Gitnux/Report 2026

Apparel Garment Industry Statistics

The global apparel market generated an estimated $1.87T in 2025, explore the figures behind growth, companies and trends for 2026.
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November 11, 2026Updated
Apparel Garment Industry Statistics
Samuel NorbergWritten by Samuel Norberg·Fact-checked by Maya Johansson
Published ·Updated
How this report is researched
01Editorial Scope

An editor sets the topic, the inclusion criteria, and the evaluation framework before research starts.

02Source Research

AI search agents locate sources and extract each figure together with the document it came from.

Read our full methodology →

Search agents attach provenance to every extracted figure.

Next review: within 31 days

01 Industry overview

The apparel garment industry at a glance

The global apparel market was worth an estimated $1.87 trillion in 2025 and is projected to reach $2.13 trillion by 2030, while growth is increasingly shaped by e-commerce, sustainability rules and value-conscious consumers.

$1.87T[103]
Global apparel market, 2025
2.6%[103]
Global CAGR, 2025–2030
78,916[28]
U.S. apparel manufacturing jobs, 2025
$366B[103]
U.S. apparel market, 2025
Market size
The global apparel market generated approximately $1.87 trillion in 2025. The United States was the largest national market at $366 billion, followed by China at $316 billion.[103]
Forecast & CAGR
Global apparel revenue is forecast to increase from $1.87 trillion in 2025 to $2.13 trillion in 2030, implying growth of about 2.6% annually. A separate 2026 industry estimate puts the market at $1.9 trillion and forecasts $2.3 trillion by 2030, equivalent to a 4% CAGR.[103][104]
Market share & regions
In 2025, the United States and China together represented approximately $682 billion of global apparel revenue, or about 36% of the $1.87 trillion market. India was the third-largest market at $109 billion, while Japan and the United Kingdom generated $92 billion and $89 billion, respectively.[103]
Pricing
U.S. apparel prices were broadly subdued in 2025: the apparel CPI declined 0.6% over the year. Results varied by category, with women’s apparel prices rising 3.5% in the 12-month analysis reported for December 2025.[105]
Trends, drivers & challenges
E-commerce remains a major channel: U.S. online retail sales reached $1.234 trillion in 2025 and accounted for 16.4% of total retail sales. Industry growth is being balanced by weak manufacturing employment in the United States, where apparel manufacturing jobs fell by 6,000 during 2025, alongside rising requirements for traceability and circularity.[106][107][108]
Consumer behavior & competition
U.S. e-commerce sales grew 5.4% in 2025, faster than total retail sales growth of 3.5%, indicating continued consumer migration toward digital purchasing. In Europe, clothing imports reached €180.5 billion, or 29.3 billion units, in 2024, while suppliers from developing countries accounted for 43.9% of EU clothing-import value.[106][109]
M&A
A notable 2026 transaction was the completion of G-III Apparel Group and WHP Global’s acquisition of the Marc Jacobs brand from LVMH. The transaction created a 50–50 joint venture for the brand’s intellectual property, while G-III acquired the operating business and entered a long-term license.[110]
Regulation
The European Union’s Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation establishes the legal framework for Digital Product Passports, and textile apparel is a priority product group. The European Commission’s indicative timeline targets adoption of the textile delegated act in the fourth quarter of 2027, although implementation dates may change.[108]
Latest news
The latest industry developments include the September 2026 completion of the Marc Jacobs acquisition by G-III Apparel Group and WHP Global, and the European Commission’s continued work on textile Digital Product Passport requirements. The Commission currently identifies the fourth quarter of 2027 as the planned adoption period for the textile-specific delegated act.[110][108]

02 Ranking

Top 10 Companies in the Apparel Garment Industry

The leading companies in the apparel garment industry, ranked on market impact, performance, momentum, innovation and brand popularity.

Updated November 10, 2026 · Next review December 10, 2026

Verdict

FAST RETAILING stands out for brand-led apparel retail because it reported FY2026 revenue of ¥3.9633 trillion, while Inditex leads in fashion retail and garment operations since it reported 163,047 employees across stores, logistics, factories and central services in 2025.

Ranked by Overall score · How we score ↓

Editor's top 3 picks

Where to start, by need.

  1. #1 Overall · Leader in apparel Retailing

    FAST RETAILING

    JP

    Ranked #1 · 9.7 · Apparel Retailing

    Why we picked it: It combines a UNIQLO-led brand portfolio with FY2026 revenue of ¥3.9633 trillion and an 18.8% operating margin.

    See in ranking ↓Visit fastretailing.com ↗

  2. Leader in fashion retail & manufacturing

    Inditex

    ES

    Ranked #2 · 9.5 · Fashion retail & manufacturing

    Why we picked it: It runs a vertically integrated retail-to-production footprint, with 163,047 employees in 2025 and a 20% operating margin.

    See in ranking ↓Visit inditex.com ↗

  3. Leader in sportswear & apparel

    Nike

    US

    Ranked #3 · 9.0 · Sportswear & apparel

    Why we picked it: It is concentrated in sportswear and apparel, backed by $13.4 billion NIKE Brand apparel revenue in fiscal 2026.

    See in ranking ↓Visit nike.com ↗

Pick 1 is the #1 company overall. Picks 2 and 3 are the highest-ranked companies in the top 5 that add a new segment.

