Year over year, the overall value of exported sunglasses accelerated by 38.4% compared to $5.28 billion for 2020.
The 5 biggest exporters of the consumer-discretionary eyeglasses product are Italy, mainland China, Hong Kong, United States of America, and Germany. Collectively, those leading suppliers shipped over four-fifths (82.1%) of the world’s value for exported sunglasses during 2021. Such a high percentage indicates a concentrated cohort of major sunglass exporters.
Among continents, suppliers in Europe sold the highest dollar worth of exported sunglasses during 2021 with shipments valued at $4.1 billion or over half (56.2%) of sunglass exports. In second place were sunglasses suppliers in Asia at 37.8% while another 5.3% of worldwide sunglass shipments originated from North America.
Tinier percentages were sold on international markets from Latin America (0.32%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Oceania (0.18%) mostly Australia, and Africa (0.11%).
For research purposes, the 6-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for sunglasses is 900410.
Top Sunglasses Exporters by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of sunglasses during 2021.
- Italy: US$3 billion (40.7% of exported sunglasses)
- China: $1.7 billion (23.9%)
- Hong Kong: $645.3 million (8.8%)
- United States: $381.7 million (5.2%)
- Germany: $254.9 million (3.5%)
- France: $217.4 million (3%)
- Netherlands: $125 million (1.7%)
- Japan: $120.1 million (1.6%)
- Spain: $104.5 million (1.4%)
- Taiwan: $100.9 million (1.4%)
- South Korea: $76.6 million (1%)
- Switzerland: $60.6 million (0.8%)
- United Kingdom: $50.9 million (0.7%)
- Poland: $50.4 million (0.7%)
- Belgium: $39 million (0.5%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 95.1% of globally exported sunglasses in 2021.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of sunglasses since 2020 were: South Korea (up 130.3%), mainland China (up 50.7%), Italy (up 45.1%) and Taiwan (up 42.9%).
The United Kingdom was the lone major exporters to post a decline in its international sales of sunglasses, weighed down by a -18.5% drop from 2020 to 2021.
Countries Enjoying Best Trade Surpluses from Sunglasses
Listed below are the countries that posted positive net exports in the international trade of sunglasses during 2021. 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 sunglasses and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Italy: US$2.5 billion (net export surplus up 50.9% since 2020)
- China: $1.4 billion (up 56.1%)
- Taiwan: $82 million (up 68.7%)
- Slovenia: $6.8 million (up 25%)
- Estonia: $2.1 million (up 688.8%)
- US Minor Outlying Islands: $679,000 (reversing a -$480,000 deficit)
- Suriname: $112,000 (up 14.3%)
- Nauru: $92,000 (up 73.6%)
- Mauritius: $82,000 (down -241.4%)
- Guam: $82,000 (2020 data unavailable)
- Barbados: $52,000 (down -175.4%)
- Cambodia: $28,000 (down -96%)
- Iran: $5,000 (2020 data unavailable)
- French S./Antarctic Terr.: $2,000 (down -97.1%)
- Pitcairn: $1,000 (2020 data unavailable)
Exported sunglasses leader Italy generated the highest surplus in the international trade of sunglasses. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Italy’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Experiencing Worst Trade Deficits from Sunglasses
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for sunglasses during 2021. 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 sunglasses purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$1.6 billion (net export deficit up 59.3% since 2020)
- United Kingdom: -$215 million (up 27.7%)
- France: -$204.8 million (up 14.8%)
- Canada: -$158.7 million (up 49.1%)
- Australia: -$128.2 million (up 38.6%)
- Spain: -$118.9 million (up 10.3%)
- Germany: -$116.9 million (up 22.8%)
- Mexico: -$87.3 million (up 58.7%)
- Switzerland: -$79.2 million (up 11.1%)
- United Arab Emirates: -$77.1 million (up 67.6%)
- Russia: -$68.1 million (up 75.4%)
- Turkey: -$65 million (up 25.3%)
- Israel: -$54.5 million (up 72%)
- Norway: -$51.5 million (up 43.2%)
- Saudi Arabia: -$49.1 million (up 41.7%)
By far, the United States of America incurred the highest deficit in the international trade of sunglasses. This billion-dollar negative cashflow highlights America’s strong competitive disadvantages for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for sunglasses-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful US consumer demand.
Sunglasses Exporting Companies
According to global trading platform Alibaba, the following suppliers are examples of sunglasses-trading exporters.
- Celeb Eyewear (United States)
- ISP Professional Limited (Hong Kong)
- Jie Hao Enterprise Ltd (Taiwan)
- Kachi Global Pte Ltd (Singapore)
- Kost International BV (Netherlands)
- La Giardiniera-SRL (Italy)
- Linhai Tangtian Trade Co, Ltd (China)
- Seiko Industry Co, Ltd (Japan)
The home-country location for the headquarters of each business is shown within parentheses.
See also Top Exporters of Wigs, Beards and Eyelashes, Beauty Cosmetics and Skincare Exports by Country and Perfumes Exporters by Country
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Supplier showroom for sunglasses. Accessed on September 4, 2022
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on September 4, 2022
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on September 4, 2022
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on September 4, 2022
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on September 4, 2022
Wikipedia, Sunglasses. Accessed on September 4, 2022
