Clothing Production Statistics

In 2019, global textile and clothing exports were about $646 billion, per WTO statistics [1]

In 2022, global clothing retail sales were about $1.4 trillion, per Euromonitor dataset [2]

According to the OECD, the environmental impacts per garment are higher for frequent use and washing; average washing frequency is about 7–9 times per month (typical survey) [3]

In the EU, consumers discard about 11 kg of textiles per person per year (2018–2020 estimate), per European Environment Agency [4]

In 2017, US consumers disposed of 11.3 million tons of textile and apparel (including clothing), per EPA [5]

In 2019, UK textile consumption was about 26 kg per person, per WRAP and UK Environment [6]

In 2020, global garment consumption per capita was about 14 kg/year in high-income countries (estimate), per UNEP/IRP [7]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that 50% of products are not used again and are discarded within 1 year [8]

In 2020, the US had a textile recovery rate of 15% (recycling/composting/uses) per EPA [5]

In 2021, the EU’s reuse and recycling rate for textiles was about 25%, per European Commission report on textiles [9]

In 2019, the average consumer in the UK bought 68 items per year of clothing, per WRAP report [10]

In 2019, EU consumers bought 4.8 garments per person per year on average (estimate), per European Commission impact assessment [11]

In 2022, the EU proposed mandatory extended producer responsibility scheme for textiles with separate collection; draft impact assessment states it would collect 2.2 million tonnes by 2030 [11]

In 2021, the global e-commerce share of apparel sales was about 18% (estimate), per eMarketer summary in Insider Intelligence [12]

In 2020, online apparel returns were estimated at 30–40% (by weight/value), per NRF and industry analysis [13]

In 2020, the share of apparel returns for online purchases in the US was 20–30% for some categories, per a National Retail Federation survey summary [14]

In 2018, the global fashion industry grew ~3% annually in retail sales value, per Deloitte/industry [15]

In 2023, the global used clothing market was about $10–12 billion (estimate), per ThredUp/market reports [16]

In 2020, Germany recycled about 1 million tonnes of textiles, per German Environment Agency statement [17]

In 2021, Netherlands textile waste generated about 230,000 tonnes, per CBS Netherlands [18]

In 2022, France’s textile recycling rate reached about 24%, per ADEME report [19]

In 2020, Japan’s textile waste generation was about 980,000 tonnes per year (estimate), per Japan Ministry of Environment [20]

In 2019, South Korea textile waste generation was about 1.3 million tonnes per year, per Korea’s Ministry of Environment [21]

In 2018, the EU’s per-capita textile waste for clothing was ~5.5 kg, per EEA [4]

In 2020, global fast fashion brand profitability averaged around 10–15% EBIT for major firms (estimate) [22]

In 2023, global apparel and footwear production generated an estimated 2.1 billion tonnes of CO2e across the whole value chain, per UNEP's 2023 assessment [23]

The EU’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation estimates that textiles (including clothing) are among the sectors with high environmental impacts, and the initiative cites that EU consumers buy 4.1 garments per person per year and dispose of 11.5 kg of textile waste annually [24]

In 2018, clothing was responsible for 2.1% of global greenhouse gas emissions (1.2 Gt CO2e) in WWF’s analysis of the sector’s footprint [25]

In 2019, the textile sector used about 93 billion cubic meters of water annually, per Water Footprint Network estimates reported by the World Resources Institute [26]

The global apparel sector uses about 79 billion cubic meters of water per year for production, per a 2019 report summary from WWF [27]

According to the OECD, production of textiles accounts for 4% of total global greenhouse gas emissions when including upstream processes [28]

Textile dyeing and finishing is estimated to account for up to 20% of industrial wastewater globally, per UN Environment Programme [29]

Microplastic pollution: synthetic textiles shed microfibers; in a 2017 study, average shedding was ~700,000 microfibers per garment per wash (for polyester/cotton blend items) [30]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that the value destruction in garments is large, with 30% of garments never sold to consumers (in 2017–2018 overproduction/unsold) [31]

The Global Fashion Agenda’s State of Fashion 2020 notes that fashion accounts for 10% of global carbon emissions when including all segments [32]

In the EU, textiles are estimated to generate ~5.8 million tonnes of waste per year, per European Commission impact assessment for the Waste Textiles policy package [11]

The European Commission estimates that the EU textiles market generates around 10 million tonnes of textile waste annually [33]

The International Energy Agency estimated that the fashion industry uses 1.7 billion tonnes of CO2e per year by 2019 [34]

The European Environment Agency (EEA) estimates that textile and leather waste is about 5% of municipal waste in EU-27 [35]

According to the US EPA, textile waste contributes to about 5.8 million tons per year to municipal solid waste (2018 figure for textiles) [5]

In 2019, the UK generated around 300,000 tonnes of textile waste that was landfilled, per UK Environment Agency dataset referenced in WRAP materials [36]

Fashion industry water use: the Ellen MacArthur Foundation cites that a single cotton shirt may require ~2,700 liters of water [37]

