Swimwear Industry Statistics

The swimwear market has become a mood and fit driven arena where vacation-minded purchases, Millennials’ 38 percent share of spending, influencer-led discovery and Gen Z’s appetite for body-positive brands collide with consumers’ insistence on fit and comfort, frequent sizing returns, spikes in "Sunny January" searches, rising interest in modest and high-cut styles, and practical demands for quick-dry fabrics and UV protection, so brands that fix fit, enable easy at-home try-ons, and blend inclusivity with functional, social-media-ready designs are best positioned to win the average two-suit-a-year buyer and overcome low brand loyalty.

These figures show swimwear is riding a rising tide from niche to mainstream, with roughly $123.6 billion in segment revenue in 2024 and production above 2.5 billion units, Asia Pacific leading growth at about 7.2 percent CAGR, solid expansion in the US and Europe, strong momentum in sports, triathlon and thermal categories, growing startup investment and increases in per person volume, and an overall trajectory toward roughly $34 billion by 2031 even as luxury remains a small but profitable niche.

The swimwear market has splashed into a crowded mosaic where women still deliver 68% of revenue and one-pieces make up 40% of that slice, men's swim shorts grow at a 5.6% CAGR while children's swimwear was $3.65 billion in 2021, plus-size demand is expanding at twice the apparel rate and mastectomy lines at 3.5% CAGR, bespoke swimwear is a $120 million niche and Speedo with Arena own 45% of competitive sales, even as burkini adoption jumps 18% in non‑Muslim countries and regional tastes keep briefs at 20% in Europe versus 5% in the US; health and lifestyle trends are reshaping demand with rash guards up 7% amid skin cancer awareness, thermal caps holding 5% of accessories, swimleisure boosting bodysuits 15%, maternity peaking in Q2 with 40% seasonal growth, high‑waisted bottoms at 35% of bikinis, bridal searches doubling, mini‑me up 28% year‑on‑year, thong SKUs up 45%, and 15 major retailers launching gender‑neutral lines, which all means brands must offer everything from performance kit to inclusive and fashion-forward options or risk being left on the pool deck.

Think of swimwear retail as a beach party that moved online: with digital channels grabbing over 32 percent of global share and Amazon owning 15 percent of US women's swimwear, DTC brands growing about 20 percent a year and mobile accounting for 65 percent of purchases, retailers are simultaneously enjoying traffic driven by social commerce, influencers and BNPL while grappling with 30 to 40 percent returns and roughly 75 percent cart abandonment from fit anxiety, problems partly solved by virtual try-on boosting conversion by 25 percent and user photos lifting conversions by 104 percent, even as wholesale still supplies 55 percent of revenues and omni-channel, cross-border, live stream and subscription models continue to expand the market.

From bikinis to bio‑based neoprene, the swimwear industry is swapping throwaway glamour for engineered endurance: over half of 2023 launches claim recycled materials, Econyl mentions rose 18 percent, Repreve use jumped more than 250 percent in five years and rPET overtook virgin polyester in reported sustainable lines, 80 percent of surf brands now use recycled bottles, bio-based neoprene cuts carbon by up to half, waterless dyeing saves 85 percent of water, biodegradable packaging among indie brands rose 40 percent and 3D-printed prototypes slashed sampling waste by 60 percent, while chlorine-resistant fibers and shape-retention technology have extended lifespans and reduced replacements, and booming niches from period-proof suits and UPF50+ long-sleeved demand to smart, sensor-equipped garments are converging to make sustainability mainstream with the market set to grow at roughly 12 percent CAGR through 2027.