This page sets out the official figures India reports to the United Nations for women’s and girls’ dresses, not knitted or crocheted, under HS 6204.42 (cotton), 6204.43 (synthetic fibres) and 6204.44 (artificial fibres such as viscose), for 2019 to 2024. Dresses of wool (6204.41) and of silk and other materials (6204.49) are not covered here.
Key figures
- Cotton dresses: USD 844.9 million in 2024, against USD 574.2 million in 2019 (+47%). The highest year in the period was 2022, at USD 860.0 million.
- Synthetic-fibre dresses: USD 578.2 million in 2024 (-13% on 2019).
- Artificial-fibre dresses: USD 218.8 million in 2024 (-17% on 2019).
- The United States took 39.4% of India’s cotton dress exports in 2024, up from 26.4% in 2019.
- India reported cotton dress exports to 153 partner countries and territories in 2024.
Exports by year and fibre
| Year | 6204.42 Cotton | 6204.43 Synthetic fibres | 6204.44 Artificial fibres (e.g. viscose) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 574.2 | 664.6 | 263.8 |
| 2020 | 461.8 | 484.3 | 196.1 |
| 2021 | 623.9 | 558.2 | 279.2 |
| 2022 | 860.0 | 702.2 | 294.3 |
| 2023 | 790.6 | 641.5 | 234.2 |
| 2024 | 844.9 | 578.2 | 218.8 |
Download this table as CSV (values in US dollars, unrounded).
Top destinations for cotton dresses in 2024
| Rank | Destination | USD million | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States | 332.5 | 39.4% |
| 2 | United Kingdom | 99.9 | 11.8% |
| 3 | Spain | 43.7 | 5.2% |
| 4 | United Arab Emirates | 41.6 | 4.9% |
| 5 | France | 35.9 | 4.3% |
| 6 | Netherlands | 30.5 | 3.6% |
| 7 | Australia | 27.6 | 3.3% |
| 8 | Japan | 24.0 | 2.8% |
| 9 | Germany | 23.2 | 2.8% |
| 10 | Italy | 17.8 | 2.1% |
Reading the figures
Over the period, cotton dresses gained ground while synthetic-fibre dresses did not: in 2019 India reported more synthetic-fibre dresses than cotton ones by value, and in 2024 the order was reversed. Knitted dresses are classified under HS 6104 and are not included.
Source and method
All figures are export values in US dollars as reported by India to the UN Comtrade Database (Harmonized System classification, annual data), accessed 7 October 2026 through its public API. Values are in millions of US dollars, rounded to one decimal place, and are not adjusted for inflation. Partner shares are computed against the world total India reports for the same year.
How to cite this page
KK Fashion Exports (2026). India's cotton and man-made fibre dress exports, 2019 to 2024: UN Comtrade figures by fibre and destination. https://www.kkfashionexports.com/india-womens-dress-exports-2019-2024/. Data: UN Comtrade Database, accessed 7 October 2026.
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