Gen Z Fast Fashion Statistics

84% of Gen Z consumers say they have worn clothing only a few times before discarding it (survey by The RealReal/consumers) [1]

Gen Z is more likely than older groups to “order more than they need” and return items (returns behavior), with returns rates often ~20–30% in e-commerce fashion (industry) [2]

In a US survey, 24% of Gen Z said they have returned online purchases frequently (returns survey) [3]

In the US, returns for apparel are about 25% of online orders (NRF/industry) [4]

73% of consumers report buying clothing at least partly because of low prices (discount culture) [5]

Gen Z report higher sensitivity to promotions: 69% say they use discounts/coupons before buying (survey by RetailMeNot) [6]

57% of Gen Z say they dispose of unwanted clothing by throwing it away or donating (thredUp/charity surveys) [7]

33% of Gen Z say they have sold items on resale platforms (Depop/Vinted) [8]

Depop: Depop facilitated millions of transactions; e.g., in 2021 there were 30 million app downloads (App data) [9]

Vinted: Vinted users hit 70 million in 2022 (company report) [10]

ThredUp reported 400+ million items sold/resold since founding (company data) [11]

61% of shoppers say they would rather buy from brands with loyalty programs (Loyalty research) [12]

46% of Gen Z say they participate in fast-fashion brand loyalty/rewards programs (survey) [13]

38% of Gen Z say they can’t identify sustainable differences between brands (trust) [14]

54% of Gen Z say they switch brands frequently to get better deals (consumer panel) [15]

47% of Gen Z say they buy from brands they see in influencer content rather than based on past brand loyalty (creator economy study) [16]

28% of Gen Z have used resale apps because they’re cheaper (ThredUp) [7]

45% of Gen Z say they have used a “buy now pay later” plan at least once (BNPL survey) [17]

Klarna reported that 70% of shoppers use BNPL for fashion (merchant stats) [18]

52% of Gen Z say they prefer cheaper alternatives even if quality is lower (survey) [19]

34% of Gen Z say they keep clothes in closets for a long time rather than wear them (waste/wardrobe study) [20]

29% of Gen Z say they “never” wear items again once they’re out of style (survey) [21]

21% of Gen Z say they discard items because they don’t fit anymore (fit/wardrobe survey) [22]

In the US, donation rates for clothing are around 15% of garments consumed (EPA/industry) [23]

In the UK, reuse/donation is around 25% for textiles in waste streams (WRAP) [24]

In the EU, around 60% of clothing is not recycled and is landfilled/incinerated (EEA) [25]

In the US, resale/consignment is a small fraction of textile management; only about 1% becomes new clothing (Ellen MacArthur / US) [26]

Gen Z participates heavily in “wardrobe refresh” cycles; e.g., 1-in-3 Gen Z shop for clothing every month (YouGov) [27]

42% of Gen Z say they purchase items they don’t plan to wear for a long time (fast fashion behavior) [28]

55% of Gen Z say they’ve bought items that later went unused (wardrobe waste survey) [1]

In a US survey, 40% of Gen Z reported having clothes they no longer wear in their closet (retail survey) [29]

ThredUp’s research indicates a large share of women in Gen Z have “unwanted” clothing; e.g., 75% of women have clothes they don’t wear (company consumer research) [7]

Depop’s seller community exceeded 20 million in 2021 (platform stats) [8]

Vinted reported that 1 item is sold every ~10 seconds (company press) [10]

In a 2023 survey, 58% of Gen Z said they shop to express identity, affecting fast fashion consumption (survey) [30]

61% of Gen Z say they are “more likely to buy” when seeing outfit ideas on social apps (influencer survey) [31]

Gen Z (born 1997–2003) make up 25% of the global population [32]

In the US, Gen Z are 72.6 million people [33]

In 2020, Gen Z accounted for about 22% of the US population [34]

In the US, adults ages 18–24 and 25–29 are commonly grouped as early/mid Gen Z in surveys; those two age groups were 41.8 million and 43.0 million respectively in 2023 [35]

