Which Country Exports the Most Cotton Sewing Thread in the World?

Textile Fibres May 28, 2018

Blog Blog / Textiles, Apparel And Leather Goods / Textile Fibres

Author: Anna Sergeeva

PositionMarket Analyst

In 2016, the amount of cotton sewing thread exported worldwide amounted to 21K tonnes, shrinking by -1.7% against the previous year figure. In general, cotton sewing thread exports continue to indicate a drastic decrease. The pace of growth appeared the most rapid in 2008, an increase of 2% y-o-y. In that year, global cotton sewing thread exports attained its maximum volume of 55K tonnes. From 2009 to 2016, growth of global cotton sewing thread exports failed to regain its strength.

In value terms, cotton sewing thread exports amounted to $138M in 2016. In general, cotton sewing thread exports continue to indicate a drastic downturn. Over the period under review, global cotton sewing thread exports reached its maximum level of $203M in 2008; however, from 2009 to 2016, it stood at a somewhat lower level.

Top Cotton Sewing Thread Exporting Countries in the World

1. Pakistan (25.5 million USD)

2. China (20.9 million USD)

3. India (15.1 million USD)

4. South Korea (8.7 million USD)

5. Italy (8.0 million USD)

6. Turkey (7.0 million USD)

7. Egypt (5.0 million USD)

8. France (2.6 million USD)

9. United Arab Emirates (1.0 million USD)

10. Mexico (0.8 million USD)

11. Malawi (0.2 million USD)

12. Burkina Faso (0.1 million USD)

Cotton Sewing Thread Exports By Country

The exports of the three major exporters of cotton sewing thread, namely Pakistan, China, and India, represented more than third of total export. It was distantly followed by Turkey (1.1K tonnes), South Korea (1.1K tonnes), and Malawi (1K tonnes), together committing 16% share of total cotton sewing thread exports. France (738 tonnes), Italy (616 tonnes), Egypt (557 tonnes), United Arab Emirates (548 tonnes), Mexico (473 tonnes), and Burkina Faso (420 tonnes) took the slight share of total exports.

From 2007 to 2016, the most notable growth rate of cotton sewing thread exports, among the main exporting countries, was attained by Malawi (+168.5% per year), while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

In value terms, Pakistan ($26M), China ($21M) and India ($15M) constituted the countries with the highest levels of exports in 2016, together accounting for 45% of global exports.South Korea, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, France, United Arab Emirates, Mexico, Malawi and Burkina Faso lagged somewhat behind, together comprising a further 24%.

Malawi (+84.5% per year) recorded the highest growth rate of cotton sewing thread exports, among the main exporting countries, over the last 9 years, while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Cotton Sewing Thread Export Prices By Country

The average cotton sewing thread export price stood at $6,588 per tonne in 2016, declining by -6.5% against the previous year. Overall, cotton sewing thread export price continues to indicate a strong increase. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in 2011, when it surged by 41% y-o-y. Over the period under review, average cotton sewing thread export price reached its maximum level of $7,064 per tonne in 2014; however, from 2015 to 2016, it stood at a somewhat lower level.

There were significant differences in the average export prices amongst major exporting countries. In 2016, the country with the highest export prices was Italy ($13 per kg), while Burkina Faso ($131 per tonne) was among the lowest.

From 2007 to 2016, the most notable growth rate of cotton sewing thread export prices was attained by China (+8.9% per year), while the other global leaders experienced more modest paces of growth.

Do you want to know more about global cotton sewing thread market? Get the latest trends and insight from our report. It includes a wide range of statistics on