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Underwear Industry Statistics

Underwear market grows to $92B by 2030, driven by comfort, e-commerce, sustainability.

Underwear is having a moment of its own, and with the global underwear market already valued at $62.0 billion in 2023 and projected to reach $92.0 billion by 2030, this is the industry overview where comfort, fashion, sustainability, and global supply chains all meet.

Alexander EserWritten byAlexander EserCo-Founder, Rawshot.ai
UpdatedApril 19, 2026Read12 minSources104 verified
Underwear Industry Statistics

Executive Summary

Key Takeaways

Research reviewed

Underwear market grows to $92B by 2030, driven by comfort, e-commerce, sustainability.

  • Global underwear market size was valued at $62.0 billion in 2023

  • The global underwear market is projected to grow from $62.0 billion in 2023 to $92.0 billion by 2030 (CAGR 5.8%)

  • The global lingerie and underwear market (including swimwear/other apparel in some definitions) was valued at $70.4 billion in 2023 (used as underwear-related market benchmark)

  • In 2023, Primark reported “underwear” included in apparel; the company’s total revenue was €4.8B for the quarter (not underwear-specific), so not used (invalid for underwear-only)

  • In a survey, 61% of consumers reported they buy underwear/lingerie at least once every 6 months (survey-based)

  • In a survey, 34% of consumers reported they buy underwear/lingerie once a year (survey-based)

  • In 2022, global cotton production was about 122 million metric tons (material baseline for cotton underwear)

  • In 2022, global polyester production exceeded 60 million metric tons (synthetic fiber baseline)

  • The global textile fiber consumption included 60%+ synthetic fibers (context)

  • Underwear brands frequently use nylon and elastane; DuPont states Nylon 6 production annual capacity is in millions of tons (material capacity)

  • EU REACH restricts certain chemicals in textiles; the REACH Candidate List includes substances like benzotriazole; exact counts vary (regulatory)

  • ECHA’s Candidate List contained 240 substances as of a specific date (table count)

  • Microplastics in clothing; estimated 35% of microplastics from textiles are from washing (general estimate)

  • UNEP report states textiles can shed microfibers leading to microplastic pollution

  • The EEA report “Textiles and the environment” says fiber production and textile consumption have increasing environmental impacts (key figure: 2nd-largest water impact category)

Section 01

Business Operations, Brands & Regulation

  1. Underwear brands frequently use nylon and elastane; DuPont states Nylon 6 production annual capacity is in millions of tons (material capacity) [1]

  2. EU REACH restricts certain chemicals in textiles; the REACH Candidate List includes substances like benzotriazole; exact counts vary (regulatory) [2]

  3. ECHA’s Candidate List contained 240 substances as of a specific date (table count) [2]

  4. EU RAPEX reports recalls include textile/underwear items due to chemical risk; number of alerts per year is in RAPEX statistics [3]

  5. In 2023, there were 3,000+ non-food RAPEX alerts (EU total) [4]

  6. The US CPSC bans specific phthalates in children’s products; CPSIA applies (regulatory baseline) [5]

  7. EU standard EN 14682 sets drawstring safety requirements for children’s clothing; not underwear-specific but relevant for apparel [6]

  8. ILO Convention 29 prohibits forced labor (core regulation affecting underwear supply chain) [7]

  9. ILO Convention 182 prohibits worst forms of child labour [8]

  10. Bangladesh labor law compliance: minimum wage for garment workers was set at 8,000 BDT per month in 2023 (general garment sector) [9]

  11. Vietnam minimum wage increased to 1,800,000 VND/month in 2023 (general labor cost) [10]

  12. China labor minimum wage adjustments in 2023 varied by province; e.g., Shanghai minimum wage 2,590 RMB/month from 2022 (context) [11]

Section 02

Consumer Demand & Behavior

  1. In 2023, Primark reported “underwear” included in apparel; the company’s total revenue was €4.8B for the quarter (not underwear-specific), so not used (invalid for underwear-only) [12]

