Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The fashion industry employs over 75 million people worldwide
In the United States, nearly 1.8 million people were employed in the fashion industry as of 2020
India’s textile and garment industry employs more than 45 million people directly
As of 2023, 1.2 million people were employed in the EU textile industry
The UK fashion industry supports approximately 890,000 jobs
Fashion accounts for 6% of global employment
The apparel manufacturing sector in Bangladesh employs around 4 million workers
Over 70% of garment workers worldwide are women
About 300,000 people are employed in fashion manufacturing in Italy
Vietnam’s textile and garment industry employs over 2.5 million workers
China employs over 7 million workers in textile and apparel sectors
The average hourly wage for apparel manufacturing workers in the U.S. was $15.61 in 2021
Fashion retail jobs in the U.S. make up roughly 1.1 million positions
Employment by Country
- In the United States, nearly 1.8 million people were employed in the fashion industry as of 2020
- India’s textile and garment industry employs more than 45 million people directly
- The UK fashion industry supports approximately 890,000 jobs
- The apparel manufacturing sector in Bangladesh employs around 4 million workers
- About 300,000 people are employed in fashion manufacturing in Italy
- Vietnam’s textile and garment industry employs over 2.5 million workers
- China employs over 7 million workers in textile and apparel sectors
- Fashion retail jobs in the U.S. make up roughly 1.1 million positions
- The fashion industry in France employs about 600,000 people
- Around 20% of jobs in the Cambodian formal economy are in garment manufacturing
- The Nigerian fashion industry employs over 500,000 people
- Indonesia’s garment industry provides employment to more than 3 million workers
- The fashion industry accounts for 10% of total employment in Morocco
- Kenya’s fashion and apparel sector employs 60,000 people directly
- As of 2020, Mexico’s textile industry employed 415,000 workers
- Over 21,000 new fashion-related businesses launched in the UK in 2020, supporting employment
- About 200,000 people are employed in fashion and textiles in Spain
- Fashion modeling employs over 10,000 people in the U.S.
- The Philippines’ garment sector employs around 250,000 workers
- Textile and garment exports account for more than 50% of Pakistan’s total exports, employing millions
- The fashion industry in Los Angeles accounts for over 100,000 jobs
- In Turkey, over 1 million people are employed in the textile and apparel industry
- Ethiopia’s textile industry employs over 62,000 people
- France has over 10,000 fashion design-related job openings annually
- In Portugal, the textile sector employs about 140,000 people
- Shanghai is home to more than 1,200 fashion companies, employing tens of thousands
- Sweden’s textile and fashion industry employs nearly 12,000 people
- Germany’s fashion and textile sector employs approximately 130,000 people
- Poland’s fashion industry supports over 100,000 jobs
- 83% of fashion modeling jobs in the U.S. are held by women
- In Algeria, the fashion manufacturing sector employs 20,000 people
- Canada’s fashion industry sustains over 50,000 jobs
- Luxury fashion production in France generates over 100,000 jobs
- UAE’s fashion sector employs over 20,000 people
- South Korea’s fashion industry employs around 150,000 people
- Japan’s fashion and textile sector employs over 400,000 people
- Australia’s fashion and textiles industries employ over 220,000 people
- Brazil’s textile and apparel industry employs 1.5 million people
- Nearly 30% of employed people in Lesotho work in textiles
- Over 90% of the labor force in Nepal’s garment industry are women
- Tanzania’s textile sector employs more than 35,000 people
- Rwanda’s fashion industry employs 25,000 workers
- Zimbabwe’s textile sector employs around 10,000 workers
Interpretation
From Parisian ateliers to Bangladeshi factories, fashion quietly stitches together the global workforce with threads of culture, economy, and inequality—proving that behind every runway moment lies a vast human enterprise spanning continents and class.
Global Employment Figures
- The fashion industry employs over 75 million people worldwide
- As of 2023, 1.2 million people were employed in the EU textile industry
- Fashion accounts for 6% of global employment
- Over 70% of garment workers worldwide are women
- The denim industry employs over 2.5 million people globally
- The fashion design occupation is projected to grow by 3% from 2022 to 2032
- The fashion industry employs more women than men globally, particularly in production
- Sustainable fashion sector jobs have increased by over 12% annually since 2016
- The digital fashion job market has grown by 21% annually since 2019
- Fashion photography employs over 8,000 professionals worldwide
- The artisan and handmade fashion sector provides jobs for 200 million worldwide
- The global fashion e-commerce sector directly employs over 5 million people
Interpretation
Woven into the fabric of global employment, the fashion industry—powered largely by women and creativity—stitches together over 75 million jobs across design studios, digital platforms, artisan workshops, and denim factories, proving that what we wear shapes not just trends, but economies.
Industry Segments (eg, e-commerce, handmade, fast fashion)
- About 15% of new fashion jobs are tech-related
Interpretation
As couture meets code, the runway is getting a digital makeover—proof that fashion’s future isn’t just stitched in fabric, but in firmware too.
Labor Conditions and Standards
- The average hourly wage for apparel manufacturing workers in the U.S. was $15.61 in 2021
- In 2021, fashion designers in the U.S. had a median annual wage of $77,450
- Approximately 75% of factory employees in developing countries making fashion items are women aged 18-35
- The average age of garment workers in Bangladesh is 23 years
- Only 2% of fashion workers are paid a living wage
- The average garment worker in Central America earns under $300/month
- Around 95% of fashion brands do not pay garment workers a living wage
- In Sri Lanka, over 80% of garment workers are female
- Fashion industry retail sales employees often earn minimum wage or commission
- The average garment worker in Myanmar earns about $95 per month
- 50% of surveyed garment workers report unpaid overtime
- Around 60% of garment factory jobs in Central Asia are filled by migrant women
- Roughly 50% of garment workers do not have formal contracts
Interpretation
While fashion may strut down the runway in glamour, behind the seams it’s mostly young women earning poverty wages, stitching luxury with exploitation woven into every thread.
Manufacturing and Outsourcing Practices
- Less than 1% of clothing is recycled into new garments, impacting supply chain employment
- 80% of fashion jobs in production are located in low- and middle-income countries
- Over 90% of fashion companies outsource manufacturing to developing countries
Interpretation
While the fashion industry's glossy facade dazzles consumers, its reliance on underpaid labor in developing countries and a dismal garment recycling rate reveals a supply chain stitched together with exploitation and unsustainability.