Global textiles & clothing exports grow 8% in 2013

05 Nov '14

2 min read

World exports of textiles and clothing increased by 8 percent year-on-year in 2013, about four times higher than the average growth rate of 2 percent for world exports, according to the International Trade Statistics 2014, released by the World Trade Organization last week.

A positive growth was recorded by all the top ten textiles and apparel exporting countries, viz. China, EU28, India, Turkey, Bangladesh, Vietnam, the US, South Korea, Pakistan and Indonesia.

Among the top ten, the highest growth in textiles and garment exports was registered by India, with 23 percent, while South Korea recorded the lowest growth rate of 2 percent.

Compared to 2012, Vietnam overtook the United States as the sixth-largest exporter of textiles and clothing in 2013, while all other nations saw their positions unchanged.

China continued to be the leading exporter of textiles and clothing, with a 39 percent share in world exports of clothing and 35 percent share in textiles in 2013.

The European Union was the largest importer of clothing, accounting for 38 percent of world textiles and garment imports in 2013, followed by the United States with 19 percent of world imports.

The value of global textiles and clothing exports in 2013 stood at US$ 766 billion, with China alone accounting for $284 billion, followed by the EU28 and India with $190.2 billion and $35.7 billion, respectively.

About 59.8 percent of the world textile exports originated in Asia, with China alone accounting for 34.8 percent share. Europe recorded 28.1 percent share, whereas the North American region supplied 6 percent of textiles to other regions.

Similarly, in global clothing exports, Asia contributed a lion’s share with 59.4 percent, followed by Europe with 29.7 percent, and the South and Central American region with 3.2 percent. (RKS)

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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