In the highly competitive global fashion industry, the apparel import data 2025 provides a clear advantage to sourcing professionals, exporters, and trade strategists. Knowing which regions lead in garment imports and what products they prefer enables companies to refine their apparel sourcing strategy, focus on high-potential markets, and build stronger positioning.
With insights on apparel trade by country from TexPro, Fibre2Fashion’s market intelligence solution, B2B professionals can move beyond guesswork and base their decisions on reliable data.
Let’s explore major global apparel imports by country in 2025, highlight trends visible in clothing import statistics and how fabric trade intelligence and garment import export data help exporters and sourcing teams.
Let’s dive in.
The Global Apparel Market Snapshot
Before digging into country-level imports, let’s set the stage with the size of the global apparel market. According to UniformMarket, the global apparel market is projected to reach USD 1.84 trillion in 2025. Other industry sources project similar growth trajectories.
Growth drivers include rising global middle classes, fast fashion cycles, and growing e‑commerce penetration in developing regions.
With such scale, a few countries stand out as dominant garment import hubs, making them critical to understand for exporters and sourcing teams.
Top Apparel Importers in 2025: Key Markets
United States
The U.S. remains the largest individual importer of apparel. In 2024, U.S. textile & apparel imports rose to USD 107.723 billion, a 2.66 % increase over 2023. Of that, apparel imports (the garment component) increased by about 1.71 % to ~USD 79.257 billion.
In July 2025, U.S. imports from China fell sharply. China’s share dropped to 15.6 %, down from 24.6 % a year earlier, while Vietnam, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, and Egypt all gained share.
These shifts highlight how apparel sourcing strategies are evolving under tariff pressures and diversification.
European Union
Europe leads global garment imports, especially in fashion, premium, and sustainable categories. In 2023, India exported USD 4,062 million worth of garments to the EU. This was about 3.17 % of total EU apparel imports.
Within EU’s markets, Germany the largest importer. It imported garments worth USD 40.87 billion in 2023. Exporters must manage strict compliance rules. CE marking, REACH, and demanding buyers are key challenges.
India mostly exports apparel but also imports for re-export. It makes up 5.5 % of U.S. imports and 3.5 % of EU imports. Bangladesh, though an exporter, imports fabrics and trims. Its import data often reflects components as well as finished products.
India & Bangladesh
While India is more known as an apparel exporter, it also imports specialised garments or inputs for re-export. According to export/import studies, India has accounted for 5.5 % of U.S. apparel imports and 3.5 % of EU imports in recent years.
Bangladesh’s role as an apparel exporter also means it imports fabrics, linings, and accessories—thus its garment import numbers reflect trade in components, not just finished garments.
Other Emerging Importers
Beyond the U.S. and EU, other countries are boosting garment imports:
- Japan and South Korea, with high purchasing power and fashion demand
- Middle East nations (UAE, Saudi Arabia) importing luxury and branded apparel
- African countries, especially those without strong domestic garment sectors
- Latin American states (Brazil, Mexico) balancing domestic production with imports
TexPro’s country-wise apparel imports dashboards help exporters spot rising markets likely to absorb garment volumes.
Trends & Patterns in Apparel Import Statistics
1. Shift In Sourcing Country Mix
Tariffs and trade policy shifts are reshaping sourcing. The U.S. experience shows China’s share slipping in 2025 while Vietnam, Cambodia, and India gain.
This trend is echoed in e‑commerce and regional trade blocs pushing for closer suppliers.
2. Tariff Shock & Duty Escalation
As of 2024, the average applied tariff on apparel globally reached 14.6 %, up from 13.7 % before additional Chinese-specific tariffs. Tariff changes often trigger abrupt shifts in import patterns, which exporters must monitor via textile trade intelligence.
3. Growth Slows but Baseline Demand Holds
In early 2025, U.S. import growth moderated. In February 2025, the U.S. saw apparel import value growth of 3.2 % and volume growth of 1.5 %, which is much lower than earlier surges of 18–19 %.
This suggests that while demand remains, the wild swings of prior years are stabilising.
4. Import of Components & Intra-Regional Inputs
Many apparel import figures include fabrics, trims, and accessory imports. Countries like India or Vietnam may import fabrics and re-export finished garments, so interpretation must be nuanced. Tools like TexPro help decompose garment import export data into components vs finished goods.
How TexPro Helps Decode Apparel Import Patterns
TexPro offers modules that bring depth to apparel import data 2025 analysis. Here’s how:
A. Country Profiles / Import Dashboards
Users can view import volumes, values, month-wise trends, and top sourcing nations for any importing country. Want to see how much apparel the U.K. imported in 2025 from Bangladesh vs Vietnam? TexPro shows that.
B. Export-Import Flow Heatmaps & Trade Corridors
Mapping flows helps exporters spot corridors undervalued by competition. For instance, if TexPro shows rising apparel imports into Eastern Europe from South Asian suppliers, exporters can reposition marketing or logistics.
C. Tariff & Non-Tariff Barrier Alerts
TexPro flags tariff changes or new quotas affecting apparel imports in target markets. These alerts let you re-price or re-route shipments quickly.
D. Forecast & Trend Tools
By combining historical import trends, macroeconomic data, and trade shifts, TexPro predicts future import demand—so exporters can adjust capacity, marketing, and supply strategy.
E. Sourcing Strategy Modelling
Exporters can simulate “What‑if” scenarios: What if U.S. raises duty on garments from Country A? Where do we redirect supply? TexPro helps map these reroutes.
Example Use: U.S. Import Realignment
In mid‑2025, TexPro users can see that U.S. apparel import share from China shrank drastically; Vietnam’s share grew. An exporter in Vietnam or Cambodia can use apparel trade by country insights to expand with U.S. retailers. Trend data gives them the proof to push more aggressively.
Final Thoughts
In the fashion industry trade 2025, relying on intuition is no longer an option. Global trade flows are shifting with tariffs, regional shifts, and fast-changing fashion cycles. Real-time apparel import data by country equips exporters and sourcing professionals with the edge they need. With TexPro, you’re not only responding to the market—you’re staying ahead of it.
Want to align your apparel sourcing strategy with data-driven insights instead of guesswork? Discover TexPro today and make smarter trade decisions backed by powerful textile market intelligence.
FAQs
1. Which country imports the most apparel in 2025?
The U.S. continues to be the largest single-country importer of apparel, pulling in tens of billions in garment imports annually.
2. How has China’s share of U.S. apparel imports changed in 2025?
In July 2025, China’s share of U.S. apparel imports fell from ~24.6% to ~15.6%, with significant declines in value and quantity.
3. Does apparel import data include fabrics and accessories?
Yes. Many reporting structures lump clothing, fabrics, trims, and accessories together. Tools like TexPro help break out the distinctions for better sourcing clarity.