HS4 subsector intelligence

Cotton
HS4 5201 trade overview

A focused view of this HS4 subsector: market scale, momentum, leading routes, countries, and the HS6 classifications inside it.

HS4 52011995-2024 coverageStable
The numbers at a glanceLatest reported year · 2024
01

Latest trade

$17.8BGlobal subsector value
02

Annual change

+8.3%Latest year on year
03

Exporters

152Active reporting countries
04

Importers

187Active reporting countries
05

HS6 products

1Classifications inside HS4

The subsector read

$17.8B in trade, with -1% annualized growth over three years.

Cotton is recorded across 2,647 active corridors, with 152 exporters and 187 importers.

Annual trend

Subsector momentum over time

Reported global trade from 1995 to 2024. Read the methodology ↗

Annual subsector tradeReported global trade from 1995 to 2024.1995: $9.8B1996: $10.0B1997: $9.4B1998: $8.1B1999: $6.6B2000: $7.2B2001: $7.3B2002: $6.5B2003: $8.7B2004: $11.4B2005: $9.9B2006: $11.0B2007: $11.3B2008: $12.1B2009: $8.6B2010: $15.6B2011: $22.4B2012: $21.4B2013: $19.6B2014: $16.0B2015: $12.4B2016: $11.8B2017: $15.3B2018: $17.0B2019: $14.8B2020: $13.9B2021: $18.3B2022: $22.7B2023: $16.4B2024: $17.8B
Reported global trade by year.

Top trade corridors

Where the subsector moves

Leading exporter-to-importer relationships by latest reported value. See data sources ↗

Latest reported relationshipsTop 10 by trade value
RankExporterImporterTrade valueGrowthHS6DistanceFTA
1BrazilBRAChinaCHN$1.9B+22.2%118,570 kmNo
2USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSAChinaCHN$1.6B+4.9%111,883 kmNo
3AustraliaAUSViet NamVNM$906.1M+15.6%16,694 kmYes
4USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSAViet NamVNM$863.5M-6.2%114,306 kmNo
5BrazilBRAViet NamVNM$799.6M+9.7%116,863 kmNo
6AustraliaAUSChinaCHN$676.4M+112.6%18,024 kmYes
7IndiaINDBangladeshBGD$655.2M-21.9%11,427 kmYes
8BrazilBRABangladeshBGD$604.4M+12%115,665 kmNo
9USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSAPakistanPAK$558.1M-3.7%111,705 kmNo
10BeninBENBangladeshBGD$480.4M+4.2%19,533 kmNo

Market structure

Where supply and demand concentrate

Exporter and importer rankings show the two sides of the subsector separately. Check coverage ↗

Top exporters2024 ranking
RankCountryExportsPartnersHS6
1USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA$5.2B1161
2BrazilBRA$4.9B381
3AustraliaAUS$2.6B431
4IndiaIND$944.0M831
5BeninBEN$502.0M131
6TurkeyTUR$471.5M931
7GreeceGRC$434.8M381
8CameroonCMR$263.4M191
9Côte d\'IvoireCIV$235.6M201
10Burkina FasoBFA$229.8M251
Top importers2024 ranking
RankCountryImportsPartnersHS6
1ChinaCHN$4.7B621
2Viet NamVNM$2.9B461
3BangladeshBGD$2.8B331
4PakistanPAK$1.5B291
5TurkeyTUR$1.4B571
6IndiaIND$988.6M491
7IndonesiaIDN$759.7M461
8MalaysiaMYS$298.9M381
9EgyptEGY$266.8M141
10MexicoMEX$254.3M471

HS6 product coverage

The products inside HS4 5201

Six-digit classifications make the subsector specific. Browse the product workspace ↗

1 classifications shownCotton
01
Cotton: not carded or combedHS6 520100

Definitions and coverage

Read the numbers with context

Reported observations and calculated indicators should be read with their coverage period. Responsible AI principles ↗

01

Reported values

Trade values describe reported merchandise trade for the HS4 classification, not company-level sales or shipment records.

02

Calculated indicators

Growth, concentration, volatility, and peak comparisons are calculated from reported observations.

03

Missing data

Unavailable observations remain unavailable. They are not filled, interpolated, or presented as forecasts.

Coverage: 1995-2024 · Data refreshed 2026-07-20 09:34:09

Data source

OECD trade statistics with CEPII context

OECD (2025), Balanced international merchandise trade statistics (BIMTS) - HS2017-6D, OECD Data Explorer (accessed on 2026-08-27). OECD BIMTS is the primary trade series for this view. Supporting bilateral trade context uses CEPII BACI bilateral trade flows (202601) under Etalab 2.0 Open Licence. Yugalinks presents derived views of reported observations and calculated indicators. Data terms: OECD Terms & Conditions.