Latest data on major textile and clothing exporting countries

Global economic growth is sluggish, trade synchronization weakness and the world's major trading countries' export growth rates are slowing down. What is the export situation of the global textile and garment industry? According to the latest data released by China, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Cambodia, Pakistan, and other major textile and garment countries, the export of textile and garment industries in various countries has good and bad news; let's learn about it!

China is back on the growth track.

China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Textiles disclosed on May 9 that China's stable foreign trade policy continues to force. Supply chain recovery to speed up delivery and a lower base, in dollar terms, April China's textile and apparel exports continued to maintain growth year-on-year, a slight drop in the ring. Among them, clothing exports rose 14.3% year-on-year in the same month, driving the cumulative clothing exports from negative to positive; the overall decline in exports of textiles and clothing further narrowed.

China's textile and apparel exports in RMB: 2023 January-April, the cumulative exports of textiles and clothing 638.3 billion yuan, up 4.8% over the same period last year (the same below). April, China's textile and apparel exports were 176.03 billion yuan, up 17.4% year-on-year, down 2.2%, of which 87.41 billion yuan of textile exports, up 12.1%, down 0.7% YoY. Apparel exports of 88.62 billion yuan, an increase of 23.2%, down 3.7%.

China's textile and apparel exports in U.S. dollars: January-April 2023, textile and apparel exports totaled $92.88 billion, down 2.9%. In April, China's textile and apparel exports of $25.66 billion, up 9%, down 2.8% YoY, including textile exports of $12.74 billion, up 4.1%, down 1.3% YoY, apparel exports of $12.92 billion, up 14.3%, down 4.2% from the previous year.

Bangladesh boasts South Asia

Bangladesh: Garment Exports Up 9% to $38.5 Billion This Fiscal Year

Despite the global economic slowdown, Bangladesh has achieved growth in apparel exports in recent months. According to provisional data released by the Export Promotion Bureau of Bangladesh (EPB), Bangladesh's ready-made garment (RMG) exports grew by 9.09 percent to $38.577 billion in the first ten months of FY2022/23 (July 2022-April 2023), compared to $35.362 billion in the same period in 2022.

Meanwhile, exports of woven and knitted garments, apparel accessories, and home textiles together accounted for 86.51% of Bangladesh's total exports of US$45.677 billion in the first nine months of FY2022/23 (July 2022-March 2023).

Myanmar: $384 million worth of CMP garments exported in April

Myanmar exported $384 million worth of cut-make-pack (CMP) garments in April this year, $200 million to Thailand and China through the border, and $184 million to Europe and other countries, according to the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association.

In the fiscal year 2022-2023 (ending March 31), Myanmar received $1.551 billion from CMP apparel exports.

Jordan: Becoming the Region's Largest Exporter of Textiles to the U.S.

Jordan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCI) textile and leather industry representative Ehab Qadri said Jordan's economic modernization vision (EMV) in promoting the textile industry development plan would significantly improve the quantity and quality of Jordan's textile exports.

Jordan's textile industry will provide about 149,000 jobs in 2022, effectively reducing the unemployment rate. Jordan ranks 16th in the world in textile exports and is the first Arab country to export textiles to the U.S., accounting for 2% of U.S. textile imports. He expects Jordan's textile exports to reach $7.3 billion in the next decade ($2.1 billion in 2022).

Vietnam led the decline in the export of textiles and apparel of many countries into the trough.

Vietnam: Textile and apparel exports were down 18% from January to April

According to preliminary data from the Ministry of Finance's Customs and Statistics Department, Vietnam's textile and apparel exports fell 18.1 percent to $9.72 billion in January-April 2023. In April 2023, Vietnam's textile and apparel exports fell 3.3 percent from the previous month to $2.540 billion.

Since the second half of 2022, demand from significant import markets such as the U.S. and Europe has fallen. During the traditional peak production period in the fourth quarter, the textile and garment market has instead seen extremely low turnover and a steep drop in the number of orders. This has led to many enterprises needing help maintaining normal operations in the year's second half and stopping some production lines.

According to the General Statistics Office of Vietnam, in the first three months of this year, nearly 294,000 workers in Vietnam's enterprises stopped working or had their working hours shortened due to the decrease in enterprise orders. In the fourth quarter of 2022, the number of unemployed Vietnamese enterprises was about 118,000; in the third quarter of this year, the number will continue to increase and is expected to be close to 149,000.

According to the Vietnam Textile and Apparel Association (VITAS), Vietnam has set its export target for textiles, garments, and yarns at $48 billion in 2023 amid favorable market conditions.

Cambodia: Garment exports show a double-digit decline in the first four months

According to a circular issued by the General Department of Customs and Excise of Cambodia, in the first four months of this year, Cambodia exported $3.1 billion worth of garments, footwear, and tourism goods, a sharp drop of 24.63 percent compared to $4.11 billion in the same period last year.

