The International Textile Manufacturers Federation (ITMF) has released the results of its 32nd Global Textile Industry Survey, revealing a complex and uneven picture for the global textiles industry. Conducted between 12–22 May 2025, the survey captured insights from across the value chain and highlighted stark regional contrasts in business performance and outlook.
While the overall global business situation was negative, with a balance of -20 percentage points, the survey identified Africa as a bright spot, recording a +23 percentage point balance. South America followed with +6 points, while East Asia faced considerable difficulties at -48 points. Looking forward, global expectations appear cautiously optimistic at +24 points, led by North America at +65 points and Africa at +54. East Asia, however, continues to show pessimism with -18 points.
Order intake remains a major concern, having declined for four straight months, reaching -21 percentage points in May. Again, Africa posted the most positive figure at +18 points, whereas Europe and East Asia recorded sharp declines of -45 and -41 points respectively. Despite this, order backlogs saw a slight improvement, averaging 2.3 months globally.
Textile capacity utilisation reached 72% in May 2025. Asia maintained the lead in utilisation levels, particularly in upstream segments such as spinning, which continue to outperform downstream operations.
The primary concern for 61% of survey participants was weak demand, followed by trade tensions and rising operational costs. Despite these challenges, order cancellations have remained stable and relatively low in all regions.
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