Key Insights
Essential data points from our research
The global textile market size was valued at USD 993.6 billion in 2021
The global textile market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.0% from 2022 to 2030
The global apparel market is expected to reach $1.5 trillion in 2025, up from $1.3 trillion in 2020
China leads global textile exports, accounting for over 37% of total apparel exports
The U.S. textile industry supply chain employed 538,000 workers in 2021
In 2021, the global technical textile market was valued at approximately USD 179.1 billion
Technical textiles are projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% between 2022 and 2029
India is the second-largest producer of textiles and garments globally
India’s textile industry contributes around 2% to the country’s GDP
Europe’s textile and clothing industry employed 1.3 million people in 2020
The EU textile and clothing sector exports were worth €61 billion in 2021
Bangladesh's garment sector accounts for 84% of total exports
Vietnam’s textile and garment exports reached $39 billion in 2021
Consumer Trends and Fashion Cycles
- The average person buys 60% more clothing now than 15 years ago, but wears them for half as long
- The number of fashion seasons jumped from two per year to up to 50
Interpretation
In a world where fashion changes faster than phone updates, we’re buying more clothes than ever—only to discard them twice as quickly in a never-ending cycle of trend-chasing and textile waste.
Employment and Supply Chain
- The U.S. textile industry supply chain employed 538,000 workers in 2021
- Europe’s textile and clothing industry employed 1.3 million people in 2020
- Workers in the global garment industry are 80% women
- Textile workers in Bangladesh earn as low as $95 monthly minimum wage
- Italy's textile industry employs approximately 400,000 people
- China employs around 10 million workers in textile and garment industries
- Over 70% of textile workers in Cambodia are women
Interpretation
Behind the seams of fashion's global empire lies a vast, gender-skewed workforce—millions strong, predominantly female, and often drastically underpaid—stitched across continents from Milan to Dhaka.
Environmental Impact and Sustainability
- More than 92 million tons of textile waste is generated globally each year
- Textile dyeing is the second-largest polluter of water globally
- Up to 200 tons of water are used to dye one ton of fabric
- 20% of global clean water pollution comes from textile dyeing and treatment
- Textile production emits 1.2 billion tons of CO2 equivalent per year
- It is estimated that 85% of textiles go to the dump each year
- Over 15 million tons of used textile waste is generated in the United States annually
- Only 15% of used clothing is recycled in the U.S.
- Synthetic fibers take up to 200 years to decompose
- The annual water consumption of the textile industry is an estimated 93 billion cubic meters
- More than 60% of textiles consist of plastic-derived fibers
- The fashion industry's carbon emissions are projected to increase by more than 60% by 2030
- The fashion industry is responsible for 10% of annual global carbon emissions
- Textile mills in China release 2.5 billion tons of wastewater annually
- The average American throws away around 81 pounds of clothing each year
- An estimated 35% of all microplastics in the ocean come from synthetic textiles
- Textile factories in India consume around 425 trillion liters of water annually
- Organic cotton makes up less than 1% of total global cotton production
- Recycled polyester production rose by over 10% in 2020 year-on-year
- The cost of textile waste to global economy is estimated at $500 billion annually
- Over 3 million tons of microplastics pollute the ocean each year, a third of which comes from synthetic textiles
- About 1.5 million tons of textiles are collected annually for recycling in the EU
- The average lifespan of a garment is 2.2 years
- Garment manufacturing accounts for 70% of textile industry CO2 output
- EU plans mandatory textile recycling targets by 2025
- On average, 20-30% of textiles are wasted during production
- The textile industry accounts for 20% of global pesticide use due to cotton farming
- Carbon emissions of the fashion industry are more than those of international flights and maritime shipping combined
Interpretation
Fast fashion may keep closets fresh, but with mountains of waste, rivers of dye, and carbon clouds overhead, it's clear the real price tag of our wardrobe is stitched in environmental ruin.
Market Size and Growth
- The global textile market size was valued at USD 993.6 billion in 2021
- The global textile market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.0% from 2022 to 2030
- The global apparel market is expected to reach $1.5 trillion in 2025, up from $1.3 trillion in 2020
- In 2021, the global technical textile market was valued at approximately USD 179.1 billion
- Technical textiles are projected to grow at a CAGR of 4.5% between 2022 and 2029
- India is the second-largest producer of textiles and garments globally
- India’s textile industry contributes around 2% to the country’s GDP
- Polyester accounts for around 52% of all fibers produced worldwide
- The global smart textile market size is expected to reach USD 19.77 billion by 2026
- The global sustainable textiles market was valued at USD 4.75 billion in 2020
- The sustainable textiles market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 11.6% from 2021 to 2028
- The global home textile market is expected to reach USD 133.4 billion by 2027
- Cotton accounts for about 24% of global fiber consumption
- The volume of global textile fiber production is expected to be over 147 million metric tons by 2030
- The US textile and apparel industry posted $74.4 billion in shipments in 2020
- Clothing consumption is expected to rise by 63% by 2030
- The annual consumption of clothing is around 62 million tons worldwide
- African textile market is projected to reach $15.5 billion by 2024
- The textile recycling market is expected to reach $6.7 billion by 2026
- The demand for eco-fibers is projected to reach $93 billion by 2026
- Over 60,000 textile and apparel companies operate in the United States
- The Asia-Pacific region dominates the textile market, accounting for over 60% of the global share
- The use of digital textile printing is expected to grow at 8.9% CAGR from 2021 to 2026
- Switching to circular business models can capture $700 billion in economic opportunity by 2030
- Synthetic fiber demand continues to rise globally, led by polyester at 61 million tons in 2021
- The children's wear segment is projected to reach $339 billion by 2024
Interpretation
From fast fashion to smart fabrics, the nearly trillion-dollar textile industry is threading its way toward a tech-savvy, sustainable, and increasingly synthetic future—spinning global demand, environmental challenges, and economic opportunity into one tightly woven growth story.
Trade and Export Dynamics
- China leads global textile exports, accounting for over 37% of total apparel exports
- The EU textile and clothing sector exports were worth €61 billion in 2021
- Bangladesh's garment sector accounts for 84% of total exports
- Vietnam’s textile and garment exports reached $39 billion in 2021
- Pakistan exported $15.4 billion worth of textiles in 2021
- U.S. exports of textiles and apparel were $19 billion in 2020
- Germany is the leading EU country for textile machinery exports
- Turkish textile exports reached $12.9 billion in 2020
- Garment exports from Ethiopia rose to $160 million in 2019
Interpretation
In the global fabric of commerce, China weaves the widest thread, but from Bangladesh’s garment lifeline to Germany’s machine precision and Ethiopia’s rising stitch, every nation has a hand in tailoring the modern textile economy.