.4 percent from November 2009 when sales were $22.7 billion.

For the entire year through November, sales jumped 34 percent to reach $271.8 billion, up from $202.8 billion for the same period in 2009.

"Despite continuing macroeconomic uncertainty, the semiconductor industry is slated to close the year at record sales levels with year-over-year growth rates not experienced in nearly a decade," SIA President Brian Toohey said today in a statement. "The application of advanced technologies continues to further the proliferation of semiconductor content into a wider range of end products including media tablets, smartphones, e-readers, and automobiles, resulting in impressive semiconductor sales in 2010."

In reports released in August, both the SIA and iSuppli forecast robust sales for 2010 for the semiconductor industry, as companies recovered from 2009's downturn.

In November, the SIA had forecast total 2010 chip sales of $300.5 billion, a rise of 32.8 percent over 2009. Looking ahead, the industry group predicts more moderate gains, with sales rising 6 percent in 2011 to $318.7 billion and 3.4 percent in 2012 to $329.7 billion.

"We experienced record sales this year due to strong global demand across a broad range of end markets," Toohey said. "We expect more moderate growth through 2012 as the economy recovers and consumer confidence restores."