Consumer expenditure on clothing in the United Kingdom (UK) 2005-2023

Consumer spending on clothing in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2005 to 2023 has continually increased year after year, with the exception of 2020, as a result of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. In 2023, spending on clothing reached an all-time high at approximately 66.2 billion British pounds.

Clothing and footwear share in total expenditure

In 2023, around five percent of British households’ total expenditure went into clothing and footwear. Generally, as total domestic expenditure has increased, so has spending on clothing and footwear. The share of 5 percent has remained fairly consistent over the past years.

UK as a clothing importer

As of 2022, the UK had a four percent share of global clothing imports, slightly behind Japan which had a 4.6 percent share. The UK also exports a significant value of clothing. In 2022, The large majority of the UK’s clothing exports went to neighboring European countries, but clothing worth approximately 832 million British pounds was exported to the Asia and Oceania region.