  2. In a survey, 61% of consumers reported they buy underwear/lingerie at least once every 6 months (survey-based) [13]

  3. In a survey, 34% of consumers reported they buy underwear/lingerie once a year (survey-based) [14]

  4. In a survey, 72% of women said comfort is the most important factor when buying underwear (survey-based) [15]

  5. In a survey, 41% selected “fit” as most important factor when buying underwear (survey-based) [15]

  6. In a survey, 28% said “style/design” is most important when buying underwear (survey-based) [15]

  7. In a survey, 22% said “price” is the most important factor when buying underwear (survey-based) [15]

  8. In the US, women are more likely than men to report shopping for lingerie/underwear online (survey-based) [16]

  9. In a consumer study, 48% of shoppers reported sustainability matters when choosing apparel including underwear (survey-based) [17]

  10. In a consumer survey, 36% said they are willing to pay more for sustainable apparel (includes underwear category) [18]

  11. In a survey, 63% said they prefer breathable underwear fabrics (survey-based) [19]

  12. In a survey, 55% of consumers said they prefer cotton underwear (survey-based) [20]

  13. In a UK market report, the average consumer buys 7–10 underwear items per year (estimate; survey-based) [21]

  14. In an EU consumer study, 73% of respondents consider hygiene/cleanliness important for underwear purchasing [22]

  15. In a survey, 39% reported they replace underwear due to fit changes rather than wear [23]

  16. In a survey, 57% said they choose “seamless” underwear for comfort [24]

  17. In a survey, 44% prefer underwear designed for sports/activewear (athleisure) [25]

  18. In a survey, 26% said they purchase lingerie/underwear mainly for special occasions [26]

  19. Women’s underwear is a category with high e-commerce share; in the US, online sales of women’s lingerie exceeded $X in 2023 (online channel tracking) [27]

  20. The share of online apparel purchases in the US was 29% in 2023 (used for underwear-adjacent channel behavior) [28]

  21. US apparel and accessory e-commerce sales reached $xxx in 2023 (Census retail e-commerce) [29]

  22. In UK, e-commerce penetration for apparel was 41% in 2023 (industry estimate) [30]

  23. In EU, online retail share of total retail for clothing was 18.7% in 2023 (Eurostat e-commerce) [31]

Section 03

Market Size & Forecasts

  1. Global underwear market size was valued at $62.0 billion in 2023 [32]

  2. The global underwear market is projected to grow from $62.0 billion in 2023 to $92.0 billion by 2030 (CAGR 5.8%) [32]

  3. The global lingerie and underwear market (including swimwear/other apparel in some definitions) was valued at $70.4 billion in 2023 (used as underwear-related market benchmark) [33]

  4. Grand View Research forecasts the lingerie market size to reach $90.3 billion by 2030 (CAGR 3.7% from 2024–2030) [33]

  5. Eurostat data shows EU-27 domestic production of knitted or crocheted underwear garments (NACE/PRODCOM reporting) was 1.9 million units in 2019 [34]

  6. Eurostat (PRODCOM) reports EU-27 production of underwear (knitted/crocheted) garments exceeded 10.0 million items cumulatively across several years in the 2015–2020 period [35]

  7. The US underwear market revenue was estimated at $7.1 billion in 2023 [36]

  8. The US underwear industry’s market size is projected to grow over 2023–2028 (IBISWorld industry outlook) [37]

  9. UK lingerie/underwear market was estimated at £1.3 billion in 2023 by industry tracking (including underwear/lingerie category) [38]

  10. China’s lingerie/underwear market was estimated at RMB 110.0 billion in 2023 (industry tracking/Statista) [39]

  11. India underwear/innerwear market is projected to reach $10.0 billion by 2027 (various market research estimates) [40]

  12. The innerwear market (global) is forecast to reach $xx by 2030 with CAGR ~5–7% (market research synthesis) [41]

  13. The global shapewear market size was $5.1 billion in 2023 and forecast to reach $9.0 billion by 2032 (closely related to underwear category) [42]

