TCF POST Report
HONG KONG — While Hong Kong’s overall external merchandise trade experienced a robust expansion in June 2026—with total exports surging by 53.4% year-on-year to HK$641.1 billion—the apparel and clothing accessories sector moved in the opposite direction.
According to external merchandise trade statistics released by the Census and Statistics Department, exports of articles of apparel and clothing accessories dipped slightly to HK$3,636 million in June 2026, marking a 1.4% decrease compared to the same month in the previous year.
H1 Performance Remains in Positive Territory
Despite the setback in June, the sector’s broader performance for the first half of the year remains stable:
- January–June 2026 Total: Apparel exports reached HK$22,637 million.
- Year-on-Year Growth: This reflects a modest 6.4% increase compared to the HK$21,280 million recorded during the same period in 2025.
Context Within the Broader Market
The minor contraction in clothing exports stands in sharp contrast to Hong Kong’s wider export economy, which continues to be heavily propelled by electronics and AI-related hardware. Principal commodity divisions such as electrical machinery and office machines recorded dramatic double-digit upswings of 57.2% and 93.2% respectively for the month of June.
Overall, Hong Kong’s total exports for the first six months of 2026 stand at HK3,710,672 million, creating a visible trade deficit of HK$294,641 million for the half-year period.
Last Year’s Performance of Hong Kong’s Exports of Clothing
| (HK$ million) | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |||
| Value | Growth % | Value | Growth % | Value | Growth % | |
| Domestic exports | 539 | +28 | 619 | +15 | 333 | -46 |
| Re-exports | 50,628 | -5 | 48,679 | -4 | 42,638 | -12 |
| of Chinese Mainland origin | 32,576 | -9 | 31,242 | -4 | 23,912 | -24 |
| Total exports | 51,167 | -4 | 49,298 | -4 | 42,971 | -13 |
| By Market | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | |||
| Share % | Growth % | Share % | Growth % | Share % | Growth % | |
| Chinese Mainland | 14.8 | -20 | 14.4 | -6 | 17.9 | +9 |
| US | 22.2 | -4 | 21.3 | -8 | 13.5 | -45 |
| ASEAN | 9 .5 |
+8 | 10.9 | +10 | 12.4 | -1 |
| EU (27) | 12.2 | -12 | 12.8 | +1 | 12.1 | -17 |
| Macao | 7.3 | +26 | 7.8 | +4 | 9.5 | +6 |
| Australia | 5.3 | -6 | 5.8 | +6 | 5.7 | -14 |
| Taiwan | 4.1 | +10 | 4.1 | -3 | 4.7 | * |
| Korea | 4.9 | +12 | 3.6 | -29 | 4.5 | +7 |
