In March 2023, gloves imports into the United States declined dramatically to 6.6M pairs, with a decrease of -18.2% against February 2023. Overall, imports showed a abrupt decrease. The growth pace was the most rapid in May 2022 when imports increased by 28% month-to-month. Over the period under review, imports hit record highs at 19M pairs in August 2022; however, from September 2022 to March 2023, imports remained at a lower figure.
In value terms, gloves imports fell to $16M (IndexBox estimates) in March 2023. In general, imports showed a deep contraction. The pace of growth was the most pronounced in August 2022 with an increase of 46% month-to-month. As a result, imports attained the peak of $62M. From September 2022 to March 2023, the growth of imports failed to regain momentum.
Imports by Country
China (2.5M pairs), Pakistan (1.9M pairs) and Vietnam (655K pairs) were the main suppliers of gloves imports to the United States, with a combined 76% share of total imports. These countries were followed by Indonesia, Bangladesh, Cambodia and the Philippines, which together accounted for a further 20%.
From March 2022 to March 2023, the biggest increases were in Bangladesh (with a CAGR of +1.6%), while purchases for the other leaders experienced a decline.
In value terms, the largest gloves suppliers to the United States were China ($4.9M), Vietnam ($3.8M) and Pakistan ($2.5M), with a combined 72% share of total imports. These countries were followed by Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh and the Philippines, which together accounted for a further 21%.
Among the main suppliers, Bangladesh, with a CAGR of +0.9%, saw the highest growth rate of the value of imports, over the period under review, while purchases for the other leaders experienced a decline.
Import Prices by Country
In March 2023, the gloves price stood at $2.4 per pair (CIF, US), increasing by 8.4% against the previous month. In general, the import price recorded a relatively flat trend pattern. The most prominent rate of growth was recorded in August 2022 an increase of 18% against the previous month. Over the period under review, average import prices attained the maximum at $3.3 per pair in September 2022; however, from October 2022 to March 2023, import prices stood at a somewhat lower figure.
Prices varied noticeably by the country of origin: the country with the highest price was Vietnam ($5.9 per pair), while the price for Bangladesh ($691 per thousand pairs) was amongst the lowest.
From March 2022 to March 2023, the most notable rate of growth in terms of prices was attained by Vietnam (+1.4%), while the prices for the other major suppliers experienced more modest paces of growth.