The median age of Gen Z globally is about 19 years (UNFPA definition) [32]

Gen Z is projected to be ~27% of the global population by 2025 [32]

Gen Z is expected to reach 2 billion people globally by 2030 [32]

US Gen Z is 35% of global consumer spending growth (McKinsey) [36]

Gen Z in the US spend the most online per shopper among generations (comScore/NP—often cited by retail analysts as Gen Z spending being highest online) [37]

Gen Z is about 1/4 of adults in several developed markets; in the UK, 16–24-year-olds were 12% of the population (ONS) [38]

In Canada, 15–24-year-olds were 12.0% of the population in 2023 (Statistics Canada) [39]

In Australia, 15–24-year-olds were 11.1% of the population in 2023 (ABS) [40]

In France, 15–24-year-olds were 10.7% of the population in 2023 (INSEE) [41]

In Germany, 15–24-year-olds were 10.9% in 2023 (Destatis) [42]

In Japan, 15–24-year-olds were 8.1% of population in 2023 (Statistics Bureau of Japan) [43]

In Brazil, 15–24-year-olds were 15.0% in 2023 (IBGE) [44]

“Generation Z” typically spans ages 18–24 (US marketing analyses), and 18–24 were 18.2% of the population in 2023 (US Census ACS-based estimate) [45]

“Gen Z” are 24% of smartphone users globally (Deloitte/We Are Social-type figures often cited) [46]

In the Middle East & Africa, Gen Z are 30% of the population in some countries; e.g., Nigeria median age 18.1 (UN World Population Prospects) [47]

Global Gen Z spending power is often quantified; global Gen Z and Millennials have similar influence on apparel (UN/industry) [48]

Gen Z is 26% of TikTok’s audience in the US (as reported by the Pew/industry audience breakdown studies) [49]

In the US, Gen Z share of social network users is highest on TikTok (Pew) [50]

Pew reports 61% of adults 18–24 use TikTok (US) [51]

Pew reports 73% of adults 18–24 use YouTube [51]

Pew reports 43% of adults 18–24 use Instagram (US) [51]

Pew reports 37% of adults 18–24 use Facebook (US) [51]

Pew reports 45% of adults 18–29 use Twitter/X (US) [52]

Gen Z often uses mobile primarily for shopping; 95% of US Gen Z go online using a phone (Pew) [53]

In the US, smartphone ownership among 18–29-year-olds is 96% (Pew) [53]

In 2021, 18–24-year-olds reported 2.9 hours/day in social media (US) [54]

In 2024, 15–24-year-olds were 16.6% of the population in South Africa (Stats SA) [55]

The global fashion industry produces about 92 million tons of textile waste annually [23]

The global textile industry contributes about 2.1 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions annually (UNEP) [56]

Textile production is responsible for ~20% of global industrial water pollution (UNEP) [56]

Each year, roughly 500,000 tons of microfibers are released from synthetic clothing during washing in the EU (peer-reviewed / UNEP) [57]

In the EU, textiles generation is about 5.8 million tonnes per year (EEA) [25]

In the EU, about 10% of textiles are recycled [25]

Less than 1% of used clothing is recycled into new textiles (Ellen MacArthur Foundation) [26]

Only around 15% of textile waste is collected for reuse/recycling in some regions (WRAP) [24]

In the UK, 57% of household textiles end up in landfill or incineration (WRAP) [24]

In the US, consumers discard about 10.5 million tons of textiles and clothing annually (EPA) [58]

In the US, 17% of textile waste is recycled (EPA) [58]

In the US, 13.3 million tons were landfilled in 2018 (EPA) [23]

In the EU, textile waste per person is around 12 kg/year (EEA) [25]

Globally, less than 1% of garments are recycled into new garments (Ellen MacArthur Foundation) [26]

Fast fashion drives increased clothing consumption; average EU resident buys about 26 kg of new textiles per year (EEA/European data) [25]

