Textile industry statistics show a large and changing global system: fiber output reached an estimated 132 million tonnes in 2024, while waste, trade, employment and material choices vary sharply by geography and definition. The figures below distinguish production from consumption, municipal waste from total textile waste, and estimates or forecasts from observed measurements.
Key Textile Industry Statistics
The most broadly useful textile industry figures include:
- In 2024, global fiber production was approximately 132 million tonnes across apparel, home textiles, footwear and other applications worldwide.
- Between 2015 and 2024, global fiber production increased by approximately 34 million tonnes in the global fiber market.
- Under a business-as-usual scenario, global fiber production is forecast at about 169 million tonnes in 2030.
- In 2024, synthetic fibers accounted for about 69% of global fiber production, or approximately 91.0 million tonnes worldwide.
- In 2024, polyester represented approximately 59% of global fiber output worldwide.
- In 2024, recycled fibers represented about 7.6% of global fiber production worldwide.
- In 2024, less than 1% of the global fiber market came from pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles.
- In 2023/24, cotton production was approximately 24.5 million tonnes, about 19% of global fiber production.
- In 2024, EU-27 textile consumption averaged 19 kilograms per person for clothing, footwear and household textiles.
- In 2022, EU households’ textile consumption required about 234 million tonnes of raw materials, or 523 kilograms per person.
- In 2022, EU Member States generated about 6.94 million tonnes of textile waste, equal to 16 kilograms per person.
- Between 2010 and 2022, the share of European textile waste sent to landfill fell from 21% to 12%.
- In 2018, U.S. textile generation in municipal solid waste was 17.03 million U.S. tons.
- In 2018, the U.S. textile recycling rate was 14.7%, with 2.51 million U.S. tons recycled.
- In 2018, U.S. landfills received 11.30 million U.S. tons of municipal solid-waste textiles.
- During 2010–2019, Asia’s garment, footwear and textile industry accounted for about 55% of global textiles and clothing exports.
- During 2010–2019, the Asian garment sector employed approximately 60 million workers.
- In 2024, FAO estimated world cotton production at 26 million tonnes, with more than 9 million tonnes traded.
- In 2024, cotton’s share of global fiber consumption was 22%, down from 60% in the 1960s.
Contents
- Global textile industry production and material mix
- Cotton, wool and cellulosic fiber statistics
- Synthetic and recycled textile fiber trends
- EU textile consumption, waste and circularity data
- U.S. textile waste generation and management
- Textile employment, trade and wage statistics
Global Textile Industry Production and Material Mix
Textile Exchange estimates that global fiber production reached approximately 132 million tonnes in 2024, compared with about 125 million tonnes in 2023. The estimate covers fibers used for apparel, home textiles, footwear and other applications, so it is broader than textile manufacturing alone. Textile Exchange, Materials Market Report 2025
The same series estimates growth of approximately 34 million tonnes between 2015 and 2024. Its business-as-usual scenario projects about 169 million tonnes in 2030; that is a conditional forecast, not an observed result. Textile Exchange, Materials Market Report 2025
| Global fiber category | 2024 estimate | Definition or scope |
|---|---|---|
| Synthetic fibers | 69%, about 91.0 million tonnes | Polyester, polyamide and other synthetic fibers |
| Manmade cellulosic fibers | 6%, about 8.4 million tonnes | Viscose, acetate, lyocell, modal and cupro |
| Recycled fibers | 7.6% | Includes recycled polyester and other recycled fibers |
| Other synthetic fibers | About 6.3 million tonnes, 5% | Polypropylene, acrylic and elastane |
These categories overlap in an important way: recycled polyester is both synthetic and recycled. The percentages are estimates for the global fiber market and should not be read as end-use shares for sewing, crochet or any individual product category. Textile Exchange, Materials Market Report 2025
Cotton, Wool and Cellulosic Fiber Statistics
Cotton production was approximately 24.5 million tonnes in 2023/24, equal to about 19% of global fiber production in Textile Exchange’s agricultural-year estimate. Viscose production was approximately 6.7 million tonnes in 2024, or about 5% of global fiber production, making it the largest manmade cellulosic subgroup in that report. Textile Exchange, Materials Market Report 2025
| Fiber | Period | Global estimate | Measurement note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cotton | 2023/24 | 24.5 million tonnes; 19% of fiber production | Agricultural-year estimate |
| Viscose | 2024 | 6.7 million tonnes; about 5% | Largest manmade cellulosic subgroup |
| Clean wool | 2024 | 1.0 million tonnes; about 0.9% | Wool after scouring |
About 34% of global cotton production came from certified sources in the latest period reported in 2025. Certification categories and coverage depend on Textile Exchange’s source reporting, so this is not a universal measure of all cotton sustainability practices. Textile Exchange, Materials Market Report 2025
FAO’s 2024 estimate places world cotton production at 26 million tonnes, with more than 9 million tonnes traded. FAO also reports an estimated annual production value above $75 billion and annual cotton trade of approximately $20 billion; these are rounded cotton-sector estimates, not total textile-manufacturing revenue. FAO, World Cotton Day: Interesting facts about cotton
Cotton’s share of global fiber consumption declined from 60% in the 1960s to 22% in 2024. FAO estimates that women accounted for 43% of the labor force in cotton production, while about 24 million growers and more than 100 million families benefited from the cotton sector; these populations are not interchangeable. FAO, World Cotton Day: Interesting facts about cotton
Synthetic and Recycled Textile Fiber Trends
Polyester accounted for approximately 59% of global fiber output in 2024, with production rising from about 71 million tonnes in 2023 to about 78 million tonnes in 2024. About 88% of polyester production was fossil-based in 2024; that classification describes material origin, not emissions. Textile Exchange, Materials Market Report 2025
Recycled polyester production increased from about 8.9 million tonnes in 2023 to about 9.3 million tonnes in 2024. Even so, its share of polyester output declined from 12.5% to 12% because virgin polyester grew faster. Textile Exchange, Materials Market Report 2025
| Recycled-material measure | 2024 estimate | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Recycled fibers | 7.6% of global fiber production | Includes recycled polyester and other recycled fibers |
| Bottle-based recycled polyester | 6.9% of all fiber produced worldwide | Polyester made from plastic bottles |
| Textile-to-textile recycled fibers | Less than 1% of global fiber market | Pre- and post-consumer recycled textiles only |
Bottle-based recycled polyester therefore dominates the recycled-fiber picture in this dataset, while textile-to-textile recycling remained below 1% of the global fiber market in 2024. The categories are based on Textile Exchange classifications and should not be combined as independent, mutually exclusive totals. Textile Exchange, Materials Market Report 2025
EU Textile Consumption, Waste and Circularity Data
The European Environment Agency estimates average EU-27 consumption of clothing, footwear and household textiles at 19 kilograms per person in 2022, up from 17 kilograms in 2019. The 2022 estimate comprised 8 kilograms of clothing, 7 kilograms of household textiles and 4 kilograms of footwear per person. EEA, Circularity of the EU textiles value chain in numbers
This is apparent consumption: production plus imports minus exports. It excludes industrial or technical textiles and carpets, and the EEA notes uncertainty in the estimates.
