Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The global denim jeans market size was valued at USD 77.67 billion in 2022
The denim market is projected to grow from $77.67 billion in 2022 to $121.50 billion by 2030
The market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8% from 2023 to 2030
Producing a single pair of jeans requires approximately 3,781 liters of water per Levi’s assessment
The UN states it takes up to 7,500 liters of water to make one pair of jeans from raw cotton to finished product
Denim production contributes to the fashion industry's 10% share of global carbon emissions
The average American woman owns 7 pairs of jeans
Only 4 pairs of jeans are worn on a regular basis by the average consumer despite owning more
56% of consumers say comfort is the most important factor when buying jeans
China is the world's largest exporter of denim fabric accounting for over 30% of global exports
Bangladesh is the second largest denim exporter to the EU and USA markets
Pakistan produces approximately 600 million linear meters of denim fabric annually
Levi Strauss & Co. reported net revenues of $6.2 billion in fiscal year 2022
Levi's Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) sales grew 12% in 2022 comprising 39% of total net revenues
Kontoor Brands (owner of Wrangler and Lee) reported 2022 revenue of $2.63 billion
Brands & Retail
- Levi Strauss & Co. reported net revenues of $6.2 billion in fiscal year 2022
- Levi's Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) sales grew 12% in 2022 comprising 39% of total net revenues
- Kontoor Brands (owner of Wrangler and Lee) reported 2022 revenue of $2.63 billion
- Wrangler's U.S. revenue increased by 8% in 2022 driven by western wear trends
- Diesel filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy for its US subsidiary in 2019 to restructure
- Old Navy typically sells over 40,000 pairs of jeans every day
- American Eagle Outfitters sold over $1 billion dollars worth of jeans in 2019
- Madewell represents over 25% of J.Crew Group's total revenue
- Inditex (Zara) uses denim in approximately 15-20% of its total apparel inventory
- G-Star Raw closed 10% of its stores globally in 2020 due to pandemic impacts
- Guess? Inc. derives approximately 40% of its revenue from denim and denim-related products
- Uniqlo's parent company Fast Retailing focuses on "BlueCycle" jeans to reduce water by 99%
- Gap Inc. aims to source 100% of its cotton from more sustainable sources by 2025
- PVH Corp (Tommy Hilfiger/Calvin Klein) denim sales account for approx $3 billion globally
- True Religion filed for bankruptcy for the second time in 2020 within three years
- The average price of a pair of designer jeans (e.g. Balmain) can exceed $1,000
- Amazon Essentials denim sales grew by 20% year-over-year in 2021
- Reformation claims their jeans save 1,460 gallons of water per pair compared to conventional retail
- Nudie Jeans offers free repairs forever on all their jeans repairing 63,000 pairs in 2019
- VF Corporation spun off its denim brands into Kontoor Brands in 2019 to focus on activewear
Interpretation
Denim has become an industry of extremes, with Levi's billion-dollar scale and direct-to-consumer surge rubbing shoulders with Amazon and Old Navy's mass-volume power and four-figure designer labels, while bankruptcies, store closures and brand reshuffles reveal real strain and water-saving technologies, repair-for-life programs and sustainable cotton commitments are fast becoming the new currency of credibility.
Consumer Behavior & Trends
- The average American woman owns 7 pairs of jeans
- Only 4 pairs of jeans are worn on a regular basis by the average consumer despite owning more
- 56% of consumers say comfort is the most important factor when buying jeans
- 37% of Gen Z consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable denim products
- Approximately 66% of jeans purchased by men are straight leg fit
- Skinny jeans lost 6 market share points to wide-leg styles among women in 2021
- The average consumer washes their jeans after every 3 wears
- 25% of consumers admit to never washing their raw denim jeans to preserve the fade
- 63% of consumers prefer to try on jeans in-store rather than buying online due to fit variability
- High-waisted jeans saw a 16% increase in sales popularity in 2020-2021
- 42% of consumers cite "durability" as a top reason for purchasing denim over other pants
- The resale value of vintage Levi's 501s has increased by over 50% in the last 5 years
- Women aged 18-34 are the heaviest buyers of denim purchasing an average of 3 pairs per year
- Athleisure trends caused a 5% dip in denim sales volume between 2017 and 2019
- 1 in 5 consumers have purchased a pair of second-hand jeans in the last year
- 73% of consumers expect brands to guarantee the fit of their jeans or offer free returns
- Searches for "baggy jeans" increased by 150% on Pinterest in 2021
- 15% of denim buyers are influenced by celebrity endorsements or influencer posts
- 89% of denim consumers check the fabric content label before purchasing to check for stretch
- Distressed denim remains a preference for 38% of younger consumers (18-24)
Interpretation
Americans own an average of seven pairs of jeans but reach for only four, so the brands that win will treat comfort, fit and durability as nonnegotiable, promise easy returns or in store try ons, lean into sustainable materials and resale to court Gen Z and vintage hunters, adapt silhouettes from classic straight legs and rising high waists to the new wide baggy wave, and respect everything from stretch content to raw denim wash rituals, because consumers apparently collect jeans like trophies but wear only a few as daily armor.