Full ranking

Sort by
Top 10 companies in the apparel garment industry, 2026 – Gitnux ranking
#CompanyOverall ↓Company snapshot
1

FAST RETAILING

Apparel Retailing · JP

9.7
2

Inditex

Fashion retail & manufacturing · ES

9.5
3

Nike

Sportswear & apparel · US

9.0
4

Shenzhou International

Knitted apparel manufacturing · CN

8.9
5

Gildan Activewear

Basic apparel manufacturing · CA

8.8
6

adidas

Global sportswear and apparel brand owner · DE

8.8
7

Levi Strauss

Global denim and casual apparel brand owner · US

8.0
8

Crystal International

Global apparel manufacturing and sourcing · HK

7.9
9

Gap

Global specialty apparel brand group · US

7.8
10

PVH

Global branded apparel group · US

7.7

How we score

  • Impact (30%): scale and weight in the market (revenue, market share, employees, market position).
  • Performance (20%): recent revenue growth and operating margin; an analyst assessment where a company does not publish them.
  • Momentum (20%): growth trajectory and future potential.
  • Innovation (15%): R&D intensity and how technologically advanced the company is.

Popularity (brand search demand, 15%) counts toward Overall but is not published as a column. Overall leaves out what is not known.

Scale Scores are shown on a 7–10 scale with one decimal; bars start at 7.0.

Cadence Recalculated when new figures are published; next review December 10, 2026.

Independence. Rankings are editorially independent. Scores, ranks, picks and the verdict follow the method above; no company can pay to change them.

Cite this ranking

APA

Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Top 10 companies in the apparel garment industry. In Apparel Garment Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/apparel-garment-industry-statistics/#top-companies

report visual · Comparison

Regional share of apparel manufacturing sales, value of shipments, or revenue (United States)

West Region holds the largest share at 41.3%.

West Region41.3%
South Region28.9%
Northeast Region19.1%
Midwest Region10.8%
source-verifieddata.census.gov

04 Statistics

Technology & Innovation

AI adoption runs ahead of workflow integration: 71% of surveyed apparel organizations used AI in some capacity in 2024, while 29% used AI without integration in 2026.

AI in the apparel garment industry

  • One French childrenswear brand, Petit Bateau, used AI-enabled chatbot automation for order tracking and customer-service responses in 2024.[1]
  • An American apparel group reduced sampling rounds from four to one using AI-assisted apparel development, according to a 2026 fashion-AI report.[2]
  • 25% of European textile companies used AI applications in 2024.[1]
  • 29% of apparel and soft-goods organizations were using AI without integrating it into workflows in 2026.[3]
  • 71% of surveyed apparel organizations were implementing or already using AI in some capacity in 2024, while 1% had no plans to leverage it.[3]
  • 13% of apparel and soft-goods organizations were exploring or piloting AI in 2026.[3]

Automation in the apparel garment industry

  • 44.83% of surveyed U.S. textile companies were researching smart manufacturing in 2024.[4]
  • 13.79% of surveyed U.S. textile companies did not plan to pursue smart manufacturing in 2024.[4]
  • 40.63% of surveyed U.S. textile companies were researching automation or robotics in 2024.[4]
  • 28.13% of surveyed U.S. textile companies had implemented automation or robotics in 2024.[4]
  • 20.69% of surveyed U.S. textile companies planned to implement smart manufacturing in 2024.[4]
  • 9 surveyed U.S. textile companies had implemented automation or robotics in 2024.[4]

Digital Transformation in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • 4.8% of textile-ecosystem SMEs in the EU had adopted digital-twin technology in 2023.[1]
  • 65% of textile companies in the 2023 sample had a website, according to analysis of company websites in the EU textile ecosystem.[1]
  • 38.3% of textile-ecosystem SMEs in the EU used online platforms in 2023.[1]
  • 26% of textile-ecosystem companies in the EU reported having a concrete digital-transformation strategy in 2024.[1]

Technology Adoption in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • 58% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used enterprise resource planning software in 2023.[5]
  • 54% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used product-lifecycle-management software in 2023.[5]
  • 58% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used supply-chain-management software in 2023.[5]
  • 40% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used electronic data interchange in 2023.[5]
  • 68% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used an online payment platform in 2023.[5]
  • 44% of North American fashion and apparel manufacturers used warehouse-management systems in 2023.[5]

Cloud Computing in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • 39% of apparel organizations with revenue below $100 million were in the process of moving to cloud ERP in 2025.[5]
  • 33% of textile-ecosystem companies in the EU used cloud technology in 2024.[1]
  • 48% of apparel organizations with revenue of $100 million or more were in the process of moving to cloud ERP in 2025.[5]
  • 19% of apparel organizations with revenue of $100 million or more had already moved to cloud ERP in 2025.[5]
  • 16% of apparel organizations with revenue below $100 million had already moved to cloud ERP in 2025.[5]
  • 32.3% of textile-ecosystem SMEs in the EU had adopted cloud technologies in 2023.[6]

Big Data in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • 12% of companies in the European textile ecosystem reported Big Data adoption in 2024, based on the EMI Enterprise Survey.[1]
  • 12.8% of European textile SMEs had adopted Big Data and related data analytics in 2023, according to the European Monitor of Industrial Ecosystems survey.[1]

05 Statistics

Data & Analytics

Analytics pressure shows in inventory and planning KPIs, with fashion companies’ inventory days outstanding reaching 168 days in 2024.