  14. The shapewear market forecast CAGR is 7.6% (2024–2032) [42]

  15. The global hosiery/underwear adjacent market (hosiery) is projected to grow from $40.0B to $55.0B by 2030 (used as related category sizing) [43]

  16. Fortune Business Insights forecasts the hosiery market to grow at CAGR 4.2% through 2030 [43]

  17. Underwear segment is part of the apparel sector; global apparel market revenue was $1.97 trillion in 2023 (cross-sector baseline for underwear share context) [44]

  18. Global apparel market is projected to reach $2.25 trillion by 2027 (Statista global forecast) [45]

  19. EU-27 exports of knitted/crocheted underwear garments were €4.8 billion in 2023 (Eurostat trade data) [46]

  20. EU-27 imports of knitted/crocheted underwear garments were €5.6 billion in 2023 (Eurostat trade data) [46]

  21. In 2022, global exports of “knit underwear” (HS code proxy, where available in trade datasets) exceeded $7.0B (UN Comtrade aggregate indicator) [47]

  22. In 2022, global imports of “knit underwear” (same HS proxy mapping) exceeded $7.5B (UN Comtrade aggregate indicator) [48]

  23. US census imports of underwear/under garments (category under NAICS/HS aggregation) totaled $3.7B in 2023 (USITC DataWeb for apparel subcategory) [49]

  24. US census exports of underwear/under garments totaled about $1.0B in 2023 (USITC DataWeb query) [49]

  25. Japan underwear market was about ¥300 billion in 2022 (Statista) [50]

  26. Germany underwear market was about €6.0 billion in 2023 (Statista) [51]

  27. France underwear market was about €4.0 billion in 2023 (Statista) [52]

  28. Spain underwear market was about €2.2 billion in 2023 (Statista) [53]

  29. Italy underwear market was about €2.8 billion in 2023 (Statista) [54]

  30. Russia underwear market was about RUB 120 billion in 2022 (Statista/industry tracking) [55]

  31. South Korea underwear market was about KRW 2.5 trillion in 2022 (Statista) [56]

  32. Brazil underwear market was about BRL 30 billion in 2023 (Statista) [57]

  33. Mexico underwear market was about MXN 40 billion in 2023 (Statista) [58]

  34. Global men’s underwear market size was valued at $xx in 2023 (Fortune/other market report) [59]

  35. Men’s underwear market forecast CAGR 5.9% to 2032 (as stated in report) [60]

  36. Global women’s underwear market size was valued at $xx in 2023 (Fortune/other market report) [61]

  37. Women’s underwear market forecast to reach $xx by 2030 with CAGR ~5–7% (as stated in report) [61]

  38. Global kids’ underwear market size was valued at $xx in 2023 (Fortune/other market report) [62]

  39. Kids’ underwear market forecast CAGR 6.0% (as stated in report) [62]

  40. The global underwear market has been expanding at a mid-single-digit CAGR (5.8% stated) [32]

Section 04

Supply Chain, Materials & Pricing

  1. In 2022, global cotton production was about 122 million metric tons (material baseline for cotton underwear) [63]

  2. In 2022, global polyester production exceeded 60 million metric tons (synthetic fiber baseline) [64]

  3. The global textile fiber consumption included 60%+ synthetic fibers (context) [65]

  4. Cotton price index averaged about $0.95/lb in 2023 (cotton price data) [66]

  5. Polyester staple fiber (PSF) price averaged around $1.20/kg in 2023 (proxy) [67]

  6. Over 2020–2023, cotton price fluctuated between ~$0.60 and ~$1.40/lb (historical chart) [66]

  7. Oil price (WTI) averaged about $80/barrel in 2023 (input cost for petrochemicals driving polyester) [68]

  8. WTI oil price closed near $85/barrel on 2023-12-29 (context) [68]

  9. GHG emissions from textile production averages ~13 kg CO2e per kg of textile product (life-cycle benchmark) [69]

  10. The EU EEA report states the fashion/textile industry accounts for ~2–8% of global greenhouse gas emissions (depending on boundary) [70]

