Wool Is 0.9% of Fibers | The Scale of Wool, Cashmere, and Silk

As sweater and coat season approaches, animal-derived materials such as wool and cashmere become more common in stores. Yet when viewed against total global fiber production, their volume is very small. Based on the international nonprofit Textile Exchange’s “Materials Market Report 2025,” we look at the scale of animal fibers.

Animal fibers together account for about 1%

Global fiber production in 2024 was about 132 million tons. Of this, animal fibers together accounted for only about 1%. Most of that was wool, at about 1 million tons after scouring, or 0.9% of all fibers. According to the International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO), there are more than 1.2 billion sheep raised worldwide.

Other animal fibers are produced on an even smaller scale. Estimates for 2024 put cashmere at 25,611 tons in greasy weight, alpaca at 6,200 tons, and mohair at 4,748 tons in greasy weight. Silk (raw silk) was about 91,415 tons, with China accounting for 55% and India 40%, meaning the two countries together make up 95% (estimates based on 2022 FAO data).

Shares of recycling and certification

The report states that recycled wool accounts for about 7% of the overall wool market. Meanwhile, the share of wool produced under certification schemes related to animal welfare and land management fell from about 5.2% in 2023 to 4.3% in 2024. One cited reason is that wool prices were low in 2024, and certified wool did not receive a sufficient price premium. For cashmere as well, the share of certified products fell from 47% in 2023 to 36% in 2024.

Key numbers
In 2024, wool totaled about 1 million tons, or 0.9% of global fibers. Cashmere was about 25,600 tons, and silk about 91,000 tons. Recycled wool accounts for about 7% of the wool market (Textile Exchange).

With polyester accounting for about 59% of all fibers, wool and silk are minorities by volume. That is exactly why wearing one garment for a long time, caring for it, and passing it on to the next person becomes so meaningful. our article on secondhand clothing becoming one tenth of fashion as well.

References: Textile Exchange “Materials Market Report 2025,” International Wool Textile Organisation (IWTO), Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO)

—The Value Village Editorial Team