From 2019 to 2020, the value of exported hats declined by -7.6%.
The world’s top 3 exporters of hats (China, Germany, Italy) accounted for over half (54.4%) of total international sales for hats during 2020.
Exported Hats Made From Different Types of Materials
Hats are worn for diverse reasons, encompassing protection against the weather, religious purposes, ceremonial celebrations such as graduation, as well as for safety, status symbols and fashion accessories.
Exported hats are made from a wide range of materials. The following percentages provide a gauge of international demand for the materials which the most popular hats are made from.
Over half (52.4%) of globally exported hats in 2020 were knitted or crocheted headgear made from textile fabric including lace and felt. Close behind at 44.1% were miscellaneous headgear, well ahead of headgear constructed by assembling strips from any material, the later representing another 3.5%. Other miscellaneous headgear, excluding hairnets, account for a miniscule 0.0004% of global exports.
From a continental perspective, $5.5 billion or over three-fifths (61.2%) worth of worldwide exported hats during 2020 originated from Asia, trailed by suppliers in Europe (32.5%) and North America (5.3%).
Latin America plus the Caribbean was responsible for another 1% in international hat sales, ahead of 0.3% for African exporters and 0.2% for shippers in Oceania led by Australia and New Zealand.
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 650500 for knitted or crocheted headgear or made from lace, felt or other textile fabric. The 6 HTS digits are 650610 for safety headgear, 650699 for the catchall category and 650691 for bathing caps. For headgear constructed by assembling strip of any material, the 4-digit HTS prefix is 6504.
Overall
Exported Hats by Country: Overall
Below are the 20 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of hats shipped during 2020.
- China: US$3.9 billion (43.2% of total exported hats)
- Germany: $527.5 million (5.8%)
- Italy: $487 million (5.4%)
- Vietnam: $432.7 million (4.8%)
- Netherlands: $382 million (4.2%)
- France: $374.3 million (4.1%)
- Bangladesh: $289.7 million (3.2%)
- United States: $268.4 million (3%)
- Poland: $222.4 million (2.5%)
- United Kingdom: $193.4 million (2.1%)
- Japan: $173.6 million (1.9%)
- Mexico: $147.3 million (1.6%)
- Spain: $137.1 million (1.5%)
- South Korea: $111 million (1.2%)
- Sweden: $93.8 million (1%)
- Austria: $93.5 million (1%)
- Taiwan: $85.3 million (0.9%)
- Czech Republic: $81 million (0.9%)
- Hong Kong: $71.5 million (0.8%)
- Canada: $66.2 million (0.7%)
- Indonesia: $60.8 million (0.7%)
- Thailand: $53.6 million (0.6%)
- India: $53.3 million (0.6%)
- Belgium: $51.7 million (0.6%)
- Turkey: $51.3 million (0.6%)
By value, the above countries produced 90% of overall exports for hats in 2020.
The fastest increases in the overall sales of hats since 2016 belonged to Poland (up 127.9%), Belgium (up 83.6%), Turkey (up 69.9%), India (up 64.2%) and Sweden (up 54.2%).
Leading the decliners over the 5-year period were: Hong Kong (down -51.9%), Taiwan (down -18.6%), mainland China (down -10%), United States (down -8.1%) and the United Kingdom (down -6.8%).
Textile
Hats Exports by Country: Knitted/Crocheted, Lace, Felt, Other Textile
Below are the 20 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of hats made from knitted or crocheted fabric, lace, felt or other textile material and that was shipped during 2020.
- China: US$2 billion (42.5% of exported textile fabric headgear)
- Vietnam: $317.9 million (6.7%)
- Bangladesh: $283.1 million (6%)
- Germany: $259.6 million (5.5%)
- Netherlands: $250.9 million (5.3%)
- Italy: $232.8 million (4.9%)
- France: $136.8 million (2.9%)
- Poland: $113.9 million (2.4%)
- United Kingdom: $97.3 million (2%)
- United States: $95.3 million (2%)
- Mexico: $81 million (1.7%)
- Hong Kong: $63.5 million (1.3%)
- Spain: $62.5 million (1.3%)
- South Korea: $49.8 million (1%)
- Taiwan: $41.2 million (0.9%)
- Canada: $41.2 million (0.9%)
- Turkey: $40.1 million (0.8%)
- Czech Republic: $39.1 million (0.8%)
- Belgium: $38.7 million (0.8%)
- Sweden: $37.4 million (0.8%)
- Indonesia: $35.4 million (0.7%)
- Denmark: $34.7 million (0.7%)
- Philippines: $29.5 million (0.6%)
- Cambodia: $24 million (0.5%)
- Austria: $23.6 million (0.5%)
By value, the above countries produced 90.6% of textile fabric hats in 2020 including knitted or crocheted headgear.
