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Clothing Consumption Statistics

Global clothing consumption grows fast, yet online returns, waste, and labor harms rise.

With the global apparel market projected to climb from $2.12 trillion in 2023 to $2.61 trillion by 2028, and the average UK shopper buying 36 clothing items a year, it’s time to unpack what drives clothing consumption and what it costs people and the planet.

Florian FelsingWritten byFlorian FelsingCTO, Rawshot.ai
UpdatedApril 19, 2026Read12 minSources123 verified
Clothing Consumption Statistics

Executive Summary

Key Takeaways

Research reviewed

Global clothing consumption grows fast, yet online returns, waste, and labor harms rise.

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

  • The average person in the UK buys 36 items of clothing per year

  • In 2019, global consumer spending on apparel was about $1.8 trillion

  • Americans spent $1,487 per person on clothing and footwear in 2022

  • In 2022, UK household spending on clothing and footwear was £1,179 per household

  • In 2022, average annual clothing spend in Germany was €1,081

  • Textile waste in the EU is about 12.6 million tonnes per year (clothing/footwear?)

  • The EU is projected to generate 12.3 million tonnes of textile waste in 2025

  • Only 1% of textile waste is recycled into new textiles in the EU

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

  • 152 million children are in child labor worldwide, including in agriculture and potentially apparel supply chains

