The world's leading clothing exporters and key markets

摘要

World clothing exports rose by 9% to a record high of US$460 bn in 2013 following growth of just 1% in 2012. Nevertheless, the rise was slower than the increases of 18% and 12% witnessed in 2011 and 2010 respectively. In terms of volume, export growth picked up to around 5% in 2013 from an estimated 2% in 2012. Of the total value of exports, as much as 89%, or US$411 bn, was accounted for by the world's top 15 clothing exporters. Of these, the largest exporter was China with a 39% share, worth US$177 bn, of the global total. The second largest exporter was the EU, followed by Bangladesh, Hong Kong, Vietnam, India, Turkey, Indonesia, the USA, Cambodia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Mexico, Sri Lanka and Thailand. As many as 13 of the 15 leading exporters achieved growth in 2013. The fastest increase was in exports from India (up by 22%), followed by those from Vietnam {up by 19%), Bangladesh (up by 18%), Cambodia (up by 17%), Sri Lanka (up by 13%), China (up by 11%), the EU (up by 8%), Pakistan (up by 8%), Turkey (up by 8%), the USA (up by 4%), Indonesia (up by 2%), Mexico (up by 2%) and Malaysia (up by 1%). On the other hand, there were declines in the case of exports from Thailand (down by 4%) and Hong Kong (down by 3%). In terms of destination, strong growth was seen in exports to a number of countries in Asia and the Middle East. Growth in exports from most countries to the USA was more moderate while exports from most countries to EU markets only recovered to the levels seen in 2011 following declines in the previous year. The outlook for trade growth in 2014 looks to be slightly more positive than the growth rate witnessed in 2013. Global merchandise trade is expected to increase by 3% following a 2% rise in 2013 as the situation in the EU and the USA is expected to improve while growth in trade in developing countries should continue to outpace growth in trade in developed economies. However, the forecast for global trade growth in 2014 has been downgraded due to slower than expected growth in the first half of 2014. And while growth is expected to pick up in the second half of the year, there is a risk that the forecast will have to be downgraded further as global growth remains uneven and as geopolitical tensions continue to rise—particularly in Ukraine and the Middle East.