Business intelligence in the apparel garment industry

  • 24% of North American apparel manufacturers reported KPI improvements in business intelligence and analytics from digital transformation.[5]
  • Fashion companies’ inventory days outstanding reached 168 days in 2024, compared with 160 days during 2020–2023 and 147 days during 2016–2019.[7]
  • 50% of U.S. fashion companies used AI for sustainability tracking, risk management, or sourcing strategy and cost optimization in 2026.[8]
  • 45% of fashion executives identified AI-driven marketing as a major value driver for 2025.[7]
  • 90% of North American fashion-supply-chain respondents faced moderate to very high SKU-management complexity.[9]
  • 56% of U.S. fashion companies used AI for demand forecasting and inventory planning in 2026, according to the USFIA benchmarking study.[8]

Data analytics in the apparel garment industry

  • 18% of North American apparel manufacturers reported digital-transformation improvements in procurement efficiency and reliability.[5]
  • 30% of North American apparel manufacturers reported digital-transformation improvements in logistics efficiency.[5]
  • 26% of North American apparel manufacturers reported digital-transformation improvements in sales and customer-service on-time-in-full performance.[5]
  • 40% of North American apparel manufacturers reported digital-transformation improvements in maintenance and equipment utilization.[5]
  • 40% of North American apparel manufacturers reported digital-transformation improvements in quality and safety.[5]
  • 35% of fashion companies surveyed in 2022 used predictive analytics or forecasting software for buying and ordering decisions.[10]

Data Quality in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • 44% of fashion and apparel businesses verified their current traceability data in 2025, based on a survey of more than 450 industry professionals globally.[11]
  • 79% of yarn-level textile firms could report process input and output volumes at batch level in 2025 across the surveyed Global South markets.[12]
  • 77% of raw-material-level textile firms could report process input and output volumes at batch level in 2025 across the surveyed Global South markets.[12]
  • 46% of fashion and apparel businesses had visibility into Tier 4 raw-material suppliers in 2025, according to a global industry survey.[11]
  • 51% of garment-level textile firms could report process input and output volumes at batch level in 2025 across the surveyed Global South markets.[12]
  • 75% of fabric-level textile firms could report process input and output volumes at batch level in 2025 across the surveyed Global South markets.[12]

Data Governance in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • 30% of textile firms using recognized data-sharing standards reported using ISO/IEC 27001 in 2025, making it the most commonly cited standard.[12]
  • 83% of surveyed textile firms in the Global South actively shared product-related data with suppliers in 2025, while 17% had not adopted this practice.[12]
  • 32% of raw-material suppliers in the surveyed textile supply chains used recognized data-sharing standards in 2025, compared with 55% that used none.[12]
  • 38% of surveyed textile firms in the Global South used recognized industry standards for data sharing in 2025, while 44% used none and 18% were unsure.[12]
  • 45% of textile firms not affected by the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation reported using industry data-sharing standards in 2025.[12]
  • 52% of textile firms affected by the EU Ecodesign for Sustainable Products Regulation reported using industry data-sharing standards in 2025.[12]

KPIs in the apparel garment industry

  • 9 hours and 13 minutes was the apparel industry’s average resolution time in June 2026.[13]
  • 57 tickets per day was the apparel industry’s average daily customer-support volume in June 2026.[13]
  • 22% of total assets was the median inventory share for U.S. consumer-durables and apparel firms in 2025.[14]
  • 18 hours and 18 minutes was the apparel industry’s average first-response time in June 2026.[13]
  • 2.5 times was the quarterly inventory-turnover ratio in NetSuite’s apparel-retailer example using $25,000 of cost of goods sold and $10,000 of average inventory.[15]
  • 80% to 85% of Zara’s merchandise was sold at full price, compared with 60% to 70% for traditional European apparel retailers.[16]

06 Statistics

Strategy & Growth

Commercial expansion is paired with fit-for-market adjustments, including Inditex’s 39.9 billion euros net sales in 2025 and a 2.0% increase in commercial space in 2024.

Growth in the apparel garment industry

  • -1% was H&M Group’s net-sales change in one year shown in its five-year summary, measured in Swedish kronor.[17]
  • -3% was H&M Group’s net-sales change in one year shown in its five-year summary, measured in Swedish kronor.[17]
  • 39.9 billion euros was Inditex Group’s total net sales in 2025, up from 38.6 billion euros in 2024, across fashion and household retail products worldwide.[18]
  • 36.4 billion euros of Inditex sales came from physical stores and online channels in 2025, compared with 35.3 billion euros in 2024.[18]
  • 12% was H&M Group’s net-sales change in another year shown in its five-year summary, measured in Swedish kronor.[17]
  • 2.0% was the increase in Inditex’s commercial space in 2024, while its store count decreased by 2.3% from 2023.[18]

Differentiation in the apparel garment industry

  • 96% of the world’s largest fashion brands had not publicly committed to a just-transition strategy in 2024, limiting differentiation through worker-transition commitments.[19]
  • 77% of U.S. mainstream apparel consumers ranked convenience among their purchase priorities in the cited apparel research.[20]
  • 77% of millennials preferred private-label products to premium brands in the same category in 2024 consumer research.[21]
  • 65% of consumers bought private-label or low-cost brands in 2024, up from 63% in 2023.[21]
  • 80% of U.S. mainstream apparel consumers ranked fit with their style or identity among their purchase priorities in the cited apparel research.[20]
  • 86% of U.S. mainstream apparel consumers ranked performance among their purchase priorities in the cited apparel research.[20]

Mergers and acquisitions in the apparel garment industry

  • 13 public strategic acquisitions were recorded year to date in 2025, compared with 23 in the comparable 2024 period.[22]
  • 135 apparel, footwear and accessories M&A transactions were recorded year to date in 2025, down from 158 in the comparable 2024 period.[22]
  • 76 North American branded footwear and apparel private-equity deals were recorded in 2021 in Meridian’s market series.[23]
  • 140 apparel, footwear and accessories M&A transactions were recorded in 2023, according to Capstone Partners’ sector series.[22]
  • 82 private strategic acquisitions were recorded year to date in 2025, down 14.6% from the comparable period in 2024.[22]
  • 122 apparel, footwear and accessories M&A transactions were recorded in 2022, according to Capstone Partners’ sector series.[22]

