China's share of US apparel imports fall sharply in 2022

In 2022, China's share of US apparel imports fell sharply from 37.8% to 34.7%. U.S. apparel imports from China rose 31% in 2021, yet it dropped by 3% in 2022. Meanwhile, the import volume from other countries rose by 10.9%, making the share elevates from 62.2% to 65.3%.

US imports of cotton products from China saw double-digit decline, yet those of chemical fiber products were the other way around. Men's/boys' chemical fiber knitted shirts imported from China increased by 22.4% year on year, while women's/girls' products decreased by 15.4%.

Compared with the level before the Covid-19 epidemic, the US imports of many types of apparel from China in 2022 pared back notably, while imports from other regions increased significantly, indicating that US clothing imports are isolating from China.

The unit price of U.S. apparel imports from China and other regions rebounded by 14.4% and 13.8% respectively in 2022. In the long run, as production costs rise, the competitive advantage of Chinese products in global markets will be affected.