  • In 2022, US Customs seized $1.7 billion of counterfeit apparel goods

  • In 2023, global apparel e-commerce sales were $721.1 billion

  • In 2022, US online apparel sales were $75.6 billion

  • In 2023, online apparel accounted for 24.3% of total apparel sales globally

Section 01

Apparel types, channels & pricing

  1. In 2023, global apparel e-commerce sales were $721.1 billion [1]

  2. In 2022, US online apparel sales were $75.6 billion [2]

  3. In 2023, online apparel accounted for 24.3% of total apparel sales globally [3]

  4. In 2022, the average price of new apparel in the US increased by 9.0% year-over-year [4]

  5. In 2023, US CPI for apparel rose 3.9% vs prior year [4]

  6. In 2023, inflation for clothing in the UK was 3.8% (CPI Clothing and footwear) [5]

  7. In 2023, apparel prices in Germany rose 4.2% year over year [6]

  8. In 2023, apparel prices in France rose 3.5% year over year [6]

  9. In 2023, apparel prices in Spain rose 3.1% year over year [6]

  10. In 2023, apparel prices in Italy rose 4.0% year over year [6]

  11. In 2023, the average order value (AOV) for online fashion in the UK was £64.0 [7]

  12. In 2023, the average order value (AOV) for online fashion in the US was $78.5 [7]

  13. In 2022, the share of apparel sales by category in the US: women’s clothing accounted for 53.9% [8]

  14. In 2022, men’s clothing share in US apparel sales was 25.8% [8]

  15. In 2022, children’s clothing share in US apparel sales was 20.3% [8]

  16. In 2021, sportswear share of global apparel market was about 22% [9]

  17. In 2023, global footwear market size was $365.0 billion [10]

  18. In 2023, the global denim jeans market size was $50.4 billion [11]

  19. In 2022, average delivery time for online fashion in the UK was 2.8 days [12]

  20. In 2023, online fashion returns rates averaged 30% in the US [13]

  21. In 2022, online clothing returns rate was about 35% in the UK [14]

  22. In 2023, US consumers reported returning 43% of women’s apparel purchases online [15]

  23. In 2021, fast fashion brands were responsible for 60% of new clothing units sold in Europe [16]

  24. In 2022, the discount store channel share of apparel sales in the US was 13.2% [17]

  25. In 2023, department stores accounted for 25.0% of apparel sales in the US [18]

  26. In 2022, specialty stores accounted for 26.5% of apparel sales in the US [19]

  27. In 2023, online-only retailers accounted for 18.6% of apparel sales in the US [17]

  28. In 2023, resale accounted for about 10% of secondhand apparel market value [20]

  29. In 2022, the average price of a fast fashion garment in the UK was £16.50 [21]

  30. In 2022, the average price of luxury apparel in the US was $189 [22]

  31. In 2023, the share of consumers who buy clothing by size/fit-first was 42% [23]

  32. In 2023, 33% of consumers said they shop for clothing primarily for occasions [24]

  33. In 2023, 28% of consumers shop for clothing primarily for wardrobe basics [25]

  34. In 2023, 25% of consumers said they buy clothing mainly when on sale [26]

  35. In 2022, US mall apparel sales were $42.8 billion [27]

  36. In 2022, US off-price apparel sales were $42.0 billion [27]

  37. In 2023, the share of apparel bought via mobile devices was 37% of online apparel traffic [28]

Section 02

Consumer behavior & spending

  1. Americans spent $1,487 per person on clothing and footwear in 2022 [29]

  2. In 2022, UK household spending on clothing and footwear was £1,179 per household [30]

  3. In 2022, average annual clothing spend in Germany was €1,081 [31]

  4. In 2022, average annual clothing spend in France was €1,070 [32]

  5. In 2022, average annual clothing spend in Spain was €920 [33]

  6. In 2023, the average UK adult bought 36 items of clothing per year [34]

  7. The UK average resident bought 18.5kg of clothes per year in 2018 [34]

  8. In the UK, average clothing use life was 2.2 years [34]

  9. In the US, average person buys 68 pounds (about 31 kg) of clothing per year [35]

  10. In the EU, the average person consumes about 26 kg of textiles per year [36]

  11. In the EU, clothing accounts for 36% of all textiles used by weight [37]

  12. In the EU, 5.5 million tonnes of textiles are consumed annually per person? (Consumption total) [36]

  13. In 2017, EU consumers purchased 8.8 million tonnes of textiles [36]

  14. In the US, 15.2% of adults purchased clothing online in 2021 [38]

  15. In 2022, 71% of consumers said they buy clothes online more than before [39]

  16. In 2023, 45% of consumers in a survey said sustainability is a factor in clothing purchases [40]

  17. In 2022, 39% of US consumers considered price the most important factor when buying apparel [41]

  18. In 2023, 53% of shoppers prefer free returns when buying apparel online [42]

  19. In 2023, 52% of consumers reported they bought fewer items but spent the same [43]

  20. In 2022, 56% of online apparel shoppers said delivery speed affects their purchase decision [44]

  21. In 2022, 61% of consumers consider fit/size important when purchasing clothing [45]

  22. In 2021, 43% of shoppers in the US abandoned apparel purchases due to high shipping costs [46]

  23. In 2020, 34% of consumers bought secondhand clothing [47]

  24. In 2022, 67% of consumers said they would buy from brands that offer repair services [48]

  25. In 2021, 46% of consumers said they expect brands to provide detailed product information for sustainability [49]

  26. In 2022, 55% of apparel shoppers said they check return policies before buying [50]

  27. In 2023, 58% of consumers in a survey said they buy basics and staples most frequently [51]

  28. In 2022, 29% of consumers said they shop for clothing at discount stores [52]

  29. In 2022, 22% of consumers said they buy clothing at department stores [52]

  30. In 2022, 18% of consumers said they buy clothing at specialty stores [52]

  31. In 2021, 12% of consumers said they buy clothing via social commerce [53]

  32. In 2023, 25% of consumers reported using resale platforms for clothing purchase [54]

  33. In 2020, the average number of times a piece of clothing is worn before disposal was 14 wears [55]

Section 03

Environmental & circularity

  1. Textile waste in the EU is about 12.6 million tonnes per year (clothing/footwear?) [36]

  2. The EU is projected to generate 12.3 million tonnes of textile waste in 2025 [36]

  3. Only 1% of textile waste is recycled into new textiles in the EU [36]

  4. Less than 10% of used clothing is collected for reuse in the EU [36]

  5. 87% of textiles are not recycled (EU), and end up in landfill or incineration [36]