Strategic partnerships in the apparel garment industry

  • 3 strategic licensing partners were appointed by Authentic Brands Group for Ted Baker in the United States and Canada in 2024.[24]
  • 2 BOSS menswear categories—formalwear and casualwear—were included in HUGO BOSS’s multi-year design partnership with David Beckham announced in 2024.[25]
  • 4 Gap Inc. apparel brands—Old Navy, Gap, Banana Republic and Athleta—were included in the company’s textile-recycling collaboration with Syre.[26]
  • 19% was G-III Apparel Group’s increased ownership stake in All We Wear Group in 2024, up from the previously disclosed 12% stake.[27]
  • More than 3,500 points of sale supported All We Wear Group’s international apparel partnership with G-III in 2024.[27]
  • 2025 was the planned launch year for the first collection under HUGO BOSS’s multi-year David Beckham menswear design partnership.[25]

07 Statistics

People & Workforce

Workforce change is visible in U.S. manufacturing employment, where apparel manufacturing jobs fell by 6,000 during 2025 alongside traceability and circularity requirements.

Hiring in the apparel garment industry

  • 92,656 people were employed in U.S. apparel manufacturing in 2022.[28]
  • 38% of U.S. fashion companies planned to increase hiring of garment workers through 2031.[8]
  • 82,346 people were employed in U.S. apparel manufacturing in 2024.[28]
  • 87% of U.S. fashion companies expected to increase hiring through 2031, according to the 2026 USFIA survey.[8]
  • 88,406 people were employed in U.S. apparel manufacturing in 2023.[28]

Employee retention in the apparel garment industry

  • 53 Cambodian factories were included in the global apparel-supply-chain turnover analysis.[29]
  • 62% of Vietnamese factories in a global apparel-supply-chain sample were included in the turnover analysis.[29]
  • 622 factories in 28 countries supplied the retailer dataset used to study voluntary quitting in apparel manufacturing.[30]
  • Garment-factory worker turnover ranged from 30% to 40% per year in Vietnam, according to apparel-supply-chain research.[29]
  • Garment-factory worker turnover averaged above 60% per year in some Bangladesh factories, according to apparel-supply-chain research.[29]

Remote Work in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • In 2024, 15% of non-factory-floor employees at surveyed global manufacturers worked fully remotely, compared with 8% of factory-floor employees.[31]
  • Among non-manager manufacturing employees able to work remotely, 67% can work from home two days per week, according to a 2024 member survey.[32]
  • Across U.S. manufacturers, 95% of employees with work flexibility use it, according to a 2024 member survey covering operations and production roles.[32]
  • In a global survey of more than 1,000 fashion professionals, 65% identified flexible working policies as the most important employer benefit.[33]

Hybrid Work in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • In 2025, 23% of surveyed manufacturers were actively updating hybrid policies to add more structure around required office days.[32]
  • Across surveyed manufacturers in 2025, 79% operated a hybrid model for non-production employees, while 17% were fully back in the office.[32]
  • Among fashion and beauty professionals globally, 52% preferred a hybrid schedule with two or three days in the office.[33]
  • Among global manufacturers in 2024, 42% of non-factory-floor employees worked in hybrid arrangements, compared with 10% of factory-floor employees.[31]

Upskilling in the apparel garment industry

  • 44% of apparel workers who trained before joining the industry completed only one day of training.[34]
  • 16% of apparel managers said their companies had assessed the skills of their entire workforce.[35]
  • 49% of apparel managers said they had undertaken company-sponsored training during the previous 12 months.[35]
  • 72% of European fashion companies said skills shortages could be addressed through training programs.[36]
  • 2,782,830 training hours were delivered by Inditex in 2023.[18]

Employee Engagement in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • Fast Retailing reported a 78.0% overall employee-engagement index in its fiscal 2025 survey, covering 36,827 respondents globally.[37]
  • NEXT Group reported a 75% overall employee-engagement score in 2025/26, exceeding its cited UK fashion-retail benchmark of 64%.[38]
  • Global Fashion Group reported that 76% of employees would recommend it as a great place to work in its 2025 engagement survey.[39]
  • Burberry reported a colleague engagement score of 74 points in its fiscal 2023/24 Glint survey.[40]
  • H&M Group reported an employee satisfaction score of 76 out of 100 in 2024, up from 75 in 2023.[41]

DEI in the apparel garment industry

  • 50% of employees of color said a career in fashion was not equally accessible to all qualified candidates.[42]
  • 76% of Inditex management positions were held by women in the 2025 annual report.[43]

08 Statistics

Customer & Sales

Channel migration continues: U.S. online retail sales were $1.234 trillion in 2025, and U.S. e-commerce sales grew 5.4% in 2025.

