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Overview This page contains the latest trade data of Cotton. In 2022, Cotton were the world's 53rd most traded product, with a total trade of $63.9B. Between 2021 and 2022 the exports of Cotton grew by 3.51%, from $61.8B to $63.9B. Trade in Cotton represent 0.27% of total world trade.

Cotton are a part of Textiles. They include Raw Cotton, Light Pure Woven Cotton, Non-Retail Pure Cotton Yarn, Heavy Pure Woven Cotton, Heavy Mixed Woven Cotton, Light Mixed Woven Cotton, Non-Retail Mixed Cotton Yarn, Other Cotton Fabrics, Cotton Waste, and Retail Cotton Yarn, among others.

Exports In 2022 the top exporters of Cotton  were China ($12.2B), United States ($10.9B), India ($7.27B), Brazil ($3.93B), and Pakistan ($3.73B).

Imports In 2022 the top importers of Cotton were Bangladesh ($8.9B), China ($8.29B), Vietnam ($5.41B), Turkey ($4.3B), and Pakistan ($2.86B).

Ranking Cotton ranks 92nd in the Product Complexity Index (PCI).

Latest Data

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The following visualization shows the latest trends on Cotton. Countries are shown based on data availability.

For a full breakdown of trade patterns, visit the trend explorer or the product in country profile.

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* Trade values are converted to USD using each month's exchange rate. For December 2023 data, the exchange rate from December 30, 2023 is used.

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Historical Data

Exporters and Importers

Top Origin (2022)China$12.2B
Top Destination (2022)Bangladesh$8.9B

In 2022 Cotton were the world's 53rd most traded product (out of 96).

In 2022, the top exporters of Cotton were China ($12.2B), United States ($10.9B), India ($7.27B), Brazil ($3.93B), and Pakistan ($3.73B).

In 2022, the top importers of Cotton were Bangladesh ($8.9B), China ($8.29B), Vietnam ($5.41B), Turkey ($4.3B), and Pakistan ($2.86B).

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Exporters of Cotton (2022)
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Importers of Cotton (2022)
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Market Dynamics

Color
Top Origin Growth (2021 -  2022)United States$3.66B
Top Destination Growth (2021 -  2022)India$953M

Between 2021 and 2022, the exports of Cotton grew the fastest in United States ($3.66B), Australia ($1.68B), Brazil ($321M), Sudan ($261M), and Pakistan ($209M).

Between 2021 and 2022, the fastest growing importers of Cotton were India ($953M), Turkey ($612M), Vietnam ($441M), Pakistan ($384M), and Thailand ($336M).

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Exporters of Cotton (2021 - 2022)

Importers of Cotton (2021 - 2022)

Market Concentration

Value

This chart shows the evolution of the market concentration of exports of Cotton.

In 2022, market concentration measured using Shannon Entropy, was 4.33. This means that most of the exports of Cotton are explained by 20 countries.

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Value of Exports in Cotton

Net Trade

TOP NET EXPORTER (2022)United States$9.85B
TOP NET IMPORTER (2022)Bangladesh$8.8B

This map shows which countries export or import more of Cotton. Each country is colored based on the difference in exports and imports of Cotton during 2022.

In 2022, the countries that had a largest trade value in exports than in imports of Cotton were United States ($9.85B), India ($5.55B), China ($3.89B), Brazil ($3.76B), and Australia ($3.02B).

In 2022, the countries that had a largest trade value in imports than in exports of Cotton were Bangladesh ($8.8B), Vietnam ($1.98B), Turkey ($1.97B), Indonesia ($1.34B), and Honduras ($1.07B).

Net Trade (2022)

Disaggregation

Value
Disaggregation

In 2022, the world most traded Cotton, disaggragated by their HS6 level were Raw Cotton ($22.6B), Non-Retail Pure Cotton Yarn ($13.5B), Light Pure Woven Cotton ($11B), Heavy Pure Woven Cotton ($6.86B), and Heavy Mixed Woven Cotton ($4.01B)

HS6 Disaggregation for Cotton (2022)
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Country Comparison

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Ranking

This visualization shows the countries that have an important ratio of their trade related to Cotton.
It is possible to select the main countries that export or import Cotton in the world, or by continent, as well as select the measure of interest.

Top 10 Exporters Countries of Cotton by percentage of total exports

Potential Exports

Potential Exports

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TOP EXPORT POTENTIALChina+ $326M
TOP IMPORT POTENTIALChina+ $123M

Cotton’s highest export potential is China. With an export gap of $326M.  Cotton’s highest import potential is China with an import gap of $123M.

See methodology.

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Product Complexity

Diversification Frontier

Specialization

The Complexity-Relatedness diagram compares the risk and the strategic value of a product's potential export opportunities. Relatedness is predictive of the probability that a country increases its exports in a product. Complexity, is associated with higher levels of income, economic growth potential, lower income inequality, and lower emissions.

Relatedness vs Country Complexity (2022)

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