Market evolution: Hosiery (CN 6115) — 2015–2025

Introduction

This report examines the EU's external trade in hosiery products (Combined Nomenclature code 6115) over the period 2015–2025. CN 6115 covers a broad range of knitted or crocheted lower-body garments, including pantyhose, tights, stockings, socks, graduated compression hosiery, and footwear without applied soles — excluding items for babies. The analysis draws on trade overview data, partner-level breakdowns, market concentration indicators, vulnerability metrics, and volatility assessments. Over the decade, the EU hosiery market has undergone a pronounced structural transformation: import dependence has surged, domestic production has contracted sharply, and the geographical profile of suppliers has shifted substantially — all while the EU has moved up the value chain in its remaining export activity.

1. A Widening Deficit: The EU's Deepening Import Dependence in Hosiery

1.1 The trade balance deteriorated by 77% over the decade

The EU's trade deficit in hosiery widened dramatically from €1.02 billion in 2015 to €1.81 billion in 2025, a deterioration of 77%. This reflects fundamentally divergent trajectories: import values grew by 54% (from €1.67 billion to €2.56 billion), while export values grew by only 17% (from €642 million to €751 million). The deficit reached its widest point around 2022 (€1.98 billion), during the post-pandemic import surge, before narrowing slightly in subsequent years.

1.2 Net import reliance rose from 5% to 42%

The most striking indicator of the EU's shifting position is net import reliance, which surged from 5.3% in 2015 to 41.8% in 2025 — an increase of 682%. This metric, which measures the share of domestic consumption accounted for by net imports, indicates that the EU has moved from near self-sufficiency in hosiery to a position of substantial external dependence within a single decade. The sharpest acceleration occurred during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, peaking at 45.0% in 2024 before a marginal retreat.

1.3 The volume-price divergence reveals a structural transformation

A closer look at the quantity and price dynamics reveals a striking divergence between imports and exports. Import quantities surged by 65% while import prices fell by 7%, suggesting that the EU has been absorbing large volumes of increasingly price-competitive hosiery from low-cost origins. By contrast, EU export quantities declined by 20% while export unit values rose by 46% (from €24,914/t to €36,456/t). This is consistent with the EU retaining and developing a niche in higher-value segments — notably graduated compression hosiery and specialty products — while ceding volume-driven, lower-margin categories to external suppliers.

2. Geographical Reorientation: Shifting Suppliers and Diversifying Export Markets

2.1 China consolidated its position as the EU's dominant hosiery supplier

China remained by far the EU's largest import partner by value, with shipments rising from €621 million in 2015 to €1,095 million in 2025 — a 76% increase. China alone accounted for roughly 43% of extra-EU hosiery imports by value in 2025 (up from approximately 37% in 2015). Türkiye held second place, growing from €480 million to €655 million (+37%). Pakistan recorded the fastest growth among the top tier, more than doubling from €89 million to €218 million (+145%).

2.2 Viet Nam emerged as the fastest-growing supplier, while the UK's role collapsed

The most dramatic shift among import origins was the rise of Viet Nam, whose exports to the EU grew from just €4.4 million in 2015 to €48.3 million in 2025 — a more than tenfold increase (+1,003%). This likely reflects both Viet Nam's expanding textile manufacturing capacity and the diversion of sourcing away from China amid trade tensions and supply chain diversification strategies. Meanwhile, the United Kingdom's role as an import source collapsed by 69%, falling from €82 million to €25 million — a decline almost certainly linked to the UK's departure from the EU customs union and single market, which introduced new trade frictions. Indonesia also saw a notable decline of 33%.

2.3 EU export markets became more diversified, led by growth in Switzerland and Bosnia and Herzegovina

On the export side, the UK remained the largest destination but saw a 31% decline (from €226 million to €156 million). Switzerland grew strongly by 68% to reach €130 million, reflecting the country's purchasing power and proximity to major EU producers. The most dramatic export growth was to Bosnia and Herzegovina, which surged from €3 million to €93 million (+3,030%), almost certainly reflecting outsourced manufacturing arrangements where EU firms send materials or semi-finished products for finishing and re-import. Exports to Russia declined by 15%, constrained by geopolitical sanctions following 2022.

2.4 Import concentration increased while export markets diversified

The Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) for imports by value rose from 2,344 to 2,846 (+21.5%), indicating that the EU's import base became more concentrated — largely because of China's growing dominance. By contrast, the export HHI fell from 1,629 to 1,073 (−34.1%), signalling that EU exporters successfully diversified their destination markets over the same period. This asymmetry — increasing concentration on the sourcing side coupled with diversification on the selling side — carries a strategic implication: while EU producers are less exposed to single-market risk in their sales, the EU as a whole has become more reliant on a narrower set of import suppliers.

2.5 Poland emerged as a major EU importer, while Germany remained the largest intra-EU hub

Looking at intra-EU reporting, Germany was the largest importing Member State at €589 million in 2025, though its growth was moderate (+18%). The Netherlands (+76% to €462 million) and France (+56% to €283 million) both saw strong increases, likely reflecting their roles as distribution hubs. Poland stood out with a near fivefold increase in imports (from €27 million to €136 million, +397%), consistent with the country's rapid development as a textile logistics and nearshoring centre. On the export side, Germany surged by 73% to €218 million, overtaking Italy (€175 million, −23%) as the EU's largest hosiery exporter. Croatia's exports exploded from €2 million to €112 million (+5,810%), reflecting the country's emergence as a manufacturing platform within EU supply chains.