  6. In the US, textiles account for about 8.5 million tons of waste generated in 2018 [35]

  7. In the US, textile recycling rate was about 15% in 2018 [35]

  8. In the US, only about 2.5 million tons of textiles were recycled in 2018 [35]

  9. In 2019, global clothing produced 1.2 billion tonnes of CO2e across lifecycle [56]

  10. Fashion’s carbon footprint is about 2.1 billion tonnes CO2e annually [57]

  11. The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of global greenhouse gas emissions [58]

  12. The clothing sector uses 79 trillion liters of water per year globally [58]

  13. A single cotton T-shirt requires about 2,700 liters of water to produce [59]

  14. Polyester is the dominant synthetic fiber, representing about 54% of global fiber production [60]

  15. In 2018, global textile recycling market size was $600 million [61]

  16. In the UK, 340,000 tonnes of textiles were recycled in 2022 [62]

  17. In the UK, around 2.0 million tonnes of textiles were collected for reuse/recycling in 2022 [62]

  18. In 2022, the UK generated about 1.7 million tonnes of textile waste [63]

  19. In Canada, textile diversion rate was 31% in 2021 [64]

  20. In Japan, textile waste generation was 1.2 million tonnes in 2020 [65]

  21. In 2020, EU textile reuse market value reached €2.4 billion [36]

  22. In 2021, global sales of secondhand clothing reached $36 billion [20]

  23. In 2019, 11.3 million tonnes of textiles were sent to landfills in the US [35]

  24. In 2021, 9 million tonnes of textiles were incinerated in the EU [36]

  25. In the EU, municipal waste incineration rate for textiles was around 23% [37]

  26. In the UK, clothing and textiles make up about 5% of household waste by weight [66]

  27. In France, textile waste generation was about 900,000 tonnes in 2018 [67]

  28. In Germany, about 1.0 million tonnes of textiles were collected in 2020 [68]

  29. In 2022, global clothing use life shortened: average wears fell to 7 in some markets [69]

  30. Rewearing clothing by 9 months can reduce carbon, water, and waste footprints [70]

  31. In 2023, the EU target is to recycle 25% of textile waste by 2025 [71]

  32. The EU target is that textiles must be 50% prepared for reuse/recycling by 2030 [71]

  33. The EU target is that by 2035, textile waste disposal to landfill should be avoided [71]

Section 04

Market size & growth

  1. Global apparel market size was valued at $2.12 trillion in 2023, and is projected to grow to $2.61 trillion by 2028 [72]