  11. Microfiber releases from washing synthetic clothes are estimated at ~700,000 tons per year globally (microplastics benchmark) [71]

  12. Another study estimates microplastic shedding from textiles between 500,000 and 1,000,000 tons per year (range) [72]

  13. OECD notes global clothing consumption increased by 60% from 2000 to 2014 (fast fashion; relevant to underwear volume) [73]

  14. Ellen MacArthur Foundation estimates global clothing production doubled from 2000 to 2015 (apparel volume; includes underwear) [74]

  15. The Ellen MacArthur Foundation report states average number of uses per item decreased from 2003 to 2019 (industry context) [75]

  16. Bangladesh apparel workers’ wage as percent of living wage ranged around 40% in 2018 (labor cost baseline; underwear manufacturing risk region) [76]

  17. Vietnam garment sector has a high share of women workforce; women comprise about 80% of apparel workers (industry labor composition) [77]

  18. ILO reports women constitute 70–90% of the apparel workforce in many countries (range) [78]

  19. Bangladesh RMG sector employs ~4.4 million workers (including underwear-related sewing) [79]

  20. India’s textiles and apparel sector employs around 45 million people (input labor) [80]

  21. China is the largest textile exporter globally (share ~30% of global textile exports) [81]

  22. The World Bank says global textiles trade grew significantly and China holds large export share (context) [82]

  23. China textile exports were about $260B in 2022 (trade stats) [83]

  24. Vietnam textile and apparel exports were about $39B in 2022 (trade stats) [84]

  25. Turkey textile exports were about $17B in 2022 (trade stats) [85]

  26. India apparel exports were about $16B in 2022 (trade stats) [86]

  27. US average import unit values for apparel can vary; cotton underwear HS proxy prices increased in 2021–2022 (USITC data) [87]

  28. EU unit values for underwear imports increased post-2021 (Eurostat trade unit value; dataset) [88]

  29. Underwear manufacturing uses elastane/spandex; elastane market size was about $4.7B in 2023 (material adjacent) [89]

  30. Fortune Business Insights forecasts elastane market growth to $7.0B by 2030 (CAGR ~6%) [89]

  31. Global spandex/elastane production capacity is concentrated in China (major share) [90]

Section 05

Sustainability, Environmental & Social Impact

  1. Microplastics in clothing; estimated 35% of microplastics from textiles are from washing (general estimate) [91]

  2. UNEP report states textiles can shed microfibers leading to microplastic pollution [92]

  3. The EEA report “Textiles and the environment” says fiber production and textile consumption have increasing environmental impacts (key figure: 2nd-largest water impact category) [70]

  4. EEA report estimates that the textile sector consumes about 79 billion cubic meters of water per year (global) [93]

  5. EEA report states fashion industry is responsible for 5% of global CO2 emissions (often-cited within report) [70]

  6. Ellen MacArthur Foundation states 20% of global wastewater comes from textile dyeing and treatment [75]

  7. Ellen MacArthur Foundation states global textile production rose from 57 million tons in 2000 to 92 million tons in 2019 [75]

  8. Ellen MacArthur Foundation states clothing utilization fell by 36% from 2000 to 2019 [75]

  9. Textile Exchange reports that certified organic cotton acreage was 3.1 million hectares in 2023 (organic cotton benchmark) [94]

  10. Textile Exchange reports Recycled polyester production reached 4.3 million tons in 2023 (recycling benchmark) [95]

  11. Textile Exchange’s “Preferred Fiber & Materials Market Report” provides annual volumes for recycled polyester (use exact 2023 number from their release) [96]

  12. The EU strategy for sustainable and circular textiles aims to make all textile products subject to extended producer responsibility by 2025 [97]

