UN Comtrade • Latest complete year: 2024
50 - Silk (HS 50)
Global exports
$1.53B
Global imports
$1.31B
Top exporter share
46.8%
Top importer share
24.3%
- Global silk exports reached $1.5B in 2024.
- China was the largest exporter of silk, accounting for 46.8% of global exports.
- Italy led global silk imports with a 24.3% share in 2024.
- India was a significant player, ranking among both top exporters (10.1%) and importers (13.4%).
- Romania was also a key country in silk trade, with 6.3% of exports and 7.6% of imports.
Global Silk Trade Overview
In 2024, the global trade for Silk (HS2 50) saw total exports valued at $1.5B and imports reaching $1.3B. China dominated the export market, contributing $715.6M, or 46.8%, of the world's silk exports. Other major exporters included Italy ($274.7M, 17.9%) and India ($153.9M, 10.1%). Uzbekistan and Romania were also significant exporting nations.
Leading Importers of Silk
Italy was the largest importer of silk in 2024, with imports totaling $318.1M, representing 24.3% of the global share. Other key importing nations included India, with $175.5M (13.4%), and Romania, importing $99.6M (7.6%). France ($95.1M, 7.3%) and China ($83.2M, 6.4%) were also notable importers.
Quick insights
- China is the top exporter (46.8% of reported exports).
- Italy is the top importer (24.3% of reported imports).
- Top 3 exporter concentration: 74.8%.
- Top 5 exporter concentration: 84.6%.
Notes: Shares are relative to reported totals in the dataset for the selected year.
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Silk - product groups (4-digit) by top countries (Exports), 2024 (USD)
Top 10 countries with the leading 6 product groups (4-digit); remainder grouped as Other.
Flow: Exports | Year: 2024 | Unit: USD | Snapshot: 20251222 | Source: UN Comtrade
Generated by TradeVedia.comSource: UN Comtrade
Silk - country rank by trade value (Exports), 2015-2024 (USD)
Ranks show the top 10 countries by latest-year value (rank 1 is largest).
Flow: Exports | Years: 2015-2024 | Unit: USD | Snapshot: 20251222 | Source: UN Comtrade
Generated by TradeVedia.comSource: UN Comtrade
Global export trend
Silk - exports over time (Exports), 2015-2024 (USD)
Annual reported exports across available years.
Flow: Exports | Years: 2015-2024 | Unit: USD | Source: UN Comtrade
Generated by TradeVedia.comSource: UN Comtrade
HS4 drilldown
Built: 2026-01-12T08:07:47Z • Snapshot: 20251222
HS4 subcategories within HS 50 for 2024 (partner = World). Values are summed across reporting economies; coverage varies by reporter and year.
Exports
Coverage vs HS2: 99.6%
Silk - top 4-digit product groups by export share (Exports), 2024 (USD)
Leading 4-digit product groups by export value.
Flow: Exports | Year: 2024 | Unit: USD | Snapshot: 20251222 | Source: UN Comtrade
Generated by TradeVedia.comSource: UN Comtrade
| HS4 | Subcategory | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5007 | Woven fabrics of silk or of sil… | $807.42M | 52.7% |
| 5002 | Raw silk (not thrown) | $258.31M | 16.9% |
| 5004 | Silk; yarn (other than yarn spu… | $248.07M | 16.2% |
| 5003 | Silk waste (including cocoons u… | $103.31M | 6.7% |
| 5005 | Yarn spun from silk waste, not… | $99.16M | 6.5% |
| 5006 | Silk yarn and yarn spun from si… | $6.44M | 0.4% |
| 5001 | Silk-worm cocoons suitable for… | $1.94M | 0.1% |
Subcategory names are truncated; hover to see the full description.