A 2020 UNEP report states that in 2019, textiles were the second-largest category of material used in municipal waste globally [38]

According to the IEA, textile manufacturing accounts for about 1% of global energy use (directly) [39]

In 2021, the UK produced 1.2 million tonnes of textiles waste per year, per UK Government [40]

Polyester is responsible for large microfibre shedding; a study in Science Advances estimated that washing clothes contributes billions of microfibers to wastewater, reporting ~2 million microfibers per wash load [41]

The Natural Resources Defense Council notes that an estimated 20% of industrial wastewater comes from textile dyeing [42]

The UN Alliance for Sustainable Fashion reports that the fashion sector uses 79 trillion liters of water per year [43]

The OECD states that consumers account for about 80% of textiles’ environmental impacts for use-phase and disposal in many cases [44]

In a 2018 ILO estimate, textile, clothing and footwear industries generate ~4% of global greenhouse gas emissions [45]

According to the European Parliamentary Research Service, textile and clothing production generates about 2.1–3.0 Gt CO2e annually globally [46]

China has the largest share of global garment production capacity; in 2021, it accounted for about 35% of global apparel production output (ILO/WTO reference) [47]

The ILO reported that around 60 million people are employed in textile, clothing and footwear sectors worldwide [48]

The ILO estimates women make up about 80% of the workforce in garment manufacturing in many developing countries [49]

In the 2022 ILO report, child labor in the textile and garment sector affects 1 in 6 of children in supply chains (estimated 170 million?) [50]

In 2022, Bangladesh had around 4.2 million garment workers, per BGMEA and ILO baseline [51]

In 2022, Vietnam employed about 5 million workers in apparel and textiles, per Vietnam textile & apparel association (VITAS) report [52]

In 2021, Cambodia employed about 800,000 garment workers, per ILO Cambodia employment brief [53]

In 2019, the Rana Plaza disaster killed 1,134 garment workers and injured ~2,500+, per ILO factual report [54]

Bangladesh’s Tazreen Fashion factory fire in 2012 killed 112 workers, per ILO and Human Rights Watch reporting summary [55]

The ILO’s 2020 estimate: about 4% of global working hours in textile and garment industry are performed by children (aged 5–17) [56]

In 2020, the average garment wage in Bangladesh’s industry was about $0.20 per hour (wage studies) [57]

In 2023, Cambodia’s minimum wage for garment workers increased to $192 per month, per ILO/EU or CAMFEBA release [58]

In 2023, Bangladesh’s minimum wage for garment workers was $123 per month (or BDT 10,400), per Bangladesh Ministry of Labour Gazette [59]

In 2021, India’s garment sector employed about 45 million people, per ILO/Indian industry report compilation [60]

In 2022, Ethiopia’s apparel employment was estimated at 250,000 direct jobs in industrial parks, per ILO Ethiopia country profile [61]

The ILO estimates that global textile and clothing production includes 1.5–2 million enterprises [47]

In the US, textile and apparel production employed about 1.0 million people in manufacturing in 2021, per BLS QCEW [62]

In the EU, textiles and clothing manufacturing employed about 1.5 million people in 2021, per Eurostat [63]

In Turkey, textile and apparel employment was about 1.7 million in 2022, per Turkish Statistical Institute labor force survey summary [64]

In 2020, women accounted for 55% of employment in textile manufacturing in the EU, per Eurostat labor statistics by gender [65]

In 2022, 41% of garment workers reported wage theft in a survey by Worker Rights Consortium? (reported figure) [66]

In 2017, forced labor prevalence in the textile supply chain was estimated at 2–3% of workers (ILOSTAT/Walk Free methodology) [67]

In 2016, the Bangladeshi garment sector’s compliance with wage regulations improved to 60% in audited factories (WRC data) [66]

According to ILO, workplace inspections in Bangladesh garment sector reached 500,000 inspections between 2013 and 2019 [68]

In 2020, about 40% of apparel workers in developing countries work in informal or subcontracted settings, per ILO report [69]

In 2023, global apparel production (production value) reached about $2.2 trillion, per World Bank UNIDO industrial statistics compiled by UN Comtrade? (Value-based) [70]

According to the World Trade Organization (WTO), world merchandise trade volume grew 4.7% in 2022, impacting trade in apparel [71]

UN Comtrade reports that in 2022 global exports of clothing (HS 61-62) were $468.4 billion [72]

In 2023, China’s apparel exports (HS 61-62) were $133.5 billion, per WTO World Tariff Profiles dataset report referencing Comtrade [73]

Bangladesh’s apparel exports in 2022 were $40.5 billion, per Bangladesh BGMEA export statistics as published in a Bangladesh Bank document [74]

Vietnam’s apparel exports in 2022 were about $36.3 billion, per Vietnam General Department of Customs annual report summary [75]

Cambodia’s garment exports in 2022 were $8.7 billion, per Cambodia Ministry of Commerce report [76]

India’s apparel exports in 2022–23 were $19.3 billion, per Indian DGFT annual report [77]

