Driven by a consistent demand, the global woven cotton fabric market is poised for continued growth. However, the pace of this expansion is expected to remain moderate over the next decade.
As per a report by Indexbox, the value of global woven cotton fabric market will grow at +1.2 per cent from 2024 to 2035, reaching $122.1 billion by 2035 while the market will grow at a +0.2 per cent CAGR in volume to reach 15 billion sq m by 2035.
In 2024, total global consumption of cotton fabric increased by 1.8 per cent to 15 billion sq m. This consumption was led by at 4.3 billion sq m, followed by the United States at 1.8 billion sq m and India at 894 million sq m. China also dominates in value, with $24.1 billion, while the US market is valued at $11.3 billion. Notably, India's consumption saw the fastest growth among major consumers.
The global production of cotton fabrics increased to 20 billion sq m in 2024, with China accounting for 58 per cent of the total. The US and Pakistan are also significant producers. The production value totaled $136.5 billion.
Worldwide imports of cotton fabrics totaled 4.5 billion sq m in 2024, with Bangladesh, the US, and Italy being the largest importers. Imports mainly consisted of cotton fabrics containing 85 per cent or more cotton, weighing less than 200 g/sq m. Nigeria saw the fastest growth in import volume and value.
Global cotton fabric exports reached 9.5 billion sq m in 2024, with China accounting for approximately 80 per cent of all exports. The value of these exports totaled $19.6 billion. The primary exported product was cotton fabric containing 85 per cent or more cotton, weighing less than 200 g/sq m.
Average import and export prices for cotton fabric have generally declined since 2014. Import prices averaged $3.9 per sq m in 2024, while export prices averaged $2.1 per sq m. Price variations exist across different fabric types and countries. Vietnam has the highest import prices, while Thailand has the lowest. India has the highest export prices, while China has the lowest.
