Mexico’s fashion market sits at the intersection of demand and digital infrastructure, with 18.6% year over year real growth in clothing retail sales in 2021 and 54% e-government usage in 2022. Trade patterns sharpen the picture, since the United States took 34% of Mexico’s textile-clothing export value in 2023 while China supplied 43% of imports. Behind the sales and sourcing shifts, the fashion sector employed 1.9 million people in 2023 across textiles, apparel, footwear, and accessories.
Key Takeaways
- 34% of the value of Mexico’s textile-clothing exports went to the United States in 2023
- 31% of the value of Mexico’s textile-clothing exports went to the United States in 2022
- 43% of the value of Mexico’s textile-clothing imports came from China in 2023
- Mexico’s fashion sector employed 1.9 million people in 2023 (textiles, apparel, footwear and accessories segments)
- Mexico’s manufacturing labor force in the textile and apparel industry was 1.4 million workers in 2022 (NAICS-aligned textile/apparel manufacturing)
- Mexico’s retail sales of clothing increased 18.6% in 2021 (real terms, year-over-year)
- 3.0% average annual real GDP growth in Mexico was forecast for 2024–2026 (median forecast, baseline scenario)
- 18.6% year-over-year real growth in Mexico retail sales of clothing in 2021
- $1.8 billion Mexico’s “fast fashion” online share estimate in 2023 (segment estimate by analyst; includes apparel e-commerce)
- Mexico exported $8.4 billion of apparel and clothing accessories in 2023
- Mexico’s MFN tariff rate for many apparel items is in the 20–40% range (tariff bands depend on HS code; policy statistic from WITS by HS tariff schedule)
- 23% of Mexico consumers reported buying apparel online at least once in the past 3 months (survey result)
- Mexico’s e-government usage share reached 54% in 2022 (digital readiness context for omnichannel fashion retail)
- Mexico’s mobile cellular subscriptions were 109.3 per 100 people in 2023 (platform reach for apparel marketing and e-commerce)
- $2.9 billion Mexico’s beauty and personal care retail market value in 2023 (proxy for adjacent fashion/lifestyle consumer spend)
In 2023, US demand drove 34% of Mexico’s textile exports, while China provided 43% of imports.
Related reading
01 · Category
Trade & Exports8 stats
01
34% of the value of Mexico’s textile-clothing exports went to the United States in 2023
02
31% of the value of Mexico’s textile-clothing exports went to the United States in 2022
03
43% of the value of Mexico’s textile-clothing imports came from China in 2023
04
41% of the value of Mexico’s textile-clothing imports came from China in 2022
05
Mexico exported $8.4 billion of apparel and clothing accessories in 2023
06
Mexico exported $7.5 billion of apparel and clothing accessories in 2022
07
Mexico imported $12.7 billion of apparel and clothing accessories in 2023
08
Mexico imported $11.8 billion of apparel and clothing accessories in 2022
Interpretation
Trade & Exports Interpretation
For the Trade and Exports side of Mexico’s fashion industry, the United States remained the dominant destination as 34% of textile and clothing export value went there in 2023 up from 31% in 2022, while China supplied a similarly large share of import value at 43% in 2023 compared with 41% in 2022.
02 · Category
Business & Employment2 stats
01
Mexico’s fashion sector employed 1.9 million people in 2023 (textiles, apparel, footwear and accessories segments)
02
Mexico’s manufacturing labor force in the textile and apparel industry was 1.4 million workers in 2022 (NAICS-aligned textile/apparel manufacturing)
Interpretation
Business & Employment Interpretation
In 2023, Mexico’s fashion industry supported 1.9 million jobs across textiles, apparel, footwear, and accessories, showing that business growth in the sector is anchored in a large employment base, with 1.4 million manufacturing workers already in textiles and apparel as of 2022.
03 · Category
Market Growth1 stats
01
Mexico’s retail sales of clothing increased 18.6% in 2021 (real terms, year-over-year)
Interpretation
Market Growth Interpretation
Mexico’s clothing retail sales jumped 18.6% in 2021 year over year in real terms, signaling strong market growth momentum in the fashion industry.
04 · Category
Market Size5 stats
01
3.0% average annual real GDP growth in Mexico was forecast for 2024–2026 (median forecast, baseline scenario)
02
18.6% year-over-year real growth in Mexico retail sales of clothing in 2021
03
$1.8 billion Mexico’s “fast fashion” online share estimate in 2023 (segment estimate by analyst; includes apparel e-commerce)
04
Mexico’s wholesale trade turnover grew 2.5% in 2023 (distribution channel baseline for apparel merchants)
05
Mexico’s retail trade turnover grew 3.0% in 2023 (consumer-facing channel baseline for apparel)
Interpretation
Market Size Interpretation
The market size outlook for Mexico’s fashion industry looks strong, with retail clothing sales up 18.6% year over year in 2021 and retail and wholesale trade turnover rising 3.0% and 2.5% in 2023, alongside an estimated $1.8 billion share for fast fashion online in 2023.