Market Size & Growth
- The global denim jeans market size was valued at USD 77.67 billion in 2022
- The denim market is projected to grow from $77.67 billion in 2022 to $121.50 billion by 2030
- The market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5.8% from 2023 to 2030
- North America held the largest revenue share of over 34.0% in the global denim market in 2022
- The Asia Pacific region is expected to register the highest CAGR of 6.6% from 2023 to 2030
- Men's jeans accounted for a market share of roughly 48% of the total denim market revenue in 2022
- The global premium denim jeans market size is estimated to reach USD 10.3 billion by 2025
- Online distribution channels for denim are expected to grow at a CAGR of 7.2% through 2030
- The U.S. denim jeans market alone was valued at approximately USD 17 billion in 2021
- China's denim market is forecast to reach a market size of US$15.8 Billion by the year 2026
- The mass market segment accounts for over 65% of denim sales volume globally
- Europe accounts for approximately 30% of the global denim market share
- The global denim fabric market size was valued at $19.7 billion in 2020
- By 2026 the global denim fabric market is projected to reach $28.3 billion
- The skinny jeans segment held a dominant market share of roughly 43% in 2019
- The women's denim segment is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.8% through 2027
- The secondhand apparel market including denim is expected to double in the next 5 years hitting $77 billion
- Subscription and rental denim models are expected to capture 2% of the market by 2025
- Japan's denim market is projected to grow at 3.2% CAGR over the analysis period
- Total denim retail sales in India are expected to reach $12 billion by 2028
Interpretation
Sturdy as a favorite pair that only gets better with wear, the global denim industry is set to swell from $77.7 billion in 2022 to $121.5 billion by 2030, anchored by North America’s largest slice while Asia Pacific grows fastest, the mass market still drives most volume even as premium, online and secondhand channels accelerate, men’s jeans account for roughly half the revenue, women’s and fabric segments expand steadily, and rental and subscription models begin to nibble at the edges.
Production & Supply Chain
- China is the world's largest exporter of denim fabric accounting for over 30% of global exports
- Bangladesh is the second largest denim exporter to the EU and USA markets
- Pakistan produces approximately 600 million linear meters of denim fabric annually
- Turkey is among the top 5 global suppliers of premium quality denim fabric
- There are over 40 denim mills currently operating in Bangladesh
- India has an installed capacity to produce over 1.5 billion meters of denim fabric per annum
- Cotton constitutes about 93% of the raw material used in the global denim manufacturing industry
- The labor cost component in a pair of jeans made in South East Asia is typically less than 3% of retail price
- Global cotton production for denim and other textiles reached 24.4 million metric tons in 2021/2022
- Over 40 million people worldwide are employed in the garment industry which includes denim production
- Cone Mills Corporation was once the largest producer of denim in the world before closing its US plant in 2017
- Kurabo Mills in Japan is credited with producing the first Japanese selvedge denim in 1972
- Vietnam's textile and garment exports including denim reached $39 billion in 2021
- Roughly 2.5 meters of denim fabric are required to produce one pair of adult jeans
- 80% of the world's denim is dyed with synthetic indigo derived from petroleum
- Mexico is the eighth largest exporter of denim jeans globally
- Candiani Denim in Italy is known as the "greenest mill in the blue world" for its sustainable supply chain
- Lead times for denim production from order to shipment average 60 to 90 days in traditional supply chains
- The cost of raw cotton fluctuated by over 40% in 2021 impacting denim supply chain costs
- Approximately 60% of the cost of a denim fabric sheet is attributed to raw material (cotton) costs
Interpretation
Jeans may be a wardrobe staple, but behind that blue lies a concentrated, cotton dependent global industry led by China, India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Turkey that dyes 80 percent of denim with petroleum based indigo, pays labor less than three percent of retail, relies on volatile cotton prices and 60 to 90 day lead times, and so despite huge scale, historic mills and pockets of sustainability, it carries serious environmental, economic and social risks.
Sustainability & Environment
- Producing a single pair of jeans requires approximately 3,781 liters of water per Levi’s assessment
- The UN states it takes up to 7,500 liters of water to make one pair of jeans from raw cotton to finished product
- Denim production contributes to the fashion industry's 10% share of global carbon emissions
- Approximately 70% of the freshwater used in denim production involves the washing and dyeing process
- Synthetic indigo dyes used in denim often release toxic amines into water systems if not treated
- Roughly 50,000 to 100,000 tons of synthetic indigo dye are produced annually for denim
- The finishing process of one pair of jeans can generate up to 2 kg of CO2 equivalent emissions
- About 35% of all microplastics in the ocean come from the laundering of synthetic textiles including stretch denim
- Less than 1% of material used to produce clothing including denim is recycled into new clothing
- Extending the life of a pair of jeans by just 9 months would reduce its carbon, water and waste footprint by 20-30%
- Organic cotton used in sustainable denim reduces water consumption by nearly 91% compared to conventional cotton
- Laser finishing technology in denim can reduce chemical usage by up to 90%
- Ozone washing technology reduces water consumption in denim bleaching by up to 65%
- 85% of textiles including denim end up in landfills or are incinerated annually
- Conventional cotton farming for denim accounts for 16% of global insecticide use
- One pair of used jeans contains approximately 35g of cotton fiber that can be reclaimed
- The Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s Jeans Redesign project guidelines were adopted by over 70 brands to ensure durability
- Bio-based indigo dyes are being developed to replace petrochemical dyes cutting CO2 by nearly 90% in dye production
- Stretch denim containing elastane is significantly harder to recycle than 100% cotton denim
- Washing jeans in cold water reduces energy consumption by 90% compared to warm water cycles
Interpretation
Every new pair of jeans carries a hidden blue bill, consuming thousands of liters of water, fueling the fashion industry's roughly 10 percent share of global carbon emissions, leaking toxic dyes and microplastics into waterways and usually ending up burned or buried; yet modest fixes like extending wear by nine months, washing in cold water, choosing organic cotton and adopting laser, ozone and bio‑indigo technologies could dramatically shrink that footprint.
References
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