Worldwide sales of semiconductors in July were $18.2 billion, an increase of 5.3 percent from June 2009 when sales were $17.2 billion, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) reported. SIA noted that the year-on-year rate of decline has moderated as the year has progressed. The first six months of 2009 saw an average monthly year-on-year decline of approximately 25 percent, while July 2009 sales were 18.2 percent lower than July 2008.