Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of cotton during 2017:

1. China: US$15.1 billion (28.2% of total exported cotton)
2. United States: $7.6 billion (14.2%)
3. India: $4.7 billion (8.8%)
4. Pakistan: $3.5 billion (6.5%)
5. Vietnam: $2.6 billion (4.9%)
6. Turkey: $1.7 billion (3.2%)
7. Australia: $1.6 billion (3%)
8. Hong Kong: $1.6 billion (3%)
9. Brazil: $1.5 billion (2.8%)
10. Italy: $1.4 billion (2.7%)
11. Germany: $972.8 million (1.8%)
12. Uzbekistan: $850.4 million (1.6%)
13. Indonesia: $819 million (1.5%)
14. Spain: $689.6 million (1.3%)
15. South Korea: $517.4 million (1%)

By value, the listed 15 nations shipped 84.4% of all cotton exports in 2017.

Only two of the above countries grew the value of their cotton exports since 2013, namely Vietnam via a 126% gain and Brazil with its 18.3% increase.

The remaining 13 countries posted declines in their international cotton sales led by: India (down -58.3%), Hong Kong (down -53.6%), Uzbekistan (down -41.5%), Australia (down -35.1%), Pakistan (down -34.4%) and South Korea (down -34.2%).

The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for cotton during 2017. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported cotton and its import purchases for that same commodity.

1. United States: US$6.7 billion (net export surplus up 3.2% since 2013)
2. China: $6.5 billion (up 1,952%)
3. India: $3.7 billion (down -64.7%)
4. Pakistan: $2.5 billion (down -41.2%)
5. Australia: $1.5 billion (down -35.5%)
6. Brazil: $1.3 billion (up 38.3%)
7. Uzbekistan: $840.6 million (down -42.1%)
8. Turkmenistan: $397.4 million (down -36.6%)
9. Greece: $360.6 million (down -25.9%)
10. Benin: $332.9 million (up 70.1%)
11. Burkina Faso: $194.9 million (down -58.1%)
12. Italy: $166.7 million (down -49.1%)
13. Spain: $162.3 million (down -37%)
14. Hong Kong: $104.3 million (up 187.8%)
15. Tajikistan: $97.1 million (down -25.8%)

The United States and China have the highest surpluses in the international trade of cotton. In turn, these positive cashflows confirm America’s and China’s strong competitive advantages for this specific product category.

The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for cotton during 2017. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported cotton purchases and its exports for that same commodity.

1. Bangladesh: -US$5.3 billion (net export deficit down -11.5% since 2013)
2. Vietnam: -$1.6 billion (down -8.4%)
3. Indonesia: -$1.3 billion (down -24.3%)
4. Turkey: -$1.3 billion (up 20.3%)
5. Mexico: -$768.2 million (down -4.3%)
6. Honduras: -$758.7 million (up 16,561%)
7. Cambodia: -$678 million (up 311%)
8. South Korea: -$644.2 million (down -28.9%)
9. Sri Lanka: -$627.3 million (up 23.3%)
10. Morocco: -$487.5 million (down -8.7%)
11. Russia: -$459.2 million (down -8.3%)
12. Portugal: -$458.5 million (down -8.3%)
13. Tunisia: -$398.9 million (down -42.2%)
14. Romania: -$344.3 million (down -28.5%)
15. Colombia: -$342.9 million (down -15.1%)

A world leader manufacturing apparel, Bangladesh incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of cotton–a key ingredient in making a wide range of clothing and related articles. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights Bangladesh’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for cotton-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful Bangladeshi demand.