Leading the gainers since 2016 were: Belgium (up 156.3%), Italy (up 77.8%), South Korea (also up 77.8%), Poland (up 65.2%), Indonesia (up 63.2%) then France (up 60.4%).
Five top suppliers posted declines over the 5-year period: Hong Kong (down -47.7%), mainland China (down -26.3%), Taiwan (down -25.2%), United Kingdom (down -7.6%) and Spain (down -4.9%).
Plaited/Stripped
Hats Exports by Country: Plaited or Strip-Assembled
Below are the 20 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of hats plaited or assembled from strips regardless of material and that was shipped during 2020.
- China: US$174.8 million (54.7% of exported hats assembled from strips)
- Italy: $19.9 million (6.2%)
- Mexico: $16.5 million (5.2%)
- United States: $11.2 million (3.5%)
- Vietnam: $10.9 million (3.4%)
- Germany: $10.8 million (3.4%)
- France: $8.2 million (2.6%)
- United Kingdom: $6.6 million (2.1%)
- Spain: $5.6 million (1.7%)
- Netherlands: $5.4 million (1.7%)
- Poland: $5.3 million (1.6%)
- Sweden: $4.6 million (1.4%)
- Myanmar: $4.3 million (1.3%)
- Ecuador: $4.2 million (1.3%)
- Turkey: $3.6 million (1.1%)
- Bangladesh: $2.9 million (0.9%)
- Sri Lanka: $2.9 million (0.9%)
- Slovakia: $2.2 million (0.7%)
- South Africa: $1.3 million (0.4%)
- Hong Kong: $996,000 (0.3%)
- Lithuania: $976,000 (0.3%)
- Indonesia: $943,000 (0.3%)
- Thailand: $825,000 (0.3%)
- Guatemala: $777,000 (0.2%)
- Australia: $738,000 (0.2%)
By value, the above countries produced 94.5% of hats plaited or assembled from strips in 2020.
Leading the gainers since 2016 were: Lithuania (up 829.5%), Sweden (up 453.4%), Turkey (up 390.3%), Poland (up 276.4%) then Bangladesh (up 189%).
The value of exports for plaited or strip-assembled headgear declined at the fastest pace for: Thailand (down -80.3%), Hong Kong (down -78.4%), Indonesia (down -66.2%), Ecuador (down -55.3%), Vietnam (down -46.1%) then China (down -41.2%).
Misc
Hats Exports by Country: Miscellaneous Headgear
Below are the 20 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of miscellaneous headgear that was shipped during 2020. These include safety hats and bathing caps but specifically exclude hair nets.
- China: US$1.7 billion (43.1% of exported miscellaneous headgear)
- Germany: $257.2 million (6.4%)
- Italy: $234.3 million (5.9%)
- France: $229.3 million (5.7%)
- Japan: $167.9 million (4.2%)
- United States: $161.9 million (4.1%)
- Netherlands: $125.7 million (3.1%)
- Vietnam: $103.9 million (2.6%)
- Poland: $103.3 million (2.6%)
- United Kingdom: $89.5 million (2.2%)
- Austria: $69.3 million (1.7%)
- Spain: $69 million (1.7%)
- South Korea: $60.9 million (1.5%)
- Sweden: $51.9 million (1.3%)
- Mexico: $49.8 million (1.2%)
- Malaysia: $44.4 million (1.1%)
- Taiwan: $43.5 million (1.1%)
- Czech Republic: $41.2 million (1%)
- Thailand: $31.8 million (0.8%)
- India: $31.6 million (0.8%)
- Portugal: $30.3 million (0.8%)
- Canada: $24.8 million (0.6%)
- Indonesia: $24.5 million (0.6%)
- Israel: $19.2 million (0.5%)
- Singapore: $17.2 million (0.4%)
By value, the above countries supplied 92.3% of miscellaneous headgear exported during 2020.
Leading the gainers since 2016 were: Poland (up 278.1%), Israel (up 265.2%), Vietnam (up 102.6%), India (up 100.6%) then Malaysia (up 99.8%).
The severest decliners over the 5-year period were: United States (down -15.8%), South Korea (down -11.8%), Canada (down -11.5%), Taiwan (down -11%) and Thailand (down -10.5%).
See also T-shirt Exports by Country, Top Exported Baby Clothing Sales and Top Sewing Threads Exports by Country
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on August 5, 2021
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 5, 2021
Wikipedia, Hat. Accessed on August 5, 2021
