In the European Union, the number of companies in the business of textile and clothing manufacturing has ebbed and flowed over the period of time between 2009 and 2022. In 2022, the total number of textile and clothing manufacturers was recorded as 197 thousand in EU countries, marking a gain of over 50,000 stores compared to the previous year. In comparison, the turnover figures of the industry have demonstrated a consistently positive trend sinceÂ
More emphasis on clothing manufacturing
  The EU textile industry is segmented predominantly into two markets: textiles and clothing. Clothing has a clearly bigger presence with the number of enterprises devoted to this sector, almost double the number of companies that manufacture textiles. Likewise, investments going into different segments of the industry highlights the primacy of clothing to textile manufacturing in EU27.  
Industry employment declines
Despite the rising turnover and EU investments in the manufacture of textiles, employment in this sector dropped significantly. While in 2009 over 2 million people were employed across all segments, in 2021 this number fell considerably.