In February 2023, the United Kingdom’s clothing imports reached £1.294 bn ($1.62 bn), representing an 11.51% decrease compared to the £1.443 bn recorded during the same period in the previous year. Clothing imports also experienced a month-on-month decline, as they stood at £1.384 bn in January 2023, according to the UK’s Office for National Statistics (ONS).
The country’s clothing imports were recorded at £21.256 bn ($25.86 bn) in 2022, a 23.50 per cent increase compared to the imports of £17.034 bn in 2021.
Textile fabric imports in the UK amounted to £462 mn in February 2023, a 4.94% drop from £486 mn in February 2022. These imports also decreased on a month-on-month basis, falling from £469 mn in January 2023. Textile fabric imports reached £6.359 bn between January and December 2022, as per ONS data.
In February 2023, the UK imported £39 mn worth of textile fibres, compared to £45 mn during the same month in 2022. Textile fibre imports were also lower in January 2023, at £35 mn. The total textile fibre imports for 2022 amounted to £545 mn.
The UK exported clothing valued at £296 mn in February 2023, a decline from £323 mn in February 2022 and £306 mn in January 2023. Clothing exports decreased annually, reaching £3.931 bn in 2022 compared to £4.263 bn in 2021. Exports of textile fabrics and fibres were recorded at £2.716 bn and £616 mn, respectively, in 2022.
