Imports of textiles and apparel into the US declined 6.6 per cent month-on-month in November 2024, totaling 9.99 billion square meter equivalents (SME), according to the Department of Commerce’s Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA). Despite the monthly dip, imports rose 43.3 per cent year-on-year, with India emerging as a key growth driver.

Textile imports reached 8.06 billion SME in November, down 1.9 per cent from October but up 51.3 per cent annually. Apparel imports dropped 23.1 per cent from the previous month to 1.93 billion SME but climbed 17.5 per cent compared to the prior year.

For the first 11 months of 2024, cumulative textile and apparel imports rose 13.9 per cent year-on-year to 97.5 billion SME. Textile imports surged 16.9 per cent to 73.8 billion SME, while apparel imports increased 5.3 per cent to 23.7 billion SME. Over the 12 months ending November 2024, imports grew 13.8 per cent to 104.4 billion SME, driven by a 17.2 per cent rise in textiles and a 4.4 per cent uptick in apparel.

India led the annual growth, with imports soaring 137.7 per cent year-on-year to 1.69 billion SME in November. Egypt recorded an extraordinary 589.6 per cent increase, reaching 1.11 billion SME. China remained the largest supplier at 3.06 billion SME, though its imports fell 13.3 per cent monthly. Other notable performances included Malaysia (+20.1 per cent monthly) and the Czech Republic (+49.4 per cent monthly).

While imports from Vietnam and Turkey faced declines, India’s robust performance underscores its growing significance in the global textile supply chain.