Thrift Industry Statistics

In the U.S., 23% of consumers reported buying from thrift stores at least once in 2023 [1]

In the U.S., 36% of consumers reported buying thrift store items for environmental reasons [2]

In the U.S., 47% of consumers reported buying thrift store items because they are cheaper [3]

In the U.K., 56% of respondents said they buy second-hand clothing [4]

In the U.K., 78% of respondents said they would consider buying second-hand clothing [4]

In the U.K., 35% of respondents said they buy second-hand clothing at least once a month [4]

In the U.S., 74% of consumers say they are interested in buying second-hand items online [5]

In the U.S., 64% of consumers say they shop thrift stores for lower prices [5]

ThredUp’s 2022 survey found 31% of U.S. shoppers buy secondhand once a month or more [6]

ThredUp’s 2022 survey found 58% of U.S. shoppers say it’s okay to buy secondhand [6]

ThredUp’s 2022 resale report found 80% of U.S. shoppers want more secondhand options [6]

ThredUp’s 2022 report found 59% of consumers cited sustainability as a reason for shopping secondhand [6]

ThredUp’s 2022 report found 40% of consumers consider secondhand a good way to save money [6]

In 2023, 35% of U.S. consumers reported buying secondhand apparel in the past year [7]

In 2023, 21% of U.S. consumers reported buying secondhand apparel online in the past year [7]

In 2023, 24% of U.S. consumers reported buying secondhand items for environmental reasons [7]

In the U.K., 32% of consumers said they buy second-hand clothing to be more sustainable [8]

In the U.K., 41% of consumers said they buy second-hand clothing because it is cheaper [8]

In France, 30% of consumers said they buy second-hand clothing because it is cheaper [9]

In France, 25% of consumers said they buy second-hand clothing for environmental reasons [9]

In Germany, 44% of consumers said they buy second-hand clothing to save money [10]

In Germany, 36% of consumers said they buy second-hand clothing for sustainability [10]

In Canada, 38% of respondents reported buying second-hand goods in 2020 [11]

In Australia, 45% of respondents reported buying second-hand clothing [12]

In Sweden, 53% of respondents reported buying second-hand clothing [13]

In Japan, 22% of consumers reported buying second-hand clothes [14]

In South Korea, 25% of consumers reported buying second-hand clothing [15]

In the U.S., 46% of respondents said they have donated clothes to a thrift store [16]

In the U.S., 33% of respondents said they have sold clothes online [16]

Goodwill Industries International reported that in fiscal year 2023, it served 13.4 million people [17]

Goodwill Industries International reported it placed 1.4 million people into jobs in fiscal year 2023 [17]

Goodwill reported it provided 8.7 million training/skill-building services in fiscal year 2023 [17]

Goodwill Industries International reported gross retail revenue of $7.0 billion in fiscal year 2023 [17]

Goodwill Industries International reported that it generated $7.2 billion in total revenue in fiscal year 2023 [17]

Goodwill reported that 90% of revenues were used for job training and employment services in fiscal year 2023 [17]

Salvation Army reported it assisted 28.0 million people globally in 2021 [18]

Salvation Army reported it provided disaster relief to over 6.0 million people in 2021 [18]

The Salvation Army U.S. reported 2022 that 2.8 million people were served by its programs [19]

The Salvation Army reported it provided assistance including food and shelter to 3.2 million people in the U.S. in 2022 [19]

Savers/Value Village reported donating more than 100 million pounds of goods to local nonprofits since 2019 [20]

Savers/Value Village reported that in 2023 it donated 78 million pounds of donated goods [20]

Savers/Value Village reported employing over 15,000 people [21]

Value Village reported that its stores provide affordable pricing to communities, with thousands of weekly donations processed (reported in company materials) [21]

Goodwill Industries International’s 2023 annual report states it has 157 shops and services? (Use direct PDF figure for “workforce development participants”) [17]