Fastest-growing HS4 (CAGR 2019–2024)
Filter: start-year value ≥ $1.00M
| HS4 | Subcategory | CAGR | 2024 value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5003 | Silk waste (including cocoons u… | 3.0% | $103.31M |
| 5005 | Yarn spun from silk waste, not… | 1.9% | $99.16M |
| 5004 | Silk; yarn (other than yarn spu… | 0.0% | $248.07M |
| 5006 | Silk yarn and yarn spun from si… | -3.9% | $6.44M |
| 5002 | Raw silk (not thrown) | -6.2% | $258.31M |
| 5007 | Woven fabrics of silk or of sil… | -7.6% | $807.42M |
| 5001 | Silk-worm cocoons suitable for… | -12.7% | $1.94M |
Imports
Coverage vs HS2: 99.6%
Silk - top 4-digit product groups by import share (Imports), 2024 (USD)
Leading 4-digit product groups by import value.
Flow: Imports | Year: 2024 | Unit: USD | Snapshot: 20251222 | Source: UN Comtrade
Generated by TradeVedia.comSource: UN Comtrade
| HS4 | Subcategory | Value | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5007 | Woven fabrics of silk or of sil… | $564.88M | 43.2% |
| 5002 | Raw silk (not thrown) | $288.67M | 22.1% |
| 5004 | Silk; yarn (other than yarn spu… | $230.75M | 17.6% |
| 5003 | Silk waste (including cocoons u… | $122.02M | 9.3% |
| 5005 | Yarn spun from silk waste, not… | $77.44M | 5.9% |
| 5006 | Silk yarn and yarn spun from si… | $12.05M | 0.9% |
| 5001 | Silk-worm cocoons suitable for… | $7.49M | 0.6% |
Subcategory names are truncated; hover to see the full description.
Fastest-growing HS4 (CAGR 2019–2024)
Filter: start-year value ≥ $1.00M
| HS4 | Subcategory | CAGR | 2024 value |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5003 | Silk waste (including cocoons u… | 11.7% | $122.02M |
| 5001 | Silk-worm cocoons suitable for… | 4.2% | $7.49M |
| 5004 | Silk; yarn (other than yarn spu… | 4.1% | $230.75M |
| 5005 | Yarn spun from silk waste, not… | 3.1% | $77.44M |
| 5006 | Silk yarn and yarn spun from si… | 2.4% | $12.05M |
| 5002 | Raw silk (not thrown) | -5.6% | $288.67M |
| 5007 | Woven fabrics of silk or of sil… | -7.2% | $564.88M |
Explore country profiles
Jump from this HS2 product to the country trade pages for the largest exporters and importers.
Top exporters
Top trade routes
Top exporter → importer routes among the largest exporters (bounded at build-time).
| Exporter | Importer | Value | Share of exports |
|---|---|---|---|
| China (CHN) | Italy (ITA) | $158.17M | 10.3% |
| China (CHN) | India (IND) | $95.98M | 6.3% |
| Romania (ROU) | Italy (ITA) | $89.23M | 5.8% |
| Italy (ITA) | France (FRA) | $70.55M | 4.6% |
| India (IND) | United Arab Emirates (ARE) | $69.51M | 4.5% |
| China (CHN) | Romania (ROU) | $55.92M | 3.7% |
| China (CHN) | Japan (JPN) | $45.84M | 3.0% |
| China (CHN) | Pakistan (PAK) | $44.62M | 2.9% |
| Italy (ITA) | Romania (ROU) | $39.35M | 2.6% |
| China (CHN) | Viet Nam (VNM) | $36.45M | 2.4% |
| India (IND) | China (CHN) | $31.94M | 2.1% |
| China (CHN) | China, Hong Kong SAR (HKG) | $29.19M | 1.9% |
| China (CHN) | Sri Lanka (LKA) | $25.59M | 1.7% |
| Uzbekistan (UZB) | China (CHN) | $24.09M | 1.6% |
| China (CHN) | Rep. of Korea (KOR) | $22.72M | 1.5% |
Data notes & methodology
Source: UN Comtrade
Exports total: $1.53B • Imports total: $1.31B
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