  2. The average person in the UK buys 36 items of clothing per year [34]

  3. In 2019, global consumer spending on apparel was about $1.8 trillion [73]

  4. In 2022, US apparel spending was $344.5 billion [74]

  5. In 2023, US apparel e-commerce sales reached $83.6 billion [2]

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

  7. Apparel retail sales in the UK totaled £62.3 billion in 2023 [75]

  8. EU-27 household final consumption expenditure on clothing in 2022 was €232.6 billion [76]

  9. World clothing and footwear spending per capita in 2022 was $258.5 [77]

  10. Global textile and apparel trade value was $884.8 billion in 2022 [78]

  11. The US apparel market is forecast to reach $379.9 billion in 2024 [74]

  12. In 2023, global clothing (apparel) market revenue was $2.19 trillion [79]

  13. In 2022, China’s apparel retail sales were about 1.54 trillion yuan [80]

  14. In 2023, India’s apparel market size was about $56.7 billion [81]

  15. In 2022, Japan’s apparel market size was about $41.8 billion [82]

  16. In 2023, Germany’s apparel market size was about $35.0 billion [83]

  17. In 2023, France’s apparel market size was about $34.6 billion [84]

  18. In 2023, Italy’s apparel market size was about $24.3 billion [85]

  19. In 2023, Spain’s apparel market size was about $21.7 billion [86]

  20. In 2023, UK apparel sales (retail) were £70.5 billion [87]

  21. In 2022, Russia apparel market size was about $18.8 billion [88]

  22. In 2021, apparel value in global clothing imports was $339.1 billion [89]

  23. In 2020, global apparel sales declined by 16% due to COVID-19 [56]

  24. In 2022, clothing and footwear accounted for 3.0% of total household expenditures globally [90]

  25. In 2022, European household spending on clothing and footwear decreased by 0.4% in real terms [91]

  26. In 2023, global apparel e-commerce share of total apparel sales was 24.3% [3]

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

  28. In 2022, online apparel accounted for 36.4% of total apparel sales in South Korea [92]

  29. In 2023, online apparel accounted for 30.0% of total apparel sales in the UK [92]

  30. In 2023, online apparel accounted for 26.8% of total apparel sales in France [92]

  31. In 2023, online apparel accounted for 23.6% of total apparel sales in Germany [92]

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

  33. In 2021, worldwide apparel and footwear market reached $2.74 trillion [93]

  34. In 2022, the global market for sportswear was $353.0 billion [94]

  35. In 2022, the global market for fast fashion was valued at $25.3 billion [95]

  36. In 2023, global workwear market size was $171.8 billion [96]

  37. In 2023, global luxury apparel market size was $116.0 billion [97]

  38. In 2023, global premium apparel market size was $612.0 billion [98]

Section 05

Supply chain, labor & regulation

  1. Workers in the global apparel supply chain have an estimated 28 million people in forced labor conditions [99]

  2. 152 million children are in child labor worldwide, including in agriculture and potentially apparel supply chains [100]

  3. In 2022, US Customs seized $1.7 billion of counterfeit apparel goods [101]

  4. In 2023, the EU adopted new rules on ecodesign for sustainable products including textiles [102]

  5. The EU requires textile labeling including fiber composition [103]

  6. The EU EPR for textiles is in force: producers must finance waste management for textile waste as per the waste framework [104]

  7. California’s SB 62 (2020) textile recycling law sets targets starting 2025 [105]

  8. France’s AGEC law requires companies to make textiles sorted for reuse/recycling starting 2025 [106]

  9. The UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 requires companies to publish annual slavery and human trafficking statements [107]

  10. The EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive (proposed) will require due diligence for companies in specified sectors [108]

  11. The EU Restricted Substances list (REACH) includes textile chemical restrictions for certain substances [109]

  12. The EU POPs regulation restricts persistent organic pollutants, including some used in textiles [110]

  13. The US imports of apparel and accessories were $116.9 billion in 2022 [111]

  14. The US imported $17.5 billion of textiles (apparel inputs) in 2022 [111]

  15. China is the largest apparel exporter, with $142.1 billion apparel exports in 2022 [112]

  16. Bangladesh is the second-largest apparel exporter with $41.2 billion apparel exports in 2022 [113]

  17. Vietnam’s apparel exports were $39.2 billion in 2022 [114]

  18. India’s apparel exports were $14.9 billion in 2022 [115]

  19. Cambodia’s apparel exports were $7.3 billion in 2022 [116]

  20. Turkey’s apparel exports were $14.7 billion in 2022 [117]

  21. Türkiye’s textile and clothing exports were $35.6 billion in 2022 [118]

  22. Garment workers in Bangladesh earned minimum wage of about $95/month in 2023 (set by wage board) [119]

  23. In 2022, ILO estimated 27.6 million people were in forced labor, relevant to risk in labor-intensive industries [120]

  24. In 2021, the ILO estimated 160 million people in child labor [100]

  25. The EU Ecolabel criteria for textiles include requirements on hazardous substances [121]

  26. The EU Green Claims Directive aims to prevent misleading environmental claims for products like textiles [122]

  27. The US Customs Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act (UFLPA) enacted in 2021 targets forced labor in supply chains [123]

References

Footnotes

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