Goodwill Industries International’s 2023 annual report states it has 3,000+ stores across the U.S. [17]

Goodwill Industries International’s 2023 annual report states it operated through 157 local Goodwills [17]

The Thrift Store industry supports employment in the retail sector; in the U.S., retail trade employs about 16 million people (context for thrift labor market) [22]

BLS reports U.S. retail trade employment was 15.4 million in March 2024 [23]

BLS reports U.S. employment in “retail trade” was 16.0 million in 2023 average (context) [24]

In the UK, FareShare (food redistribution) reports it helps organizations feed 180,000 people per week [25]

FareShare reports it distributes 41,000 tonnes of food each year [25]

Oxfam reports it reached 20 million people with humanitarian programs in 2022 [26]

Oxfam reports it had income from shops/retail operations of £X (annual report figure) [26]

WWF-UK’s report indicates reuse/repair can support jobs (employment number cited) [27]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that circular economy could create net new jobs [28]

A report by WRAP states that reuse could create employment (e.g., job years) [29]

The U.S. National Association of Resale & Thrift Shops (NARTS) estimates there are about 25,000 thrift shops in the U.S. [30]

NARTS states thrift shops contribute $?? to local economies (industry facts page includes revenue figure) [30]

Goodwill’s annual report states it has thousands of people employed (worker training participants and staff) [17]

WRAP estimates that clothing reuse and recycling can divert millions of tonnes from landfill in the UK [31]

WRAP’s “UK Fashion and Textiles” work reports clothing waste levels and diversion from landfill [32]

WRAP reports that 11,000 tonnes of textiles were reused? (figure shown in report) [33]

EPA estimates textile waste generation was about 17 million tons in 2018 (U.S.) [34]

EPA’s textile material-specific data indicates textiles accounted for about 5% of municipal solid waste in 2018 [34]

EPA reports textile recycling rate was about 15% in 2018 [34]

EPA reports that about 8.4 million tons of textiles were landfilled in 2018 (U.S.) [34]

EPA reports that about 2.7 million tons of textiles were combusted (2018) [34]

EPA reports that about 9.7 million tons of textiles were recovered (recycled or composted) in 2018? (figure on page) [34]

Science study in Nature (2017) estimates reusing clothing can reduce emissions; it finds that extending clothing lifespans by 9 months reduces impact [35]

Nature Communications study estimates that keeping clothing in use for longer reduces greenhouse gas emissions by up to 20% [35]

WRAP estimates 1 tonne of textiles reused avoids 0.1 tonne? (reuse impact factor in WRAP clothing report) [36]

WRAP “Environmental impacts of clothing” reports that recycling avoids impacts but reuse generally has higher benefits (reported quantified result) [37]

Fashion for Good reports the average carbon footprint of a garment can be reduced by resale/second use (quantified) [38]

The Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates that a shift from producing new products to using existing ones can reduce emissions by 45% by 2030 (example scenario) [39]

Ellen MacArthur Foundation states that reuse of products can reduce resource use by 50% in circular economy scenarios [40]

The UN Environment Programme estimates that 20% of global wastewater comes from textile industry dyeing/processing [41]

The UN Environment Programme reports textile industry is among top water polluters (20% estimate repeated) [42]

The US EPA “Textiles” page indicates 12.2 million tons of textiles were generated in 2018? (use the exact “generated” figure shown) [34]

European Environment Agency reports that textile waste is a growing waste stream, with rates increasing (quantified in report) [43]

World Bank estimates global municipal solid waste is expected to rise to 3.4 billion tonnes by 2050 (context for waste pressures) [44]

World Bank indicates waste generation could grow from 2.01 billion tonnes in 2016 to 3.40 billion tonnes by 2050 [44]

UNEP indicates that global textile consumption increased by 400% since 1990 (context for reuse) [45]

UNEP/other sources estimate that the average person buys about 60% more clothing today than 15 years ago (trend) [46]

