U.S. imports of textiles and apparel slowed in first quarter, exports contract

U.S. imports of textiles and apparel slowed 4.7% to $24.6 billion in the first quarter. Exports also slowed, contracting 4.46% to $5.7 billion.

The figures published by the Department of Commerce come after a year in which US clothing imports plummeted 22% to 77.8 billion euros. European products were the only ones to escape this decline, driven by luxury goods.

In the first quarter of 2024, China was the largest supplier of textiles and apparel to the United States, with goods worth $5.5 billion, an increase of 3.6%. Vietnam stabilized at $3.7 billion (+1.8%), while India fell to $2.3 billion (-4.37%). But the most notable drop came in Bangladesh, with a drop of 17.3% to 1.8 billion.

The European Union did not escape the slowdown, with exports that decreased by 4.1%, to 1.4 billion dollars, followed by Indonesia with 1.2 billion dollars (-13.3%), Cambodia with 1 billion dollars (+ 8.9%) and neighboring Mexico, which suffered a significant drop of 11.9% in goods sent to the United States during the period, up to 989 million dollars.

A slowdown in exports

In terms of textile and clothing exports, the United States' largest customer, Mexico, recorded a 4.9% drop to $1.7 billion in the January-March period. Canada followed with 1.8 billion dollars (-5.40%), followed by the European Union with 643 million (-10.8%) and Honduras with 305 million (-11.6%).

China, on the other hand, recorded a significant increase of 14.5% during the period, with orders worth €185 million shipped to the Middle Kingdom. They are followed by the Dominican Republic with 154 million (-15.3%), Japan with 105 million (-5.3%) and the United Kingdom with 101 million (-22.9%).

In 2023, the United States imported textiles and clothing worth $104.9 billion, a 21% drop after a particularly active 2022. Exports, meanwhile, stabilized at $23.6 billion, not far from the $24.8 billion exported the previous year.