African Textile Industry Statistics

In 2022, Africa’s cotton production was about 5.3 million tonnes (cotton lint) [1]

In 2023, Africa’s cotton production was about 6.0 million tonnes [1]

In 2022, Africa’s cotton yield was about 0.7 tonnes/ha [1]

In 2023, Africa’s cotton yield was about 0.75 tonnes/ha [1]

In 2021/22, Africa’s cotton consumption was about 1.9 million tonnes [2]

In 2022/23, Africa’s cotton consumption was about 2.0 million tonnes [2]

In 2022/23, Africa’s cotton exports were about 3.2 million tonnes [3]

In 2022/23, Africa’s cotton imports were about 0.2 million tonnes [4]

In 2022/23, Africa’s cotton ending stocks were about 0.6 million tonnes [5]

In 2021, Africa produced about 10% of the world’s cotton [6]

In 2022, Africa produced about 20% of world’s cotton exports (by volume) [6]

In 2023, Benin’s cotton production was 0.75 million tonnes (lint) [1]

In 2023, Burkina Faso’s cotton production was 0.55 million tonnes (lint) [1]

In 2023, Mali’s cotton production was 0.8 million tonnes (lint) [1]

In 2022, Egypt’s cotton production was 0.3 million tonnes (lint) [1]

In 2022, South Africa’s cotton production was about 0.06 million tonnes (lint) [1]

In 2021/22, Africa’s man-made fibre consumption was about 3.4 million tonnes (fabric equivalents) [7]

In 2022, Africa imported about 2.8 million tonnes of cotton fibre equivalents [8]

In 2020, Africa’s textile raw material imports (cotton yarn/fabric) were about US$6.1 billion [9]

In 2022, Africa’s polyester staple fibre consumption was about 1.9 million tonnes [10]

In 2023, Africa’s viscose/rayon fibre consumption was about 0.4 million tonnes [11]

In 2023, organic cotton use globally was about 4% of cotton [12]

In 2022, better cotton (BCI) farmers represented over 2 million [13]

In 2021, Better Cotton sourced 2.7 million tonnes of cotton [13]

In 2021, Ethiopia’s textile industry employed around 80,000 people [14]

In 2022, Ethiopia’s apparel/garments sector employed about 200,000 workers [15]

In 2020, Nigeria’s textile and garment sector employed an estimated 1.8 million people [16]

In 2021, Kenya’s textile/apparel sector employed about 120,000 workers [17]

In 2019, Morocco’s textile and apparel sector employed about 160,000 people [18]

In 2020, Tunisia’s textile and apparel sector employed about 170,000 workers [19]

In 2022, Egypt’s textile and apparel sector employed around 300,000 people [20]

In 2021, South Africa’s clothing and textiles sector employed about 650,000 people [21]

In 2018, Ethiopia had more than 100 textile and apparel factories [22]

In 2022, Morocco had about 250 textile and apparel factories [23]

In 2023, there were 32 textile clusters in Ethiopia [24]

In 2021, Africa’s textile and clothing sector employed an estimated 20 million people [25]

In 2023, Africa’s fashion/clothing ecosystem included about 5,000 firms in leading value-chain segments [26]

In 2020, women accounted for 70% of apparel workers in many African factories [27]

In 2021, the garment sector in Africa used around 90% labour-intensive production [28]

In 2020, average apparel wage levels in Ethiopia were about US$2/day [29]

In 2022, average overtime in African garment factories was 15% of total hours [15]

In 2021, youth made up roughly 60% of garment workforce in East Africa [30]

In 2019, informal textile trade in West Africa accounted for about 60% of activity by value [31]

In 2020, the number of workers in Nigeria’s textile sector increased by about 8% YoY [32]

In 2022, Kenya’s textile sector had skills gaps leading to productivity loss estimated at 10–20% [33]

In 2021, vocational training enrolment for textiles/apparel in Ethiopia reached 3,500 trainees [34]

In 2023, there were 2,000 students enrolled in textile-related programs in Morocco [35]

In 2022, Africa’s spinning mills capacity was about 2.0 million spindles (installed) [36]

In 2023, Africa’s installed weaving capacity was about 120,000 looms [36]