Customer experience in the apparel garment industry

  • Customers experiencing personalization were 1.8 times more likely to pay a premium in Gartner's 2024 survey.[44]
  • 53% of customers reported negative experiences with personalized marketing in Gartner's 2024 consumer journey survey.[44]
  • 11% of fashion-app users overall perceived personalization as a benefit in ACI Worldwide's consumer survey.[45]
  • Personalized marketing customers were 44% less likely to purchase again after a negative experience in Gartner's survey.[44]
  • 60% of fashion retailers prioritized convenience to strengthen customer relationships in 2025.[46]

Customer retention in the apparel garment industry

  • 20.2% was the average repeat-purchase rate for apparel retailers in Bluecore's 2023 customer-growth data.[47]
  • 23.2% was the average customer retention rate reported for apparel and footwear brands in Loop Returns' 2024 benchmark.[48]
  • 12% was the cross-channel repeat-purchase rate reported for marketplace fashion brands by Osello.[49]
  • 46% was the increase in known repeat buyers reported after Nobull combined Shopify with Bluecore.[50]
  • 53% higher repeat-purchase rates were associated with retailers having the highest shopper-identification rates in Bluecore's study.[47]

Customer acquisition in the apparel garment industry

  • 51% of Gen Z consumers occasionally purchased apparel and accessories through social media, compared with 23% of Millennials.[21]
  • 4% of apparel shoppers started product searches on AI platforms in 2025.[51]
  • 34% of apparel shoppers started product searches on retailer websites or apps in 2025.[51]
  • 38% of young social-commerce fashion shoppers used TikTok for direct fashion purchases in 2022.[52]
  • 62% of U.S. social-commerce shoppers purchased clothing or accessories, making apparel the leading category in YouGov's survey.[53]

Customer loyalty in the apparel garment industry

  • 51% of U.S. consumers aged 18–59 said feeling part of a brand community is important to them in 2024.[54]
  • 55.4% of health-and-beauty gross merchandise value came from repeat customers in the comparison benchmark cited by Mage Loyalty.[55]
  • 50% of fashion executives identified customer retention as a top priority for 2026.[7]
  • 4% of fashion-app users aged 55–65 perceived personalization as a benefit in ACI Worldwide's survey.[45]
  • 20.2% of apparel customers made a repeat purchase in Bluecore's 2023 customer-growth data.[47]

Lead generation in the apparel garment industry

  • 4% of apparel shoppers began product searches on AI platforms in 2025.[51]
  • 15% of U.S. social-commerce shoppers named Facebook their leading shopping platform in 2025.[53]
  • 67% of U.S. consumers aged 18–34 had purchased a fashion item directly on social media in 2022.[52]
  • 40% of apparel shoppers discovered products they later bought through social media in 2025.[51]
  • 15% of U.S. social-commerce shoppers named Instagram their leading shopping platform in 2025.[53]

09 Statistics

Marketing & Brand

Personalization expectations coexist with negative experiences: 53% of customers reported negative experiences with personalized marketing in Gartner’s 2024 survey.

Marketing in the apparel garment industry

  • 2%–4% was the forecast year-on-year retail sales growth range for the global fashion industry in 2024.[56]
  • 84% of organizations prioritized hyper-personalization across customer touchpoints for the following year, according to fashion research published in 2025.[7]
  • More than 50% was the net intent among fashion executives to raise prices in 2024, worldwide.[56]
  • 20% of fashion executives expected consumer sentiment to improve in 2025, worldwide.[7]
  • 82% of consumers wanted AI to reduce the time required to research fashion purchases, worldwide survey markets in 2025.[7]

Digital marketing in the apparel garment industry

  • $4 million was the average pay-per-click spend per fashion and apparel website in the 2024 benchmark report.[57]
  • 23% of fashion and apparel website traffic came from organic search in the 2024 benchmark report, worldwide.[57]
  • 48% of fashion and apparel website traffic came from direct visits in the 2024 benchmark report, worldwide.[57]
  • 84.6 million was Macy’s average monthly website visits in the 2024 fashion and apparel benchmark report.[57]
  • 4.7% was the year-on-year US traffic growth for fashion and apparel in the 2024 benchmark report.[57]

Branding in the apparel garment industry

  • 62% of fashion consumers said they had an emotional connection to the brands they bought from most in 2025, across the US, UK and China.[7]
  • 68% of fashion consumers identified engaging and creative social media content as a driver of emotional connection with a brand, across the US, UK and China.[7]
  • 50% of consumer-spending growth was attributed to people aged 50 and over in the fashion industry’s 2025 analysis.[7]
  • 63% of US luxury consumers said established luxury houses better reflected their identity in 2026.[7]
  • 63% of fashion consumers identified celebrity endorsements as a driver of emotional connection with a brand, across the US, UK and China.[7]

Social media in the apparel garment industry

  • 34% of Gen Z consumers said social media played a key role in fashion purchase decisions in 2026 research covering five countries.[7]
  • 14.4% was TikTok’s share of voice among US clothing brands in the second quarter of 2024.[58]
  • 23% of Gen Z consumers said they discovered new brands on social media in 2026 research covering five countries.[7]
  • 1.59% was the average Instagram engagement rate for fashion content in 2023.[59]
  • 43% higher reach was recorded for TikTok videos longer than 60 seconds than for shorter videos in March 2025, in fashion-related research.[7]

Influencer Marketing in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • 25% of fashion earned media value came from TikTok globally in 2025, following 45.2% year-over-year growth in TikTok fashion earned media value.[60]
  • 1.8% was the average influencer engagement rate for giant fashion brands, compared with 1.9% for challengers and 1.6% for up-and-comers in 2024.[57]
  • 1.53% was the average engagement rate for fashion influencer content in 2023, rising to 2.26% on TikTok.[59]
  • 1.21 trillion impressions were generated by fashion influencer content globally in 2023, primarily on Instagram.[59]
  • $15.1 billion in earned media value was generated by the top 100 global fashion brands in 2025.[60]

10 Statistics

Operations & Execution

Execution metrics shift under process change, including 80% reduction in production lead time in a value-stream-mapping case.