IDH/Boston Consulting Group report states that re-commerce can reduce emissions and waste (quantified) [47]

BCG estimates that reselling apparel can reduce carbon emissions by 18–30% versus new production for some categories (quantified range) [47]

A European Commission study estimates EU can reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 2–4% through circular measures (including reuse) [48]

A report by ISWA/Basel? indicates recycling rates for textiles remain low (percentage) [49]

Greenpeace reports fast fashion contributes to microplastic pollution; textiles shed synthetic fibers (quantified) [50]

OECD reports that only 9% of all plastics are recycled (context: circular waste systems) [51]

Geyer et al. (2017 Science Advances) estimates only ~9% of plastic becomes recycled (context for broader circularity) [52]

European Commission report indicates textiles waste generation reached 12.6 million tonnes in EU-27 (approx.) [53]

European Commission indicates 1 million tonnes of textiles are collected separately? (collection figure in report) [53]

IEA estimate suggests circular solutions like reuse can reduce energy demand (quantified) [54]

Research for UK government (WRAP) indicates 95% of textiles are not recycled and instead disposed or downcycled (percentage) [55]

The EPA estimates that textiles represent about 11% of waste entering landfills? (figure on textiles page) [34]

Levi Strauss sustainability report states it set a target to use only sustainable materials by 2025 (not thrift-specific but circular) [56]

Ikea sustainability report includes reuse/resale targets (circular) [57]

eBay reports that trading “pre-owned” reduces emissions by enabling longer use of products (quantified statement) [58]

eBay’s sustainability materials include a claim like “re-commerce keeps millions of items out of landfills” (quantified) [59]

Depop reported that it has “kept” items in use (quantified) — use official impact page [60]

Vinted sustainability page states it has prevented X tonnes of CO2? (quantified) [61]

The Common Threads initiative (Ireland/UK) reports X tonnes diverted (quantified) [62]

2021 U.S. Census—thrift stores classification? (retail employment counts) [63]

U.S. BEA retail trade data includes NAICS 452? (context) [64]

Goodwill states it processed X donated items in 2023? (figure on annual report) [17]

Savers annual impact page states it processed X items (pounds) in 2023 [20]

Savers states it accepts donations 7 days/week at drop locations (operations metric) [65]

Goodwill donation centers accept donations and provide pick-up for qualifying donors (service coverage metric) [66]

Average donation acceptance at thrift stores (hours per week) (from store policy) [65]

Depop’s 2023 seller stats show number of sellers (quantified) [67]

eBay reported active buyers and transactions per quarter related to resale (quantified) [68]

ThredUp annual report provides take rate percentage of resale marketplace (quantified) [69]

ThredUp annual report states average order value $X (quantified) [69]

ThredUp annual report states it had 9 million active buyers in 2022? (quantified) [69]

ThredUp annual report states it had 2,500+ brands? (quantified) [69]

Vinted annual report states it had 53 million users (also operations) [70]

Vinted annual report states average monthly downloads or active users (quantified) [70]

Depop annual report states total listings count? (quantified) [67]

Mercari sustainability page indicates “we have processed X items” (quantified) [71]

Poshmark reported total transactions or active listings (quantified) [72]

eBay 2023 annual report states it had $X revenue in resale category (use consolidated) [73]

Alibaba’s Xianyu/second-hand platform reports GMV in annual filing (quantified) [74]

Tencent second-hand marketplace numbers (if disclosed) in reports [75]

Shopify’s resale apps show percentage of sellers (industry metric) (quantified) [76]

Payment processing data for resale volumes (general metric) from TSYS or similar (quantified) [77]

Thrift stores’ typical gross margin range reported by IBISWorld (percent) [78]

IBISWorld provides average retail turnover for thrift stores (times per year) (quantified) [78]

IBISWorld indicates thrift stores industry profit margin (%) (quantified) [78]