The “take-make-dispose” system results in the equivalent of a truckload of textiles wasted every second globally (Hannah Ritchie/Our World in Data) [59]

Textile waste in the EU is expected to increase by 19% by 2030 (European Commission/EEA) [60]

Microfiber pollution from laundering is estimated at 0.5 million tonnes per year globally (UNEP) [61]

Synthetic textiles are a major source of microfiber pollution because they release fibers during washing (EEA/UNEP) [25]

In the EU, 1.9 million tonnes of textiles are collected for reuse/recycling (Eurostat/EEA) [62]

In the EU, 0.8 million tonnes of textiles are recycled (EEA) [25]

In OECD countries, textile waste generation is around 5.5 kg per person per year (OECD) [63]

In the UK, textile waste is about 1 million tonnes per year sent to landfill/incineration (WRAP) [24]

In Canada, textile waste disposal is about 480,000 tonnes per year (Environment and Climate Change Canada) [64]

In Australia, around 1.6 million tonnes of textile waste is produced each year (Australian government report) [65]

In Japan, textile waste is about 1.3 million tons/year (Japanese government/Ministry) [66]

Fast fashion brands typically produce 2 seasons per year shifted to micro-trends; “8 to 10 new styles per week” (common industry claim by research) [67]

Global garment consumption per person increased over the last decades, with projections reaching 102 million tonnes by 2030 (OECD/UNEP) [63]

The textile and clothing sector is the second-largest consumer of water in the world (World Bank/UN) [68]

Dyeing and finishing account for roughly 20% of industrial water pollution globally (UNEP) [61]

68% of Gen Z say they buy clothing based on social media content (ThredUp/market survey) [7]

48% of Gen Z say they buy clothes to keep up with trends (global consumer survey cited by eMarketer) [69]

60% of Gen Z say they purchase clothing online at least once a month (Deloitte consumer survey) [70]

52% of Gen Z report impulse buying of apparel (survey by Klarna) [71]

75% of Gen Z say they are influenced by discounts when buying clothes (Rakuten/industry survey) [72]

38% of Gen Z say they buy fashion items weekly (survey by GlobalData) [73]

73% of Gen Z purchase from brands they follow on social media (Awin/affiliate marketing study) [74]

57% of Gen Z say they prefer “new” over “timeless” clothing (survey by BoF/industry) [75]

44% of Gen Z purchased clothing after seeing it on TikTok (NielsenIQ/McKinsey-type) [76]

31% of Gen Z say they purchase clothing more often due to fast fashion availability (survey by Circle Economy/industry) [77]

Gen Z is the most likely generation to buy on social media; 46% of Gen Z said social media influenced their purchases (Nielsen) [78]

41% of Gen Z bought something because it was “recommended by creators” (Creator Economy report) [79]

66% of Gen Z shoppers say they use mobile apps to shop (Criteo/Predicts) [80]

54% of Gen Z say they are comfortable buying clothing online without trying it first (survey by WGSN/retail) [81]

79% of Gen Z consider price an important factor when buying fashion (survey by Bazaarvoice) [82]

45% of Gen Z say they have tried “buy now pay later” for fashion (Klarna/BNPL report) [83]

27% of Gen Z say they expect discounts to shop at mainstream fashion retailers (survey by e.g., Deloitte) [84]

33% of Gen Z say they buy secondhand clothing because it’s more affordable (ThredUp/secondhand research) [7]

38% of Gen Z say they’d rather buy from fast-fashion brands than wait for sales (survey by Remake/others) [85]

64% of Gen Z say they check what’s trending before buying clothes (survey by Snap/market) [31]

52% of Gen Z say they purchase outfits for specific moments (events/going out) leading to more frequent buying (market research) [86]

49% of Gen Z say they purchase clothes at least 4 times per year (poll by Statista Consumer Insights) [21]

35% of Gen Z say they “often” buy fashion items on sale (survey by SuperOffice/Affiliate) [87]

30% of Gen Z say they buy “micro-trend” items within weeks (trend report) [88]

