Clothing Consumption Statistics

In 2023, global online apparel sales were $721.1 billion [1]

In 2023, online apparel accounted for 25.3% of total apparel sales in the US [2]

In 2023, US online share of apparel sales was 24.4% [3]

The average person in the UK buys 36 items of clothing per year [4]

In 2020, global apparel sales declined by 16% due to COVID-19 [5]

Global apparel market size was valued at $2.12 trillion in 2023, and is projected to grow to $2.61 trillion by 2028 [6]

In 2019, global consumer spending on apparel was about $1.8 trillion [7]

The US apparel market is forecast to reach $379.9 billion in 2024 [8]

Apparel retail sales in the UK totaled £62.3 billion in 2023 [9]

EU-27 household final consumption expenditure on clothing in 2022 was €232.6 billion [10]

World clothing and footwear spending per capita in 2022 was $258.5 [11]

Global textile and apparel trade value was $884.8 billion in 2022 [12]

In 2023, global clothing (apparel) market revenue was $2.19 trillion [13]

In 2022, China’s apparel retail sales were about 1.54 trillion yuan [14]

In 2023, India’s apparel market size was about $56.7 billion [15]

In 2022, Japan’s apparel market size was about $41.8 billion [16]

In 2023, Germany’s apparel market size was about $35.0 billion [17]

In 2023, France’s apparel market size was about $34.6 billion [18]

In 2023, Italy’s apparel market size was about $24.3 billion [19]

In 2023, Spain’s apparel market size was about $21.7 billion [20]

In 2023, UK apparel sales (retail) were £70.5 billion [21]

In 2022, Russia apparel market size was about $18.8 billion [22]

In 2021, apparel value in global clothing imports was $339.1 billion [23]

In 2022, clothing and footwear accounted for 3.0% of total household expenditures globally [24]

In 2022, European household spending on clothing and footwear decreased by 0.4% in real terms [25]

In 2023, online apparel accounted for 23.6% of total apparel sales in Germany [26]

In 2021, worldwide apparel and footwear market reached $2.74 trillion [27]

In 2022, the global market for sportswear was $353.0 billion [28]

In 2022, the global market for fast fashion was valued at $25.3 billion [29]

In 2023, global workwear market size was $171.8 billion [30]

In 2023, US CPI for apparel rose 3.9% vs prior year [31]

In 2023, inflation for clothing in the UK was 3.8% (CPI Clothing and footwear) [32]

In 2023, apparel prices in Italy rose 4.0% year over year [33]

In 2023, the average order value (AOV) for online fashion in the US was $78.5 [34]

In 2022, children’s clothing share in US apparel sales was 20.3% [35]

In 2021, sportswear share of global apparel market was about 22% [36]

In 2023, global footwear market size was $365.0 billion [37]

In 2023, the global denim jeans market size was $50.4 billion [38]

In 2022, average delivery time for online fashion in the UK was 2.8 days [39]

In 2023, online fashion returns rates averaged 30% in the US [40]

In 2022, online clothing returns rate was about 35% in the UK [41]

In 2023, US consumers reported returning 43% of women’s apparel purchases online [42]

In 2021, fast fashion brands were responsible for 60% of new clothing units sold in Europe [43]

In 2023, online-only retailers accounted for 18.6% of apparel sales in the US [44]

In 2023, department stores accounted for 25.0% of apparel sales in the US [45]

In 2022, specialty stores accounted for 26.5% of apparel sales in the US [46]

In 2022, the average price of a fast fashion garment in the UK was £16.50 [47]

In 2022, the average price of luxury apparel in the US was $189 [48]

In 2023, the share of consumers who buy clothing by size/fit-first was 42% [49]

In 2023, 33% of consumers said they shop for clothing primarily for occasions [50]

In 2023, 28% of consumers shop for clothing primarily for wardrobe basics [51]

In 2023, 25% of consumers said they buy clothing mainly when on sale [52]

In 2022, US off-price apparel sales were $42.0 billion [53]

In 2023, the share of apparel bought via mobile devices was 37% of online apparel traffic [54]

In 2021, global sales of secondhand clothing reached $36 billion [55]

In 2019, 11.3 million tonnes of textiles were sent to landfills in the US [56]

In 2021, 9 million tonnes of textiles were incinerated in the EU [57]

In the EU, municipal waste incineration rate for textiles was around 23% [58]

Fashion’s carbon footprint is about 2.1 billion tonnes CO2e annually [59]

The clothing sector uses 79 trillion liters of water per year globally [60]

A single cotton T-shirt requires about 2,700 liters of water to produce [61]

Polyester is the dominant synthetic fiber, representing about 54% of global fiber production [62]

In 2018, global textile recycling market size was $600 million [63]