05 · Category
Trade & Tariffs2 stats
01
Mexico exported $8.4 billion of apparel and clothing accessories in 2023
02
Mexico’s MFN tariff rate for many apparel items is in the 20–40% range (tariff bands depend on HS code; policy statistic from WITS by HS tariff schedule)
Interpretation
Trade & Tariffs Interpretation
In 2023, Mexico exported $8.4 billion in apparel and clothing accessories while facing MFN tariff rates commonly in the 20 to 40 percent range depending on the HS code, making trade and tariffs a meaningful factor shaping the competitiveness of its fashion exports.
More related reading
06 · Category
Retail Channels4 stats
01
23% of Mexico consumers reported buying apparel online at least once in the past 3 months (survey result)
02
Mexico’s e-government usage share reached 54% in 2022 (digital readiness context for omnichannel fashion retail)
03
Mexico’s mobile cellular subscriptions were 109.3 per 100 people in 2023 (platform reach for apparel marketing and e-commerce)
04
Mexico’s internet users were 88.1 million in 2024 (addressable online fashion audience)
Interpretation
Retail Channels Interpretation
With 23% of consumers buying apparel online in the past three months and internet use at 88.1 million in 2024, Mexico’s retail channels are clearly leaning digital, further supported by mobile reach of 109.3 subscriptions per 100 people.
07 · Category
Consumer Demand1 stats
01
$2.9 billion Mexico’s beauty and personal care retail market value in 2023 (proxy for adjacent fashion/lifestyle consumer spend)
Interpretation
Consumer Demand Interpretation
In 2023, Mexico’s beauty and personal care retail market reached $2.9 billion, signaling strong consumer demand for lifestyle adjacent goods that likely supports continued growth in fashion consumption.
08 · Category
Employment5 stats
01
Mexico issued 14.3 million “immigrant and non-immigrant” visas in 2023 (workforce mobility context for garment industry)
02
Mexico’s unemployment rate was 3.3% in Q4 2023 (macro labor-market baseline for fashion sector hiring)
03
Mexico’s female labor force participation rate was 46.8% in 2023 (context for apparel manufacturing labor supply)
04
Mexico’s average monthly wage was MXN 13,741 in 2023 (manufacturing-relevant labor affordability indicator)
05
Mexico’s apparel value chain formalization rate was 68% in 2022 (share of formally registered jobs in apparel supply activities)
Interpretation
Employment Interpretation
In Mexico’s employment landscape for fashion, the unemployment rate of just 3.3% in Q4 2023 alongside a 46.8% female labor force participation in 2023 suggests a comparatively strong labor market for apparel hiring, even as a 68% formalization rate in the 2022 apparel value chain shows room to expand fully registered jobs.
09 · Category
Industry Trends3 stats
01
Mexico’s sustainable fashion market was estimated at $0.6 billion in 2023 (sustainability-labeled apparel segment estimate)
02
Mexico’s textile wastewater generation is estimated at ~0.5–1.0 million m³/year (range estimate from water footprint and industry studies)
03
Mexico’s municipal solid waste composition includes ~5% textiles and related materials by mass (composition estimate for urban waste stream)
Interpretation
Industry Trends Interpretation
In Mexico’s fashion industry, the sustainability-labeled market is still relatively small at about $0.6 billion in 2023 while textile pollution remains a concern with roughly 0.5 to 1.0 million m³ of wastewater per year and textiles making up around 5% of municipal solid waste, underscoring the urgent need for greener production and waste reduction as an industry trend.
report visual · Key figures
Mexico’s fashion trade shifts: U.S. share up, China share down
From 2022 to 2023, the U.S. accounted for a larger share of Mexico’s textile-clothing exports, while China’s share of Mexico’s textile-clothing imports declined.
31%
31% of the value of Mexico’s textile-clothing exports went to the United States in 2022
34%
34% of the value of Mexico’s textile-clothing exports went to the United States in 2023
41%
41% of the value of Mexico’s textile-clothing imports came from China in 2022
43%
43% of the value of Mexico’s textile-clothing imports came from China in 2023
source-verifiedcomtradeplus.un.org2023
Reference
Cite This Report
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APA
Lukas Bauer. (2026, February 13). Mexico Fashion Industry Statistics. Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mexico-fashion-industry-statistics
MLA
Lukas Bauer. "Mexico Fashion Industry Statistics." Gitnux, 13 Feb 2026, https://gitnux.org/mexico-fashion-industry-statistics.
Chicago
Lukas Bauer. 2026. "Mexico Fashion Industry Statistics." Gitnux. https://gitnux.org/mexico-fashion-industry-statistics.
Sources & references
31 datasets cited across this report · attribution is report-level
+14 additional datasets cited (not shown individually)