Process optimization in the apparel garment industry

  • 6.71% was the post-improvement cutting defect rate, down from 12.7%, in a textile and apparel lean-manufacturing case.[61]
  • 80% reduction in production lead time was reported in a textile and apparel value-stream-mapping case.[61]
  • 56% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies used AI for demand forecasting and inventory planning in 2026.[8]
  • 73% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies expected clothing-sourcing value or volume to increase in 2026.[8]
  • 50% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies used AI for sustainability tracking, risk management, sourcing strategy or cost optimisation in 2026.[8]

Operational efficiency in the apparel garment industry

  • 9.0% year-on-year labor-productivity growth was recorded in U.S. cut-and-sew apparel manufacturing in 2019.[62]
  • 3.4% year-on-year labor-productivity growth was recorded in U.S. cut-and-sew apparel manufacturing in 2020.[62]
  • 7.0% year-on-year labor-productivity growth was recorded in U.S. cut-and-sew apparel manufacturing in 2025.[62]
  • 11.1% year-on-year labor-productivity decline was recorded in U.S. cut-and-sew apparel manufacturing in 2022.[62]
  • 40% higher earnings were reported for women promoted after completing GEAR training in Bangladesh’s garment factories.[63]

Quality management in the apparel garment industry

  • 74.30% lower work-in-process inventory was reported in a shirt-manufacturing case using value-stream mapping and lean quality controls.[61]
  • 12.7% was the reported pre-improvement cutting defect rate in a textile and apparel lean-manufacturing case.[61]
  • Over 1,300 defective shirts were recorded in one month at PT Naigai Shirts Indonesia during the December 2024 sewing-process analysis.[64]
  • 40% to 50% is the typical line-efficiency range reported for Bangladeshi factories selling directly to large brands.[16]
  • 85% or higher is described as an ideal OEE score in apparel-efficiency research, although clothing operations commonly record lower values.[29]

Supply chain in the apparel garment industry

  • 21% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies planned to source from more countries through 2027.[8]
  • Eight of the top ten apparel-sourcing destinations for U.S. fashion companies were in Asia in 2025.[8]
  • 30.7% of U.S. apparel and footwear imports from Asia used sea routes potentially exposed to Suez or Panama Canal disruption in the 12 months to November 30, 2023.[65]
  • 65% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies sourced from at least 10 countries in 2026.[8]
  • 26% of surveyed U.S. fashion companies planned to source apparel from more suppliers or vendors over the following two years.[8]

Outsourcing / Offshoring in the fashion and textiles sector (sector benchmark)

  • Among surveyed apparel and footwear brands globally, 49% prioritized transforming their supply base to increase margins or decrease costs over the next two years.[66]
  • Among U.S. fashion companies, 60% sourced less than 10% of their apparel products from China in 2025.[8]
  • Among U.S. fashion companies, more than 80% planned to further reduce apparel sourcing from China over the following two years through 2027.[8]
  • Among large U.S. fashion companies with 1,000+ employees, approximately 60% sourced apparel from at least 10 countries in 2025.[8]
  • Across U.S. fashion companies, 46 countries were used as apparel sourcing destinations in 2025.[8]

11 Statistics

Finance & Pricing

Margins vary widely across the sector, with 56.9% gross margin for 35 U.S. public apparel companies in January 2026.

Pricing strategy in the apparel garment industry

  • 3.5% was the increase in Buckle’s average denim price points in fiscal 2025 in the United States.[67]
  • $17.90 was Zara’s average apparel price in the U.S. retail market in 2024, according to a University of Delaware analysis.[68]
  • 20%–60% below comparable full-price retailers’ regular prices is TJX’s stated everyday pricing gap in the United States in fiscal 2026.[69]
  • 5.9% was the increase in Buckle’s average footwear price points in fiscal 2025 in the United States.[67]
  • 4.2% was the increase in Buckle’s average accessories price points in fiscal 2025 in the United States.[67]

Cost reduction in the apparel garment industry

  • $3 million–$4 million were Columbia Sportswear’s severance and other costs associated with its 2024 Profit Improvement Program.[67]
  • $45.2 million was Wolverine Worldwide’s reduction in selling costs in 2024 versus 2023.[67]
  • 5.6 percentage points was G-III Apparel Group’s gross-margin improvement in fiscal 2024 versus fiscal 2023, partly reflecting lower product costs and sourcing effects.[67]
  • $260.2 million was the reduction in Wolverine Worldwide’s operating expenses in 2024 versus 2023.[67]
  • $176.3 million was Wolverine Worldwide’s reduction in long-lived-asset impairment expense in 2024 versus 2023.[67]

Profitability in the apparel garment industry

  • 56.9% was the gross margin for 35 U.S. public apparel companies in January 2026.[70]
  • 52.0% was the average gross margin of leading apparel brands and retailers in 2022, according to a global apparel value-capture study.[71]
  • 9.1% was the operating margin for 35 U.S. public apparel companies in January 2026.[70]
  • 41.3% was Gap’s gross margin in fiscal 2024 in the United States.[67]
  • 11.5% was the EBITDA margin for 35 U.S. public apparel companies in January 2026.[70]

Financial planning in the apparel garment industry

  • $197.7 million was Buckle’s online sales in fiscal 2024 in the United States.[67]
  • 22,242 was U.S. apparel and leather-products corporations’ net working capital in the fourth quarter of 2025, in millions of dollars.[62]
  • 3.58 was Nordstrom’s inventory-turnover rate in fiscal 2023 in the United States.[67]
  • $217.1 million was Buckle’s online sales in fiscal 2025 in the United States.[67]
  • 9.24% was accounts payable as a percentage of sales for 35 U.S. apparel companies in January 2026.[70]

12 Statistics

Product & Service

Circular operations and returns management are quantifiable, including H&M Group offering resale in 26 selling markets in 2025 and 0.8% of turnover from resale.