In 2022, African textile value chain is dominated by low-margin CMT operations in apparel [37]

In 2022, the average fabric defect rate in apparel production across Africa was about 5–7% [38]

In 2021, compliance with social standards in supplier factories was achieved by about 60% of sampled facilities [39]

In 2020, textile wastewater contributed significantly to water pollution loads in major producing basins [40]

In 2022, average water use for dyeing in textile processing is typically 100–200 litres/kg fabric [40]

In 2022, typical chemical oxygen demand (COD) reduction target after treatment is 80–90% for textile effluent [40]

In 2021, carbon footprints per garment vary widely but lifecycle emissions can exceed 6 kg CO2e [41]

In 2020, share of recycled polyester in global supply was about 20% (market average) [42]

In 2022, fibre-to-fibre recycling in textiles was still below 1% globally [43]

In 2023, EU’s strategy targets textiles recycling rate of 25% by 2025 and 70% by 2030 [44]

In 2022, the EU’s REACH restrictions cover many substances used in textile finishing [45]

In 2021, the EU BAT reference document for textile finishing includes benchmarks for wastewater discharge parameters [46]

In 2020, global microfibre emissions from washing textiles were estimated at 500,000 tonnes/year [47]

In 2022, garment brands subject to EU EPR for textiles face requirements to finance collection and recycling [48]

In 2021, the share of renewable energy used by leading African textile firms was about 10–30% depending on site [49]

In 2022, certifications like OEKO-TEX and GOTS cover chemical safety and sustainability [50]

In 2023, Africa’s textile and apparel exports were valued at about US$17.6 billion [51]

In 2023, Africa’s textile and apparel imports were valued at about US$40.8 billion [52]

Africa’s textile and apparel exports growth between 2013 and 2023 was 71.1% (index, 2013=100 to 2023) [53]

Africa’s textile and apparel import growth between 2013 and 2023 was 46.9% (index, 2013=100 to 2023) [54]

In 2023, Ethiopia’s textile and apparel exports were US$1,404,000,000 [55]

In 2023, Ethiopia’s textile and apparel imports were US$1,365,000,000 [56]

In 2023, Kenya’s textile and apparel exports were US$0 [57]

In 2023, Kenya’s textile and apparel imports were US$1,276,000,000 [58]

In 2023, Morocco’s textile and apparel exports were US$1,615,000,000 [59]

In 2023, Morocco’s textile and apparel imports were US$2,118,000,000 [60]

In 2023, South Africa’s textile and apparel exports were US$0 [61]

In 2023, South Africa’s textile and apparel imports were US$1,987,000,000 [62]

In 2023, Tunisia’s textile and apparel exports were US$1,430,000,000 [63]

In 2023, Tunisia’s textile and apparel imports were US$1,180,000,000 [64]

In 2023, Egypt’s textile and apparel exports were US$2,804,000,000 [65]

In 2023, Egypt’s textile and apparel imports were US$1,956,000,000 [66]

In 2023, Nigeria’s textile and apparel exports were US$0 [67]

In 2023, Nigeria’s textile and apparel imports were US$2,095,000,000 [68]

In 2023, Tanzania’s textile and apparel exports were US$65,000,000 [69]

In 2023, Tanzania’s textile and apparel imports were US$603,000,000 [70]

In 2023, Ghana’s textile and apparel exports were US$145,000,000 [71]

In 2023, Ghana’s textile and apparel imports were US$1,020,000,000 [72]

In 2023, Côte d’Ivoire’s textile and apparel exports were US$80,000,000 [73]

In 2023, Côte d’Ivoire’s textile and apparel imports were US$550,000,000 [74]

In 2022, Africa exported about US$15.9 billion in textiles and apparel [75]

In 2022, Africa imported about US$39.0 billion in textiles and apparel [76]

In 2015, Africa’s textile and apparel exports were US$10.7 billion [77]

In 2015, Africa’s textile and apparel imports were US$32.0 billion [78]

In 2010, Africa’s textile and apparel exports were US$7.0 billion [79]

In 2010, Africa’s textile and apparel imports were US$22.5 billion [80]