Within the sector, revenues from knitted garments stood at $1.39 billion as of April this year, down 28.5% from $1.95 billion in the same period in 2022. Revenue from non-knit apparel was $754 million compared to $922 million in the same period in 2022, down 18.1% year-over-year for the same period.

Footwear export revenue was $430 million in the first four months, also down 23.4 percent compared to $570 million in the same period last year.

Pakistan: April textile and apparel exports fell 29.11% year-on-year

According to China Cotton Information Network, Pakistan's textile and apparel exports in April amounted to $1.233 billion, down 29.11% year-on-year and 2% less than the same period last year; exports were a staggering $500 million less than the same period the previous year; exports of cotton yarn 21,600 tons fell 11.24% year-on-year and 7.82% in the ring; exports of cotton fabric 0.28 billion tons, down 14.58% year-on-year and down 5.7%.

F.Y. 2022/23 (July 2022 - April 2023), Pakistan's total exports of textiles and apparel amounted to $ 13.71 billion, a total of 193,900 tons of cotton yarn exports, down 14.17% year-on-year, down 31.16%; a capacity of 286 million tons of cotton fabric exports, down 21.08% year-on-year.

India: FY2023 textile and apparel exports fell nearly 14%

In 2021-2022, India's total exports of textiles and apparel were $41.3 billion, accounting for 9.79% of total merchandise exports. However, in 2022-2023, exports from this sector totaled $35.5 billion, accounting for only 7.95% of merchandise exports. In 2022-2023, exports of textiles and apparel declined by 13.9% from the previous year.

In the fiscal year 2022/23, India's apparel exports ($16.11 billion) increased by 1.1% from the previous year ($16.01 billion), while textile exports declined by 23.3% to $19.3 billion.

Siddhartha Rajagopal, executive director of the Indian Cotton Textiles Export Promotion Council, said India's cotton textile exports experienced a bad year, with factors affecting its exports, including high inventories of international buyers and high cotton prices in India last year.

Sri Lanka: Garment industry exports plunged 24% in April

Sri Lanka's Daily Financial Times reported on May 22 Sri Lanka's garment industry exports are facing severe challenges. April, Sri Lanka's garment industry exports amounted to 318 million U.S. dollars, a sharp decline of 24%, the lowest in recent years. January-April exports amounted to 1.5 billion U.S. dollars, a drop of 17%.

In April, apparel exports to the U.S. were $ 129 million, down 25.5% year-on-year, and exports to the E.U. fell to $ 90 million, down 27.53% year-on-year.

Industry insiders said that the increase in market inventory and the recent rise in the cost of Sri Lankan apparel purchases are the main factors in the decline in exports. At the same time, because of lower prices in Bangladesh, Egypt, and other African countries, customers mostly asked S suppliers to reduce prices, and Sri Lanka is rapidly losing its competitive advantage.

Indonesia: The textile industry is under tremendous pressure

In April this year, Indonesia's import and export continued to contract. In terms of exports, Indonesia's exports reached 19.29 billion USD in April, down 17.62% YoY and 29.40% YoY. Indonesia's imports in April reached US$15.35 billion, down 25.45% YoY and 22.32% YoY.

The slowdown in Indonesia's imports and exports in April has caused concern. According to Tauhid Ahmad, director of the Indonesian Institute for Economic and Financial Development, the import decline indicates a slowdown in Indonesia's economy. On the one hand, Indonesia's export destinations have decreased, especially the demand in the export markets of the textile, garment, footwear, and furniture industries, causing them to reduce their imports of raw materials for these industries. On the other hand, people's purchasing power has weakened, especially in the lower and middle classes, where the purchasing power of consumer goods is declining.

Indonesia's textile industry is still under pressure to lay off workers due to declining demand in the U.S. and European markets. Indonesia's Minister of Manpower Ida Fajia recently admitted that textile and footwear factories exporting to the European and American markets are under tremendous pressure, not just "less demand, or even no demand at all.

Turkey: Garment exports fell 6.34% to $6.3 billion in the first four months

According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute and the country's trade ministry, Turkey's apparel exports fell 6.34 percent year-on-year in January-April 2023, bringing total exports to $6.348 billion, compared with $6.778 billion in the same period in 2022. in April 2023, apparel exports fell 23.54 percent to $1.432 billion.

From January to April 2023, exports of knitted and crocheted garments and accessories were $3.403 billion, down 9% from $2.738 billion in the same period a year earlier. Meanwhile, the value of non-knitted clothes and accessories was $2.945 billion, down 3.1% from last year. In April this year, Turkey's total exports of knitted and non-knitted garments and accessories fell by 23.54% to $1.432 billion.