3. The Volume-to-Value Transition: EU Production Shrinks as Export Specialisation Sharpens

3.1 EU hosiery production collapsed by 73% in volume

The EU's domestic production of hosiery declined precipitously over the decade. By number of items, output fell from 4.70 billion pieces in 2015 to 1.26 billion in 2025 — a drop of 73.1%. Production value declined more moderately, falling from €3.49 billion to €2.44 billion (−30.0%). The gap between the two figures — a 73% volume decline versus a 30% value decline — implies that the surviving EU production base has shifted significantly toward higher unit-value products, with lower-margin, volume-driven manufacturing increasingly relocated outside the EU.

3.2 Cotton socks dominate imports; synthetic fibres are the fastest-growing segment

The product segment breakdown reveals that cotton hosiery (CN 611595) is by far the largest import category, both by volume and value. Imports grew from 105,305 tonnes (€999 million) in 2015 to 173,924 tonnes (€1,489 million) in 2025. Synthetic-fibre socks and hosiery (CN 611596) recorded the fastest growth, surging from 25,190 tonnes to 56,598 tonnes (+125%), with import value rising from €256 million to €525 million. By contrast, fine-denier pantyhose (CN 611521) showed stagnating or declining import volumes, while women's fine hosiery (CN 611530) volumes fell from 2,831 tonnes to 1,874 tonnes.

3.3 Graduated compression hosiery stands out as a high-value EU export niche

On the export side, graduated compression hosiery (CN 611510) stands out as a distinctive specialisation. While its export volume was a modest 1,470 tonnes in 2025, the value reached €113 million, implying an exceptionally high unit value of approximately €76,670 per tonne — more than double the next-highest segment. This reflects the medical/therapeutic nature of the product, where quality and regulatory compliance command a premium. Cotton socks (CN 611595) remained the largest export segment by value at €230 million, though volumes had fallen from 8,388 tonnes in 2015 to 7,591 tonnes in 2025. Fine-denier synthetic pantyhose (CN 611521) was the second-largest export at €141 million, with volumes declining from 6,900 tonnes to 4,297 tonnes.

3.4 EU Member States show divergent specialisation patterns

The revealed symmetric comparative advantage (RSCA) analysis for 2025 reveals sharp intra-EU differences in hosiery specialisation. Croatia (RSCA = 0.88) and Portugal (RSCA = 0.37) are the most specialised EU exporters, followed by Italy (RSCA = 0.27), Romania (0.18), and Slovenia (0.13). This pattern is consistent with the geographical clustering of textile manufacturing in Southern and South-Eastern Europe. At the other end of the spectrum, Ireland (RSCA = −0.96), Malta (−0.85), Finland (−0.70), and Greece (−0.70) show strong negative specialisation, meaning hosiery represents a much smaller share of their exports than of the EU average.

3.5 The pandemic marked an inflection point for prices across most segments

Examining unit values by segment reveals that the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020–2021 acted as an inflection point. Export unit values for most segments jumped in 2021–2022, reflecting supply chain disruptions, raw material cost inflation, and a compositional shift toward higher-value goods. For instance, the export price for cotton hosiery (CN 611595) rose from €18,142/t in 2015 to €30,288/t in 2025. Fine-denier synthetic pantyhose (CN 611521) export prices climbed from €24,041/t to €32,724/t. On the import side, prices for cotton hosiery were more volatile, peaking at €11,202/t in 2022 before falling back to €8,558/t in 2025 — possibly reflecting a post-pandemic normalisation and increased price competition from Asian suppliers.

3.6 Russia and the UK experienced the most notable trade shocks

The volatility and shock analysis identified two major shock events. The most severe was a price shock in EU exports to Russia in 2022, with an abnormality score of 53.8 and a price shift of +62.9%, coinciding with the imposition of sanctions following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. This shock affected flows representing 12.5% of the relevant export value. A second shock was detected in EU imports from the UK in 2021, with a price shift of +123.8% (abnormality 50.7), almost certainly linked to post-Brexit trade friction effects. Among import partners, Pakistan (CV = 0.38) and Viet Nam (CV = 0.66) showed the highest volatility in their trade flows, reflecting the rapid growth and potentially less stable supply relationships with newer sourcing origins.

Conclusion

The EU hosiery market (CN 6115) has undergone a profound structural transformation between 2015 and 2025. Domestic production volumes collapsed by 73%, import dependence surged from 5% to 42% of consumption, and the trade deficit nearly doubled to €1.8 billion. This transformation is not simply a story of decline, however. EU exporters have pivoted toward higher-value segments — particularly graduated compression hosiery and premium synthetic products — achieving a 46% increase in export unit values. Meanwhile, import sourcing has concentrated more heavily on China while also rapidly incorporating newer origins such as Viet Nam and Pakistan. Geopolitical events have left clear imprints: Brexit sharply reduced UK–EU hosiery trade in both directions, and sanctions on Russia disrupted a significant export channel. Looking ahead, the EU's growing import reliance combined with increasing supplier concentration raises questions about supply chain resilience, while the strong specialisation of Member States like Croatia, Italy, and Portugal suggests that niche, high-value production remains a viable competitive strategy within the bloc.