Wool is produced across a large international sheep population, but output has generally been lower than at the start of the 2000s. The measures below distinguish greasy wool from tested or shorn wool, identify the relevant geography and period, and separate estimates, observations, derived values, and forecasts.
Key Wool Statistics
The following figures summarize the most useful wool production, price, and supply measures:
- In 2022, approximately 1,977 million kilograms of greasy wool came from worldwide production.
- In 2022, about 1.3 billion sheep were associated with the worldwide greasy wool clip.
- The global sheep population used for wool production spans more than 1,000 estimated breeds worldwide.
- Global greasy wool production was about 2.30 billion kilograms worldwide in 2000.
- Global greasy wool production was about 1.96 billion kilograms worldwide in 2022 in an approximate chart series.
- Interiors represented about 55% of global wool production in 2023/24.
- Apparel represented about 45% of global wool production in 2023/24.
- In November 2024, 18-micron wool was shown at about $10,190 per tonne in an international fibre comparison.
- In November 2024, 30-micron wool was shown at about $5,574 per tonne in an international fibre comparison.
- The United States shorn 3.222 million sheep in 2023.
- U.S. shorn wool production was 22.740 million pounds in 2023.
- U.S. wool production value was $32.097 million in 2024.
- California produced 2.400 million pounds of wool in 2024.
- Australian wool production tested by AWTA reached 99.4 million kilograms from July through October 2024.
- New South Wales represented 41.9% of Australian tested production through October 2024.
- Australian production was forecast to fall 10.1% for 2024/25.
Contents
- Key Wool Statistics
- Global Wool Production Statistics and Sheep Supply
- Wool Fibre Use, Micron, and Production Trends
- United States Wool Production, Fleece Weights, and Value
- State-Level Wool Production Data in the United States
- Australian Wool Production and Regional Trends
- Wool Prices and Market Measures
Global Wool Production Statistics and Sheep Supply
The International Wool Textile Organisation estimates that worldwide greasy wool production was approximately 1,977 million kilograms in 2022. Greasy weight is wool before cleaning, so it is not the same measure as clean wool.
The same IWTO overview estimates that about 1.3 billion sheep produced the 2022 worldwide greasy wool clip. It also describes a global sheep population used for wool production spanning more than 1,000 breeds, although that breed count is not a production share.
IWTO, “Wool Supply Chain” supplies the 2022 production, sheep, and breed estimates.
An approximate long-run series in Beyond the Bale shows the following worldwide greasy wool production values:
| Period | Approximate greasy wool production | Geography and measure |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | 2.30 billion kg | Worldwide estimate |
| 2010 | 2.06 billion kg | Worldwide estimate |
| 2015 | 2.13 billion kg | Worldwide estimate |
| 2020 | 1.92 billion kg | Worldwide estimate |
| 2022 | 1.96 billion kg | Worldwide chart value |
These chart-read values are approximate, and the 2022 series differs slightly from IWTO’s rounded 1,977-million-kilogram page figure. The comparison is for greasy wool throughout; it should not be interpreted as a clean-wool trend.
Source: Beyond the Bale, Issue 101, December 2024.
Wool Fibre Use, Micron, and Production Trends
The 2023/24 industry estimate divides global wool production between two broad end-use categories: about 55% for interiors and about 45% for apparel. These are end-use categories, not fibre grades, and they do not describe the share of sheep or farms using wool.
Micron size is associated with the fibre categories shown in the cited market comparison. In November 2024, the report showed these wool values alongside cotton:
| Fibre category | Reported value | Period |
|---|---|---|
| 18-micron wool | About $10,190 per tonne | November 2024 |
| 21-micron wool | About $8,560 per tonne | November 2024 |
| 30-micron wool | About $5,574 per tonne | November 2024 |
| Cotton | About $1,850 per tonne | November 2024 |
The report also stated that medium Merino wool was priced around 3.5 to 4 times acrylic, polyester, and cotton in its cited 2024 market comparison. Exact fibre grades and market dates differ, so the multiple is a relative industry comparison rather than a universal price rule.
Australian production trends varied by fibre category in the first four months of 2024/25. Superfine Merino production at 18.5 microns and finer increased 2.3% year over year from July–October 2023 to July–October 2024, while fine wool fell 11.4% and medium wool fell 19%.
Source: Beyond the Bale, Issue 101, December 2024. The Australian fibre results are AWTA-tested production for the first four months only.
United States Wool Production, Fleece Weights, and Value
USDA data show a modest decline in U.S. shorn wool production from 22.740 million pounds in 2023 to 22.480 million pounds in 2024. The United States shorn 3.222 million sheep in 2023, and the average fleece weight was 7.1 pounds in both 2023 and 2024.
