30% of the World’s Clothing Comes from China | Apparel Exporters in WTO Statistics

Look at the tags on the clothes you have nearby, and you will see labels such as “Made in China,” “Made in Bangladesh,” and “Made in Vietnam.” We introduced the fact that more than 98% of clothing sold in Japan is imported in a previous article but looking at the world as a whole, where is clothing being shipped from? We read this through trade statistics from the World Trade Organization (WTO).

China: about 165 billion dollars, 29.6% share

According to WTO statistics, the world’s largest clothing exporter by value in 2024 was China, at about 165 billion dollars. Its global share was 29.6%, reportedly the lowest level since 2010. While it still accounts for nearly 30%, that share is gradually shifting to other countries.

Bangladesh and Vietnam

By country, Bangladesh and Vietnam follow China. In 2024, Bangladesh exported about 38.5 billion dollars and Vietnam about 34 billion dollars, with each holding a global share in the 6–7% range. The gap between the two countries has been narrowing year by year. The WTO also counts the European Union (EU) as one region, and the EU’s total exports, including intra-regional trade, are on a scale comparable to China’s.

Clothing exports in 2024 (from WTO statistics)
・China: about 165 billion dollars (29.6% global share)
・Bangladesh: about 38.5 billion dollars
・Vietnam: about 34 billion dollars
※The EU is counted separately as a region, including intra-regional trade

The lives behind the numbers

Clothing manufacturing is an industry that requires many human hands, and countries with large export volumes support employment for many people. The shift toward more dispersed production sites reflects not only cost, but also corporate decisions around tariffs, logistics, and diversifying business partners. When choosing clothes, pausing for a moment over the country name on the tag may make the world map look a little different.

Global statistics viewed from the materials side are also introduced in our article on the world’s 25.9 million tons of cotton as well.

Reference: World Trade Organization (WTO), World Trade Statistical Review

—The Value Village Editorial Team