- EU textile consumption ranked fifth among 12 household-consumption categories for combined environmental and climate pressures in 2022, using raw-material use, greenhouse-gas emissions, water use and land use.
- EU textile consumption per person increased 15% between 2010 and 2022, while raw-material use per person fell 24% over the same period.
- EU households’ 2022 textile consumption required about 234 million tonnes of raw materials, equal to 523 kilograms per person.
- EU Member States generated about 6.94 million tonnes of textile waste in 2022, equal to 16 kilograms per person.
The EU textile-waste capture rate rose by 4.3 percentage points between 2016 and 2022, although the EEA describes the average increase as slow. Across Europe, the landfill share fell from 21% in 2010 to 12% in 2022, while incineration rose from 10% to 14%, including incineration with and without energy recovery. EEA, Circularity of the EU textiles value chain in numbers
An estimated 4%–9% of textile products placed on the European market were destroyed before use, corresponding to 264,000–594,000 tonnes per year. EU used-textile exports rose from a little over 550,000 tonnes in 2000 to about 1.4 million tonnes in 2019 and remained about 1.4 million tonnes in 2023; export volume does not establish whether textiles were reused, recycled, landfilled, burned or dumped after export. EEA, Circularity of the EU textiles value chain in numbers
U.S. Textile Waste Generation and Management
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s material-specific municipal-solid-waste estimates place textile generation at 17.03 million U.S. tons in 2018, or 5.8% of total U.S. municipal solid waste generation. Reused textiles are not included in generation until they enter the waste stream, so this is not a measure of all clothing use or all textile discards. EPA, Textiles: Material-Specific Data
| U.S. MSW textile measure | 2018 estimate | Share or definition |
|---|---|---|
| Recycled textiles | 2.51 million U.S. tons | 14.7% all-textiles recycling rate |
| Combustion with energy recovery | 3.22 million U.S. tons | 9.3% of MSW in this pathway |
| Landfilled textiles | 11.30 million U.S. tons | 7.7% of all U.S. MSW landfilled |
For product groups, the 2018 recycling rate was 13% for clothing and footwear textiles and 15.8% for sheets, towels and pillowcases. EPA defines these as material-specific MSW estimates; reuse is not counted as recycling in this measure. EPA, Textiles: Material-Specific Data
EPA’s long-run series estimates textile generation increased from 1.76 million U.S. tons in 1960 to 17.03 million U.S. tons in 2018. Textile recycling rose from 50,000 U.S. tons to 2.51 million U.S. tons, while textile landfilling increased from 1.71 million U.S. tons to 11.30 million U.S. tons; changes in category and estimation methods may affect long-run comparisons. EPA, Textiles: Material-Specific Data
Textile Employment, Trade and Wage Statistics
The International Labour Organization estimates that Asia’s garment, footwear and textile industry accounted for about 55% of global textiles and clothing exports during 2010–2019. The Asian garment sector employed approximately 60 million workers over that period, across formal, informal, temporary and home-based work.
These are sector estimates for Asia, not global textile-industry totals. ILO, Employment, wages and productivity in the Asian garment sector
In 2014, developing Asia-Pacific exported $601 billion of garments, footwear and textile products, representing about three-fifths of the global total for that combined category. Exports grew 5.1% from 2013 to 2014, and the value includes garments and footwear as well as textile products. ILO, Employment, wages and productivity in the Asian garment sector
Minimum-wage non-compliance also varied across seven Asian exporting countries in the latest survey period discussed in the ILO’s 2016 note. Non-compliance ranged from 6.6% of workers in Viet Nam to 53.3% in the Philippines; these country rates are not a single regional average. ILO, Weak minimum wage compliance in Asia’s garment industry
FAO estimates that approximately 80% of cotton is used in apparel, with the remainder used in home textiles and industrial products. This end-use estimate concerns cotton rather than all textile fibers, and apparel is broader than sewing or craft use. FAO, World Cotton Day: Interesting facts about cotton