Product development in the apparel garment industry

  • HUGO BOSS operates 3 product-development centers in Metzingen, Coldrerio and Morrovalle, serving its global apparel business.[72]
  • 90% of FIGS DTC apparel net revenue came from styles informed by past performance in 2025, reducing fashion risk and waste.[67]
  • Approximately 80% of FIGS DTC net revenue was sold at full price in 2025, a level maintained for the previous five years.[67]
  • Revolve launched more than 1,900 new styles per week on average in 2024 through its data-driven apparel merchandising model.[73]
  • €87 million was spent on HUGO BOSS research and development in 2025, compared with €90 million in 2024, globally.[72]

Product lifecycle in the apparel garment industry

  • 0.8% of H&M Group turnover came from resale in 2025, compared with 0.6% in 2024.[17]
  • HUGO BOSS targets 80% of apparel products becoming circular by 2030, globally.[72]
  • H&M Group offered resale in 26 selling markets in 2025, representing 32% of its selling markets.[17]
  • Approximately 10% of garments and textiles collected by H&M Group during 2025 did not fit resale, repurposing or recycling categories and were disposed of.[17]
  • Patagonia repaired 54,833 garments at its Reno facility in fiscal 2018, up from 50,295 in fiscal 2017.[74]

After-sales in the apparel garment industry

  • 65% of apparel and footwear brands identified customer-service costs as a driver of return costs in Radial’s 2025 survey.[75]
  • Patagonia’s average repair took about 1.5 hours at its Reno repair center in 2018.[76]
  • 75% of AfterShip customer returns in 2023 were for clothing and accessories, based on its fashion-commerce customer data.[77]
  • 10% of apparel returns were attributed to product damage in AfterShip’s 2023 analysis of fashion returns.[77]
  • Patagonia recorded 85,627 used-item trade-ins at U.S. retail locations in fiscal 2018, compared with 2,622 in fiscal 2017.[74]

Value proposition in the apparel garment industry

  • 59% of global consumers were willing to pay more for natural fibers such as cotton in Cotton Incorporated’s 2025 survey.[78]
  • 63% of global consumers willing to pay more for natural-fiber clothing cited better quality as a reason in 2025.[78]
  • 36% of global consumers relied on a sustainability certification or seal to assess whether clothing was environmentally friendly in 2025.[78]
  • 27% of global consumers reported changing how they shop for clothing to reduce environmental impact in 2025.[78]
  • 54% of global consumers said sustainability is nice to have when purchasing clothing in Cotton Incorporated’s 2025 survey.[78]

13 Statistics

Sustainability & Ethics

Sustainability compliance is constrained by scale and waste: the fashion industry generates 92 million tonnes of waste annually, and textile industry emissions are 2–8% of global greenhouse-gas emissions.

Sustainability in the apparel garment industry

  • 90% of the world’s clothing is produced in low- and middle-income countries, according to Sustainable Energy for All.[79]
  • 92 million tonnes of waste are generated annually by the fashion industry, according to Sustainable Energy for All’s 2025 report.[79]
  • Only 12% of materials used in clothing and fabrics are downcycled or cascaded, according to the 2024 UN brief.[80]
  • 2–8% of global greenhouse-gas emissions are produced by the textile industry, according to UNEP’s 2025 assessment.[81]
  • 98 million tonnes of non-renewable resources are used annually by the fashion industry, according to the 2024 UN brief.[80]

ESG in the apparel garment industry

  • 14,610 suppliers were disclosed by 30 apparel companies in the latest Apparel 100 disclosures.[82]
  • 92% of major fashion companies lacked a public renewable-electricity target for their supply chains in 2024.[19]
  • 45% of major fashion brands disclosed neither production volumes nor the raw-material emissions footprint of their products in 2024.[19]
  • 86% of major fashion companies lacked a public coal phase-out target in 2024.[19]
  • 47% of major fashion brands disclosed a Science Based Targets initiative target covering their entire value chain in 2024.[19]

Ethics in the apparel garment industry

  • 48 was Nike’s 2023 apparel-and-footwear human-rights benchmark score.[83]
  • 21 was the average human-rights benchmark score for apparel and footwear companies in 2023.[83]
  • 63 was Lululemon’s 2023 apparel-and-footwear human-rights benchmark score.[83]
  • 55 was Adidas’s 2023 apparel-and-footwear human-rights benchmark score.[83]
  • 30 was Walmart’s 2023 apparel-and-footwear human-rights benchmark score.[83]

CSR in the apparel garment industry

  • 6% of major fashion brands disclosed financial contributions to supply-chain climate funds in 2024.[19]
  • 49% was Adidas’s 2024 Fashion Revolution climate-and-energy disclosure score.[19]
  • 52% was Calzedonia’s 2024 Fashion Revolution climate-and-energy disclosure score.[19]
  • 75% was Puma’s 2024 Fashion Revolution climate-and-energy disclosure score.[19]
  • 50% was ASICS’s 2024 Fashion Revolution climate-and-energy disclosure score.[19]

