Global Apparel Trade 2025: Diverging Import Markets and India’s Quiet Momentum
The headline numbers across key global apparel import markets in 2025 tell different stories. The EU and Japan are running ahead on a year-to-date basis, with import growth of 10% and 11% respectively through October 2025. The UK tracks similarly, up 11% YTD. The US, however, has moved in the opposite direction — monthly imports stood at US$ 7.4 Bn. in September 2025, down 9% year-on-year, even as the full-year YTD figure holds a modest 2% gain. The divergence isn’t incidental; it reflects the compounding pressure of tariff-driven demand suppression and declining consumer confidence in the US market, where the Consumer Confidence Index closed December 2025 at 89.1, its lowest reading of the year.
On the supply side, the supplier landscape is shifting with quiet consistency. China’s apparel exports reached US$ 132.8 Bn. in CY25 YTD, down 4% on the year, and its share in the US import basket slipped to 15% for January-September 2025, compared to 22% in full-year 2024. Vietnam filled a portion of that gap, growing its US share to 21%. India recorded export growth of 9% YoY in November 2025, with CY25 YTD exports at US$ 14.6 Bn. — a 3.6% increase over the same period in 2024. India’s share in both the US and EU baskets edged up to 7% and 6%, respectively.
Retail signals add further texture. US apparel store sales hit US$ 19.9 Bn. in October 2025, up 9% YoY, while online clothing sales fell 4% in Q3 2025 — a clear shift of consumer purchasing back toward physical retail. In the UK, apparel store sales grew 6% YTD through October 2025. India’s domestic apparel retail maintained consistent momentum, with July 2025 growth coming in at 9% over the prior year.
The full trade and retail dataset, covering monthly import trends, supplier share movements, retailer inventory positions, and macroeconomic indicators across the US, EU, UK, Japan, and India, is available in the complete report.
