China was no longer number one of the world’s leading clothing exporters last year since 2005. This emerges from a report by the specialist magazine “The Spin Off”, which relates to current data from the World Trade Organization (WTO).
According to this, the states of the European Union (EU) exported clothing with a total value of $ 166 billion (142 billion euros) in 2024. This means that its global market share was 29.7 percent.
The global sourcing activities are spread more across different countries
China was just behind with clothing exports worth a total of $ 165 billion. Their market share was 29.6 percent. Classic production countries such as Bangladesh ($ 38 billion), Vietnam ($ 34 billion) and Turkey ($ 18 billion) are followed by a large distance.
According to the report, the fact that China had to give up its traditional top position was due to an increasing “fragmentation of the global sourcing map”. This development is therefore due to price increases, the effects of covid-19 pandemic and trade conflicts between China and the USA.