Consumer spending on clothing and shoes in Germany 1991-2022

Private household consumer spending on shoes and clothing in Germany fluctuated in the last four decades, amounting to around 77.65 billion euros in 2022 (preliminary figures). This was a noticeable increase compared to the year before.

Shop talk

Consumer spending on clothing and shoes is influenced by a variety of factors. Currently, the leading among them might be rising item prices due to inflation and the ongoing energy crisis. Other influences include the motivation for sustainable shopping and consumption, with customers searching for second-hand options both online and in physical stores. E-commerce has massively transformed the German clothing and shoes market, with revenue only growing in recent years.

Foreign supplier markets

While Made in Germany is a coveted slogan and even a promise consumers still value highly, the German clothing market relies heavily on imports from abroad. As of 2022, the leading supply countries by far were China and Bangladesh. Around 10.2 billion euros worth of clothes were bought from China alone. While China's apparel production volume had decreased in recent years, it did began picking up, with over 23.5 billion pieces produced in 2021.