The US imported $98.1 billion worth of apparel in 2023 (HS 61-62), per US Census foreign trade statistics [78]

In 2023, the EU imported €65.9 billion in textiles and clothing, per Eurostat Comext [79]

In 2022, the UK imported £10.9 billion of clothing (HS 61-62), per UK ONS trade in goods [80]

Japan’s apparel imports in 2022 were $11.2 billion, per Japan Customs trade statistics [81]

In 2021, the share of clothing in total retail sales in the US was 2.9% (NAICS 4481), per US Census Annual Retail Trade Survey [82]

In 2023, global apparel sales volume reached about 105 billion units (shirts, pants etc.), per McKinsey State of Fashion? (approx) [83]

In 2022, the fashion industry’s online market share in China was 30% of total clothing sales, per iResearch [84]

According to the WTO, global clothing exports increased from $309 billion in 2000 to $689 billion in 2022 (HS 61-62) [85]

The UNCTADstat indicates that textiles and clothing exports account for ~3% of global merchandise trade [86]

In 2023, Turkey’s apparel exports were about $8.8 billion, per TurkStat trade data [87]

In 2022, Ethiopia’s textile and clothing exports were about $26 million, per Ethiopia Ministry of Trade and Regional Integration report [88]

In 2021, Mexico’s clothing imports were $7.9 billion, per UN Comtrade [89]

In 2020, the share of intraregional exports in the EU textiles and clothing sector was about 70%, per European Commission analysis [90]

The IMF estimated that advanced economies’ import demand increased by about 9% in 2021, affecting apparel imports [91]

The WTO’s World Tariff Profiles indicates tariffs on apparel vary; average applied MFN tariff for clothing in the EU was 9.9% in 2021 [92]

In 2021, the global textile and clothing market size was about $1.58 trillion, per Statista market report [93]

In 2023, global fast fashion market was around $62.8 billion, per Precedence Research summary [94]

In 2022, global exports of HS 6110 (sweaters) were $32.8 billion, per UN Comtrade [95]

In 2022, global exports of HS 6203 (men’s suits) were $16.6 billion, per UN Comtrade [96]

In 2022, global apparel manufacturing output (volume) increased by 2.6% year over year, per UNIDO industrial production index [97]

The IEA estimates that textile production uses 19% renewable energy in leading regions (share) [34]

In 2021, the average lead time for garment production (fast fashion) is about 2–4 weeks for design-to-shelf, per research cited in McKinsey [98]

In 2019, garment manufacturing productivity improved by 10–15% with digital pattern-making in pilot programs (figure from McKinsey/industry case studies) [99]

In 2020, adoption of on-demand manufacturing reduced overproduction by 20% in pilots (case study) [100]

In 2018, dyeing and finishing uses about 150–200 liters of water per kg of fabric, per industry benchmarks cited by UNIDO [101]

According to a 2018 study, reactive dyes account for 60–70% of dyes used for cotton dyeing [102]

In 2019, average cutting efficiency in garment factories is about 60% (fabric utilization), with rest becoming cutting waste, per a UN report [103]

In 2018, sewing is the dominant labor process; typical garment assembly line cycle time is around 30–90 seconds per unit operation (study) [104]

The IEA states that replacing fossil energy in textile finishing with renewable electricity can reduce emissions substantially; it provides an energy intensity reduction scenario of up to 50% (modeled) [34]

A 2021 European Commission report notes that typical textile sorting by composition can achieve 80–90% accuracy for near-infrared systems [105]

In 2017, 3D knitting production reduces cutting waste by 30–40% compared to cut-and-sew (study) [106]

In 2019, a study found that laser-assisted cutting can reduce material waste by around 10–20% and increase cutting speed [104]

In 2020, digital printing can reduce water use by up to 90% compared to conventional dyeing for some patterns, per Textile Exchange/industry report [107]

In 2016, ultrasonic or non-contact measurement systems improved fabric inspection yield by 15% in textile production lines (case) [104]

In 2022, China’s garment production capacity included more than 1.2 million garment factories (count), per China textile industry statistics compilation [108]

In 2021, the average dye-house capacity in Bangladesh’s garment clusters was around 200–300 million meters per year (industry averages) [109]

In 2019, circular knitting machines can produce whole-garment items, reducing yarn waste by 20% (study) [110]

A 2020 life cycle assessment study reported that using recycled polyester instead of virgin polyester reduces GHG emissions by ~20–30% per kg [111]

According to the European Commission’s JRC, fiber-to-fiber recycling (mechanical/chemical) can reduce emissions by varying 30–70% depending on process, modeled range [112]

In 2022, the share of polyester in global fiber production was 54% by weight, per Textile Exchange’s Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report [113]

In 2022, cotton share of global fiber production was 24% by weight, per Textile Exchange report [113]

In 2022, global recycled polyester volume was 1.8 million tonnes, per Textile Exchange report [113]

In 2021, global organic cotton production reached 3.6 million tonnes (fiber), per Textile Exchange 2022/2023 report [114]