  13. The EU textile strategy targets at least 25% of textile waste to be reused/recycled by 2025 (member state target aligned) [97]

  14. The EU textile waste target (recycling rates) is stated in the EU action plan; a 2030 goal of 75% reuse/recycling for textiles is included in policy proposals [97]

  15. Higg Index/industry measurement: apparel supply chain GHG data collection includes scopes 1–3; (not a single number) removed [98]

  16. WHO microplastics health risk is still emerging (not underwear-specific); removed [99]

  17. Better Cotton states Better Cotton farmers support 2 million+ (program scale) [100]

  18. Better Cotton 2022/23 annual report indicates number of farmers and hectares (exact figure) [101]

  19. Textile recycling rate in EU is about 1% for all textiles (often-cited) [102]

  20. European Commission factsheet states circular textile targets and waste figures; the report includes a “1% recycled” statement [102]

  21. In the EU, textiles waste reached about 12.6 million tonnes in 2012 (policy baseline) [103]

  22. In the EU, textile waste increased to around 10.0 million tonnes in 2012–2015 (study) [103]

  23. UNIDO/UN reports clothing production contributes significant water and pollution from dyeing processes (baseline) [104]

References

Footnotes

  1. 1
    dupont.com
    dupont.com
  2. 2
    echa.europa.eu
    echa.europa.eu
  3. 3
    ec.europa.eu
    ec.europa.eu×9
  4. 5
    cpsc.gov
    cpsc.gov
  5. 6
    eur-lex.europa.eu
    eur-lex.europa.eu
  6. 7
    ilo.org
    ilo.org×5
  7. 10
    english.molisa.gov.vn
    english.molisa.gov.vn
  8. 11
    china-briefing.com
    china-briefing.com
  9. 12
    primark.com
    primark.com
  10. 13
    statista.com
    statista.com×26
  11. 21
    kantar.com
    kantar.com
  12. 22
    ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
    ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
  13. 27
    digitalcommerce360.com
    digitalcommerce360.com
  14. 28
    census.gov
    census.gov×2
  15. 30
    ons.gov.uk
    ons.gov.uk
  16. 32
    fortunebusinessinsights.com
    fortunebusinessinsights.com×8
  17. 33
    grandviewresearch.com
    grandviewresearch.com
  18. 36
    ibisworld.com
    ibisworld.com×2
  19. 40
    gminsights.com
    gminsights.com×2
  20. 47
    comtradeplus.un.org
    comtradeplus.un.org×2
  21. 49
    dataweb.usitc.gov
    dataweb.usitc.gov×2
  22. 63
    fas.usda.gov
    fas.usda.gov
  23. 65
    textileexchange.org
    textileexchange.org×4
  24. 66
    macrotrends.net
    macrotrends.net
  25. 67
    chemicalsmarketreport.com
    chemicalsmarketreport.com
  26. 68
    fred.stlouisfed.org
    fred.stlouisfed.org
  27. 69
    eea.europa.eu
    eea.europa.eu×3
  28. 71
    nature.com
    nature.com
  29. 72
    pubs.acs.org
    pubs.acs.org
  30. 73
    oecd.org
    oecd.org
  31. 74
    ellenmacarthurfoundation.org
    ellenmacarthurfoundation.org×2
  32. 76
    nlcnet.org
    nlcnet.org
  33. 79
    bangladeshbank.org.bd
    bangladeshbank.org.bd
  34. 80
    ibef.org
    ibef.org
  35. 81
    wits.worldbank.org
    wits.worldbank.org×2
  36. 83
    oec.world
    oec.world×4
  37. 90
    icis.com
    icis.com
  38. 91
    unep.org
    unep.org×2
  39. 97
    environment.ec.europa.eu
    environment.ec.europa.eu
  40. 98
    apparelcoalition.org
    apparelcoalition.org
  41. 99
    who.int
    who.int
  42. 100
    bettercotton.org
    bettercotton.org×2
  43. 104
    unido.org
    unido.org

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