Circular economy in the apparel garment industry

  • 1.8 times is the projected increase in average garment utilisation from 2019 to 2030 under circular business models.[84]
  • 1 truckload of clothing is landfilled or burned every second, according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.[85]
  • 36% was the decline in clothing utilisation between 2000 and 2015, measured as wears before disposal.[85]
  • 126 wears is the average number of times an item is worn before disposal in a circular fashion model.[84]
  • 22 wears is the average number of times an item is worn before disposal in a linear fashion model.[84]

Carbon footprint in the apparel garment industry

  • 8.3 million tonnes of plastic pollution were generated by the global apparel industry in 2019, according to a 2024 Nature Communications study.[86]
  • 87% of total fiber inputs are incinerated or sent to landfill, according to UNCTAD’s 2024 report.[87]
  • 7.5% was the increase in apparel, footwear and textile industry emissions during 2023, according to Cascale’s 2026 report.[88]
  • 30% is the projected increase in fashion-industry emissions by 2030 without further action, according to McKinsey.[7]
  • 40% of fashion brands had increased emissions after making sustainability commitments, according to McKinsey’s 2024 analysis.[7]

15 Statistics

Globalization & Expansion

Cross-border exposure persists as trade and sourcing diversify, while U.S. import exposure includes 30.7% of U.S. apparel and footwear imports from Asia on sea routes potentially exposed to Suez or Panama disruption.

Globalization in the apparel garment industry

  • 1.3 million people were employed by the EU textile and clothing sector in 2023.[97]
  • €64 billion of EU textile and clothing production was exported to non-EU markets in 2023.[97]
  • 91 million workers were employed globally in the textiles and garment sectors in 2019.[98]
  • US$1.038 trillion was the value of global garment exports in 2019.[98]
  • 75% of global garment workers were located in Asia in 2019.[98]

Cultural adaptation in the apparel garment industry

  • 5% of total EU household expenditure was spent on textiles in the latest decade covered by the EEA analysis.[99]
  • 22–44% of returned online textile products in Europe never reached a new customer and were destroyed, according to cited studies.[99]
  • 14 of 17 fashion-industry interviewees identified localized product portfolios as an adaptation practice.[86]
  • 19 kg of clothing, footwear and household textiles was consumed per person in the EU in 2022.[99]
  • 5% of EU textile and clothing turnover came from online sales in 2009, providing a baseline for digital market adaptation.[99]

Supplier management in the apparel garment industry

  • 23 of the top 100 apparel companies reported their suppliers in 2020, up from 10 in 2017.[82]
  • 99% of major fashion brands did not disclose the number of supply-chain workers paid a living wage in 2021.[19]
  • 21% of major fashion brands described engagement with affected stakeholders during supplier remediation in 2021.[100]
  • 14,610 suppliers were disclosed by 30 of the world’s 100 largest apparel companies in their most recent disclosures.[82]
  • Nearly one-third of the top 100 apparel companies did not publish a recent sustainability report in the latest Apparel 100 assessment.[82]

Stakeholder management in the apparel garment industry

  • 23% of 180 apparel and footwear companies provided supply-chain grievance-mechanism usage data in 2023.[101]
  • 73% of assessments in the Americas recorded grievance-mechanism-related employment-relationship violations during 2017–2023.[101]
  • 94% of large fashion brands did not disclose engagement with workers and communities affected by climate breakdown in 2024.[19]
  • 77% of assessments in Southeast Asia recorded grievance-mechanism-related employment-relationship violations during 2017–2023.[101]
  • 13% of large fashion brands disclosed evidence of renewable-energy advocacy in their supply chains in 2024.[19]

Distribution channels in the apparel garment industry

  • 1.9 million tonnes of clothing were exported from the EU to other countries in 2020.[102]
  • 56% of EU textile imports by value were clothing products in 2020.[102]
  • €33 billion was the value of EU clothing exports to other countries in 2020.[102]
  • €153 billion was the value of EU textile imports in 2022.[99]
  • Africa and Asia were the main destination continents for EU used-textile exports in 2025.[99]

Key questions about the apparel garment industry

What size is the global apparel market in 2025?
The global apparel market was worth an estimated $1.87 trillion in 2025.
How fast is the market expected to grow through 2030?
Global apparel revenue is forecast to reach $2.13 trillion by 2030, implying 2.6% annual growth from 2025 to 2030.
Which companies lead the apparel garment industry?
FAST RETAILING stands out for brand-led apparel retail because it reported FY2026 revenue of ¥3.9633 trillion, while Inditex leads in fashion retail and garment operations since it reported 163,047 employees across stores, logistics, factories and central services in 2025.
What technology shifts show up in 2024–2026 apparel operations?
In 2026, 56% of U.S. fashion companies used AI for demand forecasting and inventory planning, while 13% of apparel and soft-goods organizations were exploring or piloting AI in 2026.
What does the industry structure look like between retail and manufacturing?
The market spans apparel retailers and manufacturer groups, with U.S. apparel market size at $366B in 2025 and U.S. apparel manufacturing jobs at 78,916 in 2025.
Which customer-channel indicators matter for apparel sales in 2025?
U.S. online retail sales reached $1.234 trillion in 2025 and accounted for 16.4% of total retail sales, and U.S. e-commerce sales grew 5.4% in 2025.
Reference

Cite This Report

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APA
Samuel Norberg. (2026, November 10). Apparel Garment Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/apparel-garment-industry-statistics
MLA
Samuel Norberg. "Apparel Garment Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 10 Nov 2026, https://gitnux.org/apparel-garment-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Samuel Norberg. 2026. "Apparel Garment Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/apparel-garment-industry-statistics.

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