In the UK, around 2.0 million tonnes of textiles were collected for reuse/recycling in 2022 [64]

In 2022, the UK generated about 1.7 million tonnes of textile waste [65]

In Canada, textile diversion rate was 31% in 2021 [66]

In Japan, textile waste generation was 1.2 million tonnes in 2020 [67]

In the UK, clothing and textiles make up about 5% of household waste by weight [68]

In France, textile waste generation was about 900,000 tonnes in 2018 [69]

In Germany, about 1.0 million tonnes of textiles were collected in 2020 [70]

In 2022, global clothing use life shortened: average wears fell to 7 in some markets [71]

Rewearing clothing by 9 months can reduce carbon, water, and waste footprints [72]

The EU target is that by 2035, textile waste disposal to landfill should be avoided [73]

Americans spent $1,487 per person on clothing and footwear in 2022 [74]

In 2022, UK household spending on clothing and footwear was £1,179 per household [75]

In 2022, average annual clothing spend in Germany was €1,081 [76]

In 2022, average annual clothing spend in France was €1,070 [77]

In 2022, average annual clothing spend in Spain was €920 [78]

In the US, 15.2% of adults purchased clothing online in 2021 [79]

In 2022, 71% of consumers said they buy clothes online more than before [80]

In 2023, 45% of consumers in a survey said sustainability is a factor in clothing purchases [81]

In 2022, 39% of US consumers considered price the most important factor when buying apparel [82]

In 2023, 53% of shoppers prefer free returns when buying apparel online [83]

In 2023, 52% of consumers reported they bought fewer items but spent the same [84]

In 2022, 56% of online apparel shoppers said delivery speed affects their purchase decision [85]

In 2022, 61% of consumers consider fit/size important when purchasing clothing [86]

In 2021, 43% of shoppers in the US abandoned apparel purchases due to high shipping costs [87]

In 2020, 34% of consumers bought secondhand clothing [88]

In 2022, 67% of consumers said they would buy from brands that offer repair services [89]

In 2021, 46% of consumers said they expect brands to provide detailed product information for sustainability [90]

In 2022, 55% of apparel shoppers said they check return policies before buying [91]

In 2023, 58% of consumers in a survey said they buy basics and staples most frequently [92]

In 2022, 18% of consumers said they buy clothing at specialty stores [93]

In 2021, 12% of consumers said they buy clothing via social commerce [94]

In 2023, 25% of consumers reported using resale platforms for clothing purchase [95]

In 2020, the average number of times a piece of clothing is worn before disposal was 14 wears [96]

Workers in the global apparel supply chain have an estimated 28 million people in forced labor conditions [97]

In 2021, the ILO estimated 160 million people in child labor [98]

In 2022, US Customs seized $1.7 billion of counterfeit apparel goods [99]

In 2023, the EU adopted new rules on ecodesign for sustainable products including textiles [100]

The EU requires textile labeling including fiber composition [101]

The EU EPR for textiles is in force: producers must finance waste management for textile waste as per the waste framework [102]

California’s SB 62 (2020) textile recycling law sets targets starting 2025 [103]

France’s AGEC law requires companies to make textiles sorted for reuse/recycling starting 2025 [104]

The UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires companies to publish annual slavery and human trafficking statements [105]

The EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (proposed) will require due diligence for companies in specified sectors [106]

The EU Restricted Substances list (REACH) includes textile chemical restrictions for certain substances [107]

The EU POPs regulation restricts persistent organic pollutants, including some used in textiles [108]

The US imported $17.5 billion of textiles (apparel inputs) in 2022 [109]

China is the largest apparel exporter, with $142.1 billion apparel exports in 2022 [110]

Bangladesh is the second-largest apparel exporter with $41.2 billion apparel exports in 2022 [111]

Vietnam’s apparel exports were $39.2 billion in 2022 [112]

India’s apparel exports were $14.9 billion in 2022 [113]

Cambodia’s apparel exports were $7.3 billion in 2022 [114]

Turkey’s apparel exports were $14.7 billion in 2022 [115]

Türkiye’s textile and clothing exports were $35.6 billion in 2022 [116]

Garment workers in Bangladesh earned minimum wage of about $95/month in 2023 (set by wage board) [117]

In 2022, ILO estimated 27.6 million people were in forced labor, relevant to risk in labor-intensive industries [118]

The EU Ecolabel criteria for textiles include requirements on hazardous substances [119]

The EU Green Claims Directive aims to prevent misleading environmental claims for products like textiles [120]

The US Customs Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) enacted in 2021 targets forced labor in supply chains [121]

2021: 2.8% real growth in global apparel and footwear retail sales (inflation-adjusted), measured as the percent change vs. prior year [122]