As a head covering, hats are worn for diverse reasons. These causes encompass protection against the weather, religious purposes, ceremonial celebrations such as graduation, safety and as fashion accessories.
Nearly three-fifths (57.1%) of globally exported hats in 2019 were knitted or crocheted headgear made from textile fabric including lace and felt. Another 38.7% were miscellaneous headgear well ahead of headgear constructed by assembling strips from any material, the later representing another 4.2%.
From a continental perspective, $6.3 billion or almost two-thirds (62.7%) worth of worldwide exported hats originated from Asia during 2019, trailed by suppliers in Europe (31.1%) and North America (5.2%). Latin America plus the Caribbean was responsible for another 0.5% in international hat sales, a shade 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 2019.
- China: US$4.5 billion (44.9% of total exported hats)
- Italy: $523.6 million (5.2%)
- Vietnam: $519.4 million (5.1%)
- Germany: $506.3 million (5%)
- Netherlands: $429.3 million (4.2%)
- France: $364.8 million (3.6%)
- Bangladesh: $332.5 million (3.3%)
- United States: $305.9 million (3%)
- Belgium: $220.6 million (2.2%)
- Poland: $172.4 million (1.7%)
- Japan: $160.1 million (1.6%)
- Spain: $152.1 million (1.5%)
- Mexico: $146.1 million (1.4%)
- Austria: $114 million (1.1%)
- Czech Republic: $85 million (0.8%)
- Thailand: $63.9 million (0.6%)
- Indonesia: $62.4 million (0.6%)
- Sri Lanka: $43.8 million (0.4%)
- Turkey: $41 million (0.4%)
- Denmark: $38.7 million (0.4%)
- United Kingdom: $227.4 million (2.2%)
- Sweden: $72.7 million (0.7%)
- Canada: $73.8 million (0.7%)
- Taiwan: $92.4 million (0.9%)
- Hong Kong: $117.7 million (1.2%)
The above countries produced 87.2% of overall exports for hats in 2019.
s
The fastest increases in the overall sales of hats since 2015 belonged to Bangladesh (up 344.5%), Netherlands (up 101.8%), Poland (up 93.2%), Sri Lanka (up 89.3%) and Indonesia (up 88.2%).
There were three decliners over the 5-year period: Hong Kong (down -30.5%), Taiwan (down -9.5%) then China (down -2.1%).
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 2019.
- China: US$2.7 billion (46.6% of exported textile fabric headgear)
- Vietnam: $413.5 million (7.2%)
- Bangladesh: $326.2 million (5.6%)
- Netherlands: $278 million (4.8%)
- Germany: $255.9 million (4.4%)
- Italy: $252.2 million (4.4%)
- Belgium: $136.6 million (2.4%)
- France: $134.1 million (2.3%)
- Hong Kong: $104.4 million (1.8%)
- Poland: $101.9 million (1.8%)
- United States: $101.8 million (1.8%)
- United Kingdom: $101.2 million (1.8%)
- Spain: $77.3 million (1.3%)
- Mexico: $66.5 million (1.2%)
- South Korea: $48.5 million (0.8%)
- Indonesia: $46.8 million (0.8%)
- Czech Republic: $46.4 million (0.8%)
- Taiwan: $45.6 million (0.8%)
- Canada: $42.8 million (0.7%)
- Cambodia: $38.4 million (0.7%)
- Sri Lanka: $35 million (0.6%)
- Turkey: $33.2 million (0.6%)
- Denmark: $32.5 million (0.6%)
- Sweden: $30.6 million (0.5%)
- Austria: $29.9 million (0.5%)
The above countries produced 91.9% of textile fabric hats in 2019 including knitted or crocheted headgear.
Leading the gainers since 2015 were: Bangladesh (up 373.2%), Indonesia (up 172.4%), Cambodia (up 170.6%), South Korea (up 103.8%), Italy (up 103.3%) then the Netherlands (up 99.8%).
Three top suppliers posted declines over the 5-year period: Hong Kong (down -21.1%), Taiwan (down -17%) and China (down -7.9%).
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 2019.
- China: US$247.4 million (57.8% of exported hats assembled from strips)
- Italy: $25.1 million (5.9%)
- Mexico: $17.6 million (4.1%)
- United States: $15.6 million (3.6%)
- Germany: $14.3 million (3.4%)
- United Kingdom: $10 million (2.3%)
- Spain: $9.9 million (2.3%)
- France: $9.6 million (2.2%)
- Sri Lanka: $8.3 million (1.9%)
- Vietnam: $8 million (1.9%)
- Ecuador: $7.7 million (1.8%)
- Netherlands: $6.7 million (1.6%)
- Belgium: $3.9 million (0.9%)
- Bangladesh: $3.6 million (0.8%)
- Poland: $3.4 million (0.8%)
- Turkey: $3.1 million (0.7%)
- Sweden: $3.1 million (0.7%)
- Slovakia: $2.6 million (0.6%)
- South Africa: $2.3 million (0.5%)
- Hong Kong: $2 million (0.5%)
- Thailand: $1.7 million (0.4%)
- Malta: $1.6 million (0.4%)
- Singapore: $1.5 million (0.4%)
- Indonesia: $1.3 million (0.3%)
- Greece: $1.2 million (0.3%)
The above countries produced 94.4% of hats plaited or assembled from strips in 2019.
Leading the gainers since 2015 were: Bangladesh (up 1,276%), Greece (up 1,014%), Sweden (up 675.8%), Turkey (up 616%) then Poland (up 332.7%).
The value of exports for plaited or strip-assembled headgear declined at the fastest pace for: Thailand (down -63.1%), Vietnam (down -58.1%),Hong Kong (down -56.1%), Indonesia (down -19.5%), Ecuador (down -17.3%) then Mexico (down -14.3%).
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 2019. These include safety hats and bathing caps.
- China: US$1.6 billion (41.1% of exported miscellaneous headgear)
- Italy: $246.3 million (6.3%)
- Germany: $236 million (6%)
- France: $221.2 million (5.7%)
- United States: $188.5 million (4.8%)
- Japan: $153 million (3.9%)
- Netherlands: $144.6 million (3.7%)
- United Kingdom: $116.2 million (3%)
- Vietnam: $98 million (2.5%)
- Austria: $83.2 million (2.1%)
- Belgium: $80.2 million (2%)
- Poland: $67 million (1.7%)
- Spain: $64.9 million (1.7%)
- Mexico: $62 million (1.6%)
- South Korea: $59 million (1.5%)
- Malaysia: $50.3 million (1.3%)
- Taiwan: $46 million (1.2%)
- Sweden: $39 million (1%)
- Thailand: $38.3 million (1%)
- Czech Republic: $37.9 million (1%)
- Portugal: $30.4 million (0.8%)
- Canada: $30.1 million (0.8%)
- India: $25.1 million (0.6%)
- Indonesia: $14.3 million (0.4%)
- Singapore: $14.2 million (0.4%)
The above countries supplied 93% of miscellaneous headgear exported during 2019.
Leading the gainers since 2015 were: Vietnam (up 160.8%), Malaysia (up 150.4%), Poland (up 150.3%), Singapore (up 118.5%) then Austria (up 104.8%).
There were three decliners over the 5-year period: South Korea (down -20.4%), Taiwan (down -0.5%) and Canada (also down -0.5%).
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 June 5, 2020
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on June 5, 2020
Wikipedia, Hat. Accessed on June 5, 2020