The national price and value measures were:
| Measure | 2023 | 2024 |
|---|---|---|
| Shorn wool production | 22.740 million lb | 22.480 million lb |
| Average fleece weight | 7.1 lb | 7.1 lb |
| Marketing-year average price | $1.56/lb | $1.43/lb |
| Wool production value | $35.387 million | $32.097 million |
The production-value figures are USDA-derived calculations based on production and the marketing-year average price. Rounded state sums may differ from national totals.
Source: USDA NASS, Sheep and Goats 01/31/2025. The 2023 shorn-sheep measure includes shearing at commercial feeding yards.
State-Level Wool Production Data in the United States
The USDA state table reports shorn wool in thousand pounds; the figures below are expressed in millions of pounds for compact comparison. The listed states show how production was distributed in 2023 and 2024.
| State | 2023 wool | 2024 wool |
|---|---|---|
| California | 2.300 million lb | 2.400 million lb |
| Colorado | 2.280 million lb | 2.110 million lb |
| Idaho | 1.510 million lb | 1.520 million lb |
| Montana | 1.380 million lb | 1.370 million lb |
| Texas | 2.200 million lb | 2.130 million lb |
| Wyoming | 2.300 million lb | 2.180 million lb |
| Utah | 1.250 million lb | 1.200 million lb |
| South Dakota | 1.460 million lb | 1.480 million lb |
| Oregon | 0.900 million lb | 0.850 million lb |
| New Mexico | 0.500 million lb | 0.520 million lb |
| New York | 0.250 million lb | 0.245 million lb |
California shorn 370,000 sheep in 2023 and 375,000 in 2024, while Colorado shorn 350,000 and 340,000 respectively. These are state totals under the USDA shorn-sheep definition.
Selected average fleece weights illustrate another dimension of state production. Idaho averaged 8.2 pounds per fleece in 2023 and 8.4 pounds in 2024, Montana averaged 8.6 pounds in both years, and Wyoming averaged 9.0 pounds and 9.1 pounds.
Source: USDA NASS, Sheep and Goats 01/31/2025. USDA notes that state totals may not sum exactly because of rounding, and New England is reported as a six-state aggregate in the underlying tables.
Australian Wool Production and Regional Trends
AWTA-tested Australian wool production totaled 99.4 million kilograms from July through October 2024, or 99,425 tonnes in the season-to-date table. That was 7.7% below the same period of the prior season, when the table recorded 107,708 tonnes; the difference was 8,283 tonnes.
The largest regional shares through October 2024 were:
| Region | Tested volume | Share of Australian total |
|---|---|---|
| New South Wales | 41,696 tonnes | 41.9% |
| Victoria | 20,242 tonnes | 20.4% |
| Western Australia | 15,319 tonnes | 15.4% |
| South Australia | 14,604 tonnes | 14.7% |
New South Wales and Victoria together represented 64.7% of Australian production through October 2024. These are season-to-date AWTA-tested figures, not full-season totals.
Regional year-over-year movements were uneven. Tasmania’s tested wool volume was down 19.7% through October 2024, with drought reported as a possible factor, while Queensland’s volume rose 0.74% to 3,968 tonnes.
Australian production was forecast to fall 10.1% for 2024/25. That figure is a forecast, not a completed-season result, and should be kept separate from the observed July–October totals.
Source: Beyond the Bale, Issue 101, December 2024.
Wool Prices and Market Measures
In the United States, the marketing-year average wool price declined from $1.56 per pound in 2023 to $1.43 per pound in 2024, a difference of 13 cents per pound. Combined with the small production decrease, this corresponded to a fall in wool production value from $35.387 million to $32.097 million.
The international fibre comparison provides additional context without making unlike measures equivalent. Cotton was shown at about $1,850 per tonne in November 2024, while wool values ranged from about $5,574 per tonne for 30-micron wool to about $10,190 per tonne for 18-micron wool.
The same report said cotton’s price was 15.9% lower over the six months to its cited 2024 comparison. Synthetic fibre values were around 1% lower in the report’s data since January 2024, but synthetic categories are not one single fibre and the report describes a broad trend rather than one uniform series.
The figures use different units, geographies, dates, and market definitions: USDA prices are U.S. marketing-year averages per pound, while the fibre comparison uses international values per tonne and specific report categories. The distinction matters when interpreting wool costs or comparing wool with cotton and synthetics.
Sources: USDA NASS, Sheep and Goats 01/31/2025 and Beyond the Bale, Issue 101, December 2024.