Morocco, first African textile supplier to the European Union in 2021

Morocco once again appears among the top 10 exporters of clothing and textiles to the European Union (EU) this year.

At the end of September 2021, Morocco was ranked 7th globally as a clothing and textile supplier to the EU, with €1.8 billion in exports, according to recent statistics published by the Euro-Mediterranean Circle of textile and clothing leaders (CEDITH).

Morocco’s share in total EU clothing imports as of the end of September 2021 has increased to 3.5%, compared to its 2.8% share in 2020, and 3.3% back in 2019.

The Kingdom is positioned as the first African exporter of clothing to the EU market, out of only 3 African economies on the list of the top 20 suppliers of clothing to the EU at the end of September 2021.

Morocco is ahead of Tunisia, which exported an estimated €1.3 billion worth of textiles and clothing to the Union.

Morocco and Tunisia each gained 0.2 points of market share, compared to the same period of 2019, prior to the health crisis.

According to Jean-François Limantour, president of CEDITH, this improvement and market positioning is the “fruit of the efforts of competitiveness of these two major suppliers of proximity.”

This evolution is attributed in particular to ecological reasons, as the EU’s preference for suppliers of proximity is fueled by the union’s strategy to reduce its carbon footprint and avoid long maritime journeys.

The next African EU supplier is Egypt, with a humble annual €244 million worth of clothing exports.

Moroccan exports have increased 23% this year, compared to the same period back in 2020. But outgoing trade has yet to regain its pre-pandemic rates, as it remains €200 million below exports at the end of September 2019.

Overall, EU apparel imports increased by 0.7% in the first 9 months of 2021, amounting to €51.9 billion.

China alone accounts for more than 29.2% of EU imports, with €15.1 billion delivered by the end of September.

The Asian country remains the world’s largest clothing exporter to the European Union. China is followed by Bangladesh, accounting for €10.2 billion, followed by Turkey, with an estimated textile export value of €6.7 billion.

India and Vietnam also appear in the EU’s top 5 textile suppliers, with €2.6 billion and €2.1 billion respectively.