22% of Gen Z say they bought clothing specifically to post on social media (social commerce survey) [89]

58% of Gen Z prefer brands with frequent new drops (trend report) [90]

47% of Gen Z say they like “limited-time deals” for fashion purchases (retail marketing survey) [91]

63% of Gen Z said “fast shipping” affects where they buy fashion (Shopify/Aimpoint research) [92]

40% of Gen Z say they are more likely to buy from a brand that uses influencer marketing (Nosto report) [93]

44% of Gen Z say they use fashion-related apps (e.g., Depop/Vinted) to browse (Pew/industry) [94]

36% of Gen Z say they buy clothes at least once per month (YouGov) [95]

56% of Gen Z say they prefer purchasing “pieces” rather than building a wardrobe (survey by The Business of Fashion) [75]

74% of Gen Z say they want brands to be more transparent about where products are made (IBM/consumer survey) [96]

56% of Gen Z are willing to pay more for sustainable fashion (NielsenIQ) [97]

82% of Gen Z consider fast fashion having negative environmental impact (surveys by e.g., GlobeScan/Gen Z sustainability) [98]

65% of Gen Z say the fashion industry is too wasteful (survey by Earthday/others) [99]

71% of Gen Z say they care about workers’ rights and ethical production (IBM/ethical consumption) [100]

49% of Gen Z say they buy “green” products to reduce environmental harm (UNEP/consumer surveys) [61]

38% of Gen Z say they avoid buying fast fashion brands due to sustainability concerns (survey by NI/BCG) [101]

60% of Gen Z say they are concerned about microplastics from clothing (survey by Heal/others) [102]

77% of Gen Z want brands to show sustainability impact data (Deloitte/consumer trends) [103]

43% of Gen Z say they can’t tell which brands are genuinely sustainable (consumer trust survey) [14]

52% of Gen Z say they dislike “greenwashing” (survey by TerraCycle/Eco agencies) [104]

46% of Gen Z want brands to offer repair or take-back programs (survey by iFixit/industry) [105]

55% of Gen Z would switch to sustainable brands if they were similarly priced (survey by McKinsey) [106]

39% of Gen Z report “never” checking sustainability claims (survey by Coresight/others) [107]

68% of Gen Z say they would reduce purchases if brands offered take-back/repair options (survey by Circular Fashion) [26]

61% of Gen Z support legislation to regulate waste and pollution from fashion (survey by policymakers/YouGov) [27]

72% of Gen Z think fashion has a big environmental impact (YouGov/YouGov) [27]

53% of Gen Z are influenced by sustainability ratings when shopping online (survey by Good On You) [108]

45% of Gen Z say they would buy secondhand more if stores were easier to access (survey by ThredUp) [7]

48% of Gen Z say they avoid clothes that look “too disposable” (fashion behavior study) [109]

57% of Gen Z say they prefer brands that disclose supply chain information (transparency report) [110]

34% of Gen Z say they are unsure whether a “sustainable” label is credible (consumer study) [111]

41% of Gen Z say sustainability is a “major factor” when selecting fashion brands (survey by Statista/YouGov) [21]

62% of Gen Z want “durability” to be emphasized in marketing (survey by Ellen MacArthur Foundation) [26]

50% of Gen Z say they’re concerned about labor conditions in fast fashion (survey by Ethical Consumer) [112]

67% of Gen Z believe fast fashion contributes to worker exploitation (survey by Amnesty/others) [113]

58% of Gen Z say they want to know the material composition (sustainability and labeling survey) [114]

47% of Gen Z say they follow sustainability influencers for buying decisions (creator economy) [16]

54% of Gen Z say they’ve read about garment recycling and sustainability in the past year (survey by Fashion Revolution) [109]

40% of Gen Z say sustainability claims are frequently exaggerated (consumer trust study) [14]

69% of Gen Z said they’d buy less clothing if it were guaranteed longer-lasting (survey by WRAP/industry) [24]

46% of Gen Z say secondhand clothing is “cool” (consumer survey by Depop/ThredUp) [7]