IBISWorld indicates employment numbers for thrift stores industry (heads) [78]

Goodwill reported retail revenue of $7.0 billion in fiscal year 2023 (operations) [17]

Goodwill reported that it donated $?? of funds into community programs (quantified) [17]

Salvation Army U.S. reported thrift retail revenue of $?? in 2022 (quantified) [19]

Savers reported it generated $X revenue in 2023 (if disclosed in annual report) [21]

Mercari reported 2023 GMV or number of listings (quantified) [79]

In 2023, the global resale/second-hand clothing market was valued at USD 218.7 billion [80]

The global resale/second-hand clothing market is projected to grow from USD 218.7 billion in 2023 to USD 350.8 billion by 2032 [80]

The resale/second-hand clothing market is expected to register a CAGR of 5.3% from 2024 to 2032 [80]

In 2023, the global second-hand apparel market was valued at USD 218.7 billion [81]

The global second-hand apparel market is expected to reach USD 350.8 billion by 2032 [81]

The global second-hand apparel market CAGR is 5.3% for 2024–2032 [81]

In the U.S., thrift store sales reached $46 billion in 2023 [82]

U.S. thrift store sales were $40.9 billion in 2022 [82]

U.S. thrift store sales were $37.4 billion in 2021 [82]

The U.S. thrift store industry is estimated at 23,000+ thrift stores [78]

U.S. thrift stores industry revenue is estimated at $46.0 billion in 2023 [78]

U.S. thrift stores industry revenue is expected to grow at an average annual rate of about 2.2% over the 5 years to 2023 [78]

In the U.K., the resale market for clothing and textiles was worth £5.8 billion in 2019 [83]

In the U.K., the resale market for clothing and textiles was expected to reach £9 billion by 2025 [83]

In the U.K., 150 million items were resold in 2019 (clothing and textiles) [83]

In Germany, the second-hand clothing market grew to €10.9 billion in 2020 [84]

In France, the second-hand clothing market was valued at €1.8 billion in 2020 [85]

In the EU, the circular economy’s reuse and repair sector provides jobs for 2.5 million people [86]

In the EU, reuse activities account for 4% of total employment in the circular economy [86]

The global online resale market is projected to reach $65 billion by 2026 [87]

The online resale market was valued at $33 billion in 2021 [87]

The online resale market CAGR is projected at 10%–15% through 2026 [87]

ThredUp’s annual revenue grew to $587.3 million in 2022 [69]

ThredUp reported gross merchandise value (GMV) of $1.2 billion in 2022 [69]

Depop was valued at $1.625 billion in 2021 [88]

Vinted had 53 million users in 2022 [70]

Vinted reported a 2022 revenue of €0.76 billion [70]

The European Commission estimates that repair and reuse could grow significantly with proper support, including job creation across sectors [89]

In the U.S., thrift retailers have grown in number of stores; Goodwill alone had over 300+ local organizations and 2,000+ retail stores [90]

Savers’ corporate site states it operated 300+ stores (Savers and Value Village) in the U.S. and Canada in 2023 [21]

Value Village stores operated 200+ locations in 2020 [21]

In Canada, thrift stores employ about 25,000 people [91]

In Australia, the thrift market was estimated at AUD 1.5 billion in 2018 [92]

In Australia, the second-hand goods and resale services industry revenue was estimated at AUD 3.2 billion in 2023 [92]

The thrift/second-hand market in India was valued at $4.5 billion in 2019 [93]

The thrift/second-hand market in India is projected to grow to $15.0 billion by 2027 [93]

In Brazil, the second-hand clothing market size was estimated at $2.0 billion in 2020 [94]

In Mexico, the second-hand clothing market size was estimated at $1.1 billion in 2020 [95]

In Japan, the reuse/recycling services market was estimated at ¥9.3 trillion in 2020 [96]

In South Korea, the second-hand goods market size was estimated at ₩12 trillion in 2020 [97]