Latest trade
$133.9MGlobal subsector valueHS4 subsector intelligence
Cotton
HS4 5204 trade overview
A focused view of this HS4 subsector: market scale, momentum, leading routes, countries, and the HS6 classifications inside it.
The numbers at a glanceLatest reported year · 2024
Annual change
-3.2%Latest year on yearExporters
136Active reporting countriesImporters
190Active reporting countriesHS6 products
3Classifications inside HS4The subsector read
$133.9M in trade, with -3.8% annualized growth over three years.
Cotton is recorded across 2,707 active corridors, with 136 exporters and 190 importers.
Annual trend
Subsector momentum over time
Reported global trade from 1995 to 2024. Read the methodology ↗
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
| Rank | Exporter | Importer | Trade value | Growth | HS6 | Distance | FTA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | MexicoMEX | Dominican RepublicDOM | $7.5M | +78.1% | 3 | 3,078 km | No |
| 2 | ChinaCHN | Viet NamVNM | $4.5M | +8.6% | 3 | 2,732 km | Yes |
| 3 | ThailandTHA | LaosLAO | $3.3M | +15.4% | 3 | 520 km | Yes |
| 4 | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | Dominican RepublicDOM | $3.2M | -3.5% | 3 | 2,495 km | Yes |
| 5 | ItalyITA | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $2.8M | -10.6% | 3 | 6,907 km | No |
| 6 | IndiaIND | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $2.5M | -8.9% | 3 | 11,771 km | No |
| 7 | FranceFRA | PolandPOL | $2.4M | +84.8% | 2 | 1,371 km | Yes |
| 8 | ChinaCHN | MyanmarMMR | $2.2M | -8.9% | 3 | 3,017 km | Yes |
| 9 | Viet NamVNM | CambodiaKHM | $2.1M | -1% | 3 | 211 km | Yes |
| 10 | HondurasHND | Costa RicaCRI | $2.0M | +3,744.7% | 3 | 572 km | Yes |
Market structure
Where supply and demand concentrate
Exporter and importer rankings show the two sides of the subsector separately. Check coverage ↗
| Rank | Country | Exports | Partners | HS6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ChinaCHN | $36.8M | 178 | 3 |
| 2 | IndiaIND | $11.3M | 123 | 3 |
| 3 | MexicoMEX | $9.2M | 60 | 3 |
| 4 | ItalyITA | $9.0M | 86 | 3 |
| 5 | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $8.2M | 90 | 3 |
| 6 | GermanyDEU | $5.8M | 85 | 3 |
| 7 | EgyptEGY | $5.1M | 41 | 3 |
| 8 | ThailandTHA | $4.8M | 52 | 3 |
| 9 | HondurasHND | $4.3M | 7 | 3 |
| 10 | Viet NamVNM | $4.2M | 40 | 3 |
| Rank | Country | Imports | Partners | HS6 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA, Puerto Rico and US Virgin IslandsUSA | $12.2M | 53 | 3 |
| 2 | Dominican RepublicDOM | $11.8M | 16 | 3 |
| 3 | LaosLAO | $6.0M | 16 | 3 |
| 4 | Viet NamVNM | $5.6M | 26 | 3 |
| 5 | CambodiaKHM | $4.3M | 15 | 3 |
| 6 | GuatemalaGTM | $4.1M | 24 | 3 |
| 7 | ItalyITA | $4.1M | 35 | 3 |
| 8 | Costa RicaCRI | $3.8M | 22 | 3 |
| 9 | MyanmarMMR | $3.7M | 19 | 3 |
| 10 | GermanyDEU | $3.3M | 59 | 3 |
HS6 product coverage
The products inside HS4 5204
Six-digit classifications make the subsector specific. Browse the product workspace ↗
3 classifications shownCotton
Cotton: sewing thread, containing 85% or more by weight of cotton, not put up for retail saleHS6 520411
Cotton: sewing thread, containing less than 85% by weight of cotton, not put up for retail saleHS6 520419
Cotton: sewing thread, put up for retail saleHS6 520420
Definitions and coverage
Read the numbers with context
Reported observations and calculated indicators should be read with their coverage period. Responsible AI principles ↗
Reported values
Trade values describe reported merchandise trade for the HS4 classification, not company-level sales or shipment records.
Calculated indicators
Growth, concentration, volatility, and peak comparisons are calculated from reported observations.
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.