Egypt's garment exports rise 15% to $1.15bn in the first four months of 2026

Egypt's ready-made garment exports reached $1.15 billion between January and April 2026, a 15% increase on the same period last year, according to figures published this week by the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

Knitwear accounted for slightly more than half the total, with woven outerwear and home textiles making up the balance. The European Union remained the largest destination, taking 41% of shipments by value, followed by the United States at 28% — a split that has held broadly steady for three years.

Where the growth came from

Most of the increase is concentrated in a small number of larger exporters. Twelve companies account for just under 60% of the rise, and nine of those twelve operate inside the Suez Canal Economic Zone, where two Turkish-owned facilities came fully online during the period.

Smaller manufacturers report a more mixed picture. Several mills in Mahalla El Kubra told Egytex that order volumes have recovered but margins have not, citing yarn prices and the cost of imported trims that are not produced locally at the required quality.

The orders came back faster than the margins did. We are running the lines, but we are running them for less. — A spinning mill manager in Mahalla El Kubra, who asked not to be named

What happens next

Trade officials expect the second quarter to hold, though the comparison base rises sharply from June. The wider question for the sector is whether the growth at the top of the market reaches the roughly 2,500 small and mid-sized firms that make up most of the industry by number, if not by value.

Egytex tracks weekly cotton and yarn prices alongside monthly trade flows; both are available in Market Data, and the underlying series goes back to 2001.