EU textile and clothing imports rose in value by 1.6% to a record high of Euro 112.07 bn (US$126.34 bn) in 2017 following a 0.8% increase in 2016. In terms of volume, imports rose by 2.6%, also to a record high. Textile imports were up by 3.4% in value and by 3.1% in volume while clothing imports were up by 1.0% in value and by 1.9% in volume.The average price of EU textile and clothing imports fell by 1.0% in euro terms, although it was still at its fourth highest level in several years. The fall reflected a 0.9% decline in the average price of EU clothing imports whereas the average price of EU textile imports edged up by 0.2%. Having said all that, the high average price of EU textile and clothing imports was partly a reflection of recent movements in currency exchange rates. In 2015 the euro depreciated against the US dollar by a sharp 16.4%> to its weakest level since 2002, and in 2016 and 2017 it remained at a level which was similar to that seen in 2015.A geographical breakdown shows that there were falls in the average prices of textile and clothing imports from six of the EU's leading ten supplying countries, namely Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Morocco, the USA and Vietnam. By contrast, there were increases in the average prices of imports from India, Pakistan, Tunisia and Turkey.The EU's biggest textile and clothing supplying country in 2017 was, by far, China. However, the share of EU textile and clothing imports which came from China was down in value terms—from 34.0% to 33.3%—as imports from the country fell by 0.7%. In volume terms, by contrast, EU textile and clothing imports from China increased by 3.3% and the share of EU imports which came from China rose from 33.5% to 33.7%. Of the other nine supplying countries which ranked among the leading ten, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Morocco, Pakistan and Vietnam all gained share in the EU import market in both value and volume terms whereas India, Tunisia, Turkey and the USA lost share in both value and volume terms.
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