Portugal’s textile and clothing sector posted steady growth through the first eight months of the year, with total exports reaching €3.78 billion — an increase of €87.1 million, or 2.4%, compared with €3.7 billion recorded in the same period of 2025. The figures, drawn from data published by the Portuguese National Statistics Institute (INE), reflect broad-based gains across several product categories, with non-EU markets emerging as a notably stronger source of momentum.
Exports to European Union countries grew by 1.3% to €2.69 billion, translating to an increase of €35.1 million year-on-year. Meanwhile, sales to markets outside the European Union rose by approximately 5% to €1.09 billion, adding €51.9 million. Despite the faster pace of growth in non-EU destinations, the EU continues to account for around 71% of Portugal textile exports in this period.
Non-Knitted Clothing Leads Product Category Growth
Breaking down the performance by product category, non-knitted clothing and clothing accessories recorded the strongest increase in absolute terms. Exports in this segment rose by 8.5%, adding €54.7 million to reach a total of €696.5 million.
Knitted clothing and clothing accessories, which remain the single largest export category for the Portuguese textile industry, grew by 1.3% to €1.46 billion — an increase of €19.3 million compared with the same period last year.
Among the other strong performers, impregnated, coated, covered, or laminated fabrics — which include products intended for technical applications — saw exports rise by 13.8% to €259.2 million, representing an additional €31.4 million. Wadding, felt, nonwovens, and cordage articles grew by 7.3% to €253.6 million. Carpets and other textile floor coverings recorded a 17.2% increase, reaching €76.4 million. Other made-up textile articles, a category that encompasses a significant share of home textiles, also performed positively, though more moderately, rising 2.1% to €518 million.
On the other side of the ledger, man-made staple fibres recorded the largest decline in absolute terms. Exports in this category fell by 26.4%, from €153.2 million in the first eight months of 2025 to €112.8 million — a reduction of €40.4 million. Man-made filaments also declined by 11.2% to €53.6 million. Other vegetable textile fibres fell by 16.2%, while cotton exports dropped by 4.6%.
France and the Netherlands Drive Export Market Gains
Among destination markets, Spain retained its position as the largest customer for Portugal textile and clothing exports, with purchases of €873.3 million — virtually unchanged from the €874.2 million recorded in the same period of 2025, representing a marginal decline of 0.1%.
France, the second-largest destination, posted the biggest absolute increase among key markets. Exports to France grew by 4.1%, equivalent to an additional €22.2 million, reaching a total of €559.2 million. Germany, in third place, recorded a decline of 2.6% to €307.1 million, €8.3 million below the prior-year figure.
The United States, ranked fourth, increased its purchases of Portuguese textiles and clothing by 3.1% to €300.9 million, an uplift of €9.1 million. The Netherlands stood out as another strong performer, with exports growing by 10.2% — an additional €21.3 million — to reach €230.1 million.
Italy registered the largest absolute decline among major destinations, with exports falling 11.1% to €191.6 million, a reduction of €23.9 million. Exports to the United Kingdom also fell by 2.6% to €221.6 million.
Among the remaining markets within the top ten destinations, Belgium grew by 9% to €109.8 million, Canada increased its purchases by 12.7% to €79.8 million, and Sweden posted growth of 7.4% to €74.2 million.
Emerging Markets Record Notable Increases
Beyond the ten main destination markets, several emerging economies recorded particularly strong increases in clothing exports from Portugal. Poland grew by 25% to €63.9 million, representing an additional €12.8 million compared with the same period of 2025. Mexico recorded a 71.7% rise to €43.4 million, adding €18.1 million year-on-year. Vietnam registered an 88.2% increase to €20.5 million, an uplift of €9.6 million.
These figures from INE collectively reflect a broadly positive trajectory for Portugal textile exports through August, underscored by growth in technical textiles, woven apparel, and expanding trade relationships across both established and emerging markets.
