India’s Imports of Textile & Apparel
During 2024-25, India’s T&A imports stood at about US$ 9.7 bn which has increased by about 9.8% compared to 2023-24.
Figure 1: India’s Import of T&A (US$ bn)
Source: DGCI&S & CITI Analysis
Category-wise analysis shows that Fiber & Fabric have the highest share of 36.7% and 28.9% respectively in total T&A imports of India during 2024-25 as shown in figure 2.
Figure 2: Category wise share in textile & apparel imports of India in 2024-25
Source: DGCI&S & CITI Analysis
Figure 3: Category wise share in textile & apparel imports of India in 2024-25
Source: DGCI&S & CITI Analysis
Top 20 categories imported
The top 20 commodities (HS-4) have a share of 64.4% in the total textile and apparel imports of India. The imports of these top 20 commodities are shown in table 3
Table 1: India’s Top 20 Exported Textile & Apparel Categories (US$ Million)
| Sunoo. | HS Code | Commodity | 2015 | 2024 | CAGR | Share
2024 |
| 1 | 5201 | Cotton, neither carded nor combed | 386.7 | 1,004.7 | 11.2% | 10.9% |
| 2 | 5402 | Synthetic filament yarn, incl. synthetic monofilaments of < 67 decide | 393.3 | 664.1 | 6.0% | 7.2% |
| 3 | 6006 | Fabrics, knitted or crocheted, of a width of > 30 cm | 240.1 | 408.2 | 6.1% | 4.4% |
| 4 | 5403 | Artificial filament yarn, incl. artificial monofilament of < 67 decide (excl. sewing thread | 125.5 | 398.4 | 13.7% | 4.3% |
| 5 | 5903 | Textile fabrics impregnated, coated, covered or laminated with plastics | 383.2 | 378.7 | -0.1% | 4.1% |
| 6 | 6203 | Men’s or boys’ suits, ensembles, jackets, blazers, trousers, bib and brace overalls, breeches, etc. | 112.0 | 322.4 | 12.5% | 3.5% |
| 7 | 5301 | Flax, raw or processed, but not spun; flax tow and waste, incl. yarn waste and garneted stock | 24.9 | 319.1 | 32.7% | 3.5% |
| 8 | 5407 | Woven fabrics of synthetic filament yarn, incl. monofilament of >= 67 decide | 179.2 | 290.2 | 5.5% | 3.1% |
| 9 | 6310 | Used or new rags, scrap twine, cordage, rope and cables and worn-out articles thereof, | 75.1 | 257.0 | 14.7% | 2.8% |
| 10 | 5603 | Nonwovens, whether or not impregnated, coated, covered or laminated, N.E.C. | 193.3 | 207.9 | 0.8% | 2.3% |
| 11 | 5101 | Wool, neither carded nor combed | 307.9 | 205.3 | -4.4% | 2.2% |
| 12 | 5902 | Tire cord fabric of high-tenacity yarn of nylon or other polyamides, polyesters or viscose | 225.5 | 197.3 | -1.5% | 2.1% |
| 13 | 6204 | Women’s or girls’ suits, ensembles, jackets, blazers, dresses, skirts, divided skirts, trousers, | 63.8 | 194.8 | 13.2% | 2.1% |
| 14 | 5503 | Synthetic staple fibers, not carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning | 191.9 | 192.5 | 0.0% | 2.1% |
| 15 | 5509 | Yarn of synthetic staple fibers (excl. sewing thread and yarn put up for retail sale) | 145.3 | 178.7 | 2.3% | 1.9% |
| 16 | 6001 | Pile fabrics, incl. “long pile” fabrics and terry fabrics, knitted or crocheted | 21.1 | 165.4 | 25.7% | 1.8% |
| 17 | 5504 | Artificial staple fibers, not carded, combed or otherwise processed for spinning | 99.0 | 145.0 | 4.3% | 1.6% |
| 18 | 6110 | Jerseys, pullovers, cardigans, waistcoats and similar articles, knitted or crocheted | 32.3 | 143.6 | 18.0% | 1.6% |
| 19 | 5703 | Carpets and other textile floor coverings, incl. turf, tufted “needle punched | 73.6 | 132.9 | 6.8% | 1.4% |
| 20 | 6004 | Knitted or crocheted fabrics, of a width > 30 cm, containing by weight >= 5% of elastomeric | 55.6 | 132.5 | 10.1% | 1.4% |
Source: DGCI&S & CITI Analysis
Top Suppliers of Textile & Apparel Commodities to India
China continues to remain the biggest supplier for Indian textiles and apparel products during 2023 with a share of 43.2% followed by Bangladesh and Vietnam with a share of 12.3% and 5.3% respectively as shown in figure 6.
Figure 4: Top Suppliers of T&A to India in 2023
Source: ITC Trade Map & CITI Analysis
Imports of T&A by India from the world have increased at a CAGR of 5.2% during the 2015-2024. After reaching to a maximum level of US$ 10.7 bn in 2022, imports have been stagnated at US$ 9.2 bn since last two years.
Table 2: Major Suppliers of T&A products to India (US$ Bn)
| S No | Exporters | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | CAGR |
| 1 | China | 2.6 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 2.9 | 2.9 | 2.3 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 3.2% |
| 2 | Bangladesh | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.8 | 1.2 | 1.1 | 1.1 | 12.9% |
| 3 | Viet Nam | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 0.5 | 12.8% |
| 4 | USA | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.4 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 3.5% |
| 5 | Australia | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 0.4 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 6.9% |
| Others | 2.3 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 2.8 | 3.3 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 3.5 | 4.9% | |
| World | 5.9 | 6.1 | 6.6 | 7.3 | 8.3 | 5.5 | 8.1 | 10.7 | 9.2 | 9.2 | 5.2% |
Source: ITC Trade Map & CITI Analysis