Natural human hair is also a valued commodity in international trade, processed by businesses into hair extensions and wigs.
Globally, international sales of exported human hair (excluding hair extensions and wigs) totaled US$201.6 million in 2023.
That dollar amount reflects a 196.8% acceleration from $67.9 million in hair exports five years earlier during 2019.
Year over year, globally exported human hair fell spiked by 28.1% compared to $157.4 million starting from 2022.
The biggest 3 exporters of human hair are India, Pakistan and the United States of America were responsible for 96.1% of worldwide exports for the commodity in 2023.
Among continents, exporters in Asia sold the highest dollar worth of exported human hair during 2023 with shipments valued at $196.3 million or 97.3% of the worldwide total.
Tinier percentages came from sellers in North America (1%), Latin America (0.61%), Australia in Oceania (0.56%), Europe (0.48%) then Africa (0.07%).
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix is 0501 for human hair. The formal prefix code label for 0501 is unworked human hair whether or not washed or scoured and the waste of human hair.
Top Human Hair Exporters by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of human hair during 2023.
- India: US$187.9 million (93.2% of total human hair exports)
- Pakistan: $3.9 million (1.9%)
- United States: $1.9 million (1.0%)
- Brazil: $1.2 million (0.6%)
- Australia: $1.1 million (0.6%)
- Singapore: $734,000 (0.4%)
- Indonesia: $707,000 (0.4%)
- Thailand: $579,000 (0.3%)
- Japan: $525,000 (0.3%)
- Vietnam: $477,000 (0.2%)
- Myanmar: $339,000 (0.2%)
- Germany: $297,000 (0.1%)
- Italy: $293,000 (0.1%)
- Hong Kong: $215,000 (0.1%)
- South Korea: $179,000 (0.1%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 99.4% of global human hair exported in 2023.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing human hair exporters from 2022 to 2023 were: Australia (up 3,315%), Germany (up 1,647%), South Korea (up 645.8%), Thailand (up 322.6%), Myanmar (up 298.8%) then the United States of America (up 274.4%).
Those countries that posted declines in their exported human hair sales were led by: Singapore (down -80.7% from 2022), Indonesia (down -64%), Italy (down -53%), Vietnam (down -46.8%) and Brazil (down -37.8%).
Biggest Surpluses from International Trade in Human Hair
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for human hair during 2023. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s exported human hair and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- India: US$187.9 million (net export surplus up 35.6% since 2022)
- Pakistan: $3.9 million (down -9.8%)
- United States: $1.7 million (reversing a -$164,000 deficit)
- Brazil: $1.2 million (down -37.8%)
- Australia: $1.1 million (up 3,422%)
- Indonesia: $677,000 (down -59.7%)
- Japan: $461,000 (down -29%)
- Thailand: $157,000 (up 14.6%)
- Uzbekistan: $124,000 (down -24.4%)
- Afghanistan: $121,000 (down -81.1%)
- Hong Kong: $120,000 (up 69%)
- Ukraine: $96,000 (down -20%)
- Nepal: $82,000 (down -50.3%)
- Taiwan: $68,000 (up 353.3%)
- South Africa: $64,000 (down -63.2%)
World leader India earned the highest surplus in the international trade of human hair. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms India’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Worst Deficits from International Trade in Human Hair
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for human hair during 2023. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s imported human hair purchases and its exports for that same commodity.
- Myanmar: -US$23.8 million (net export deficit up 38.1% since 2022)
- Austria: -$13.9 million (down -17.6%)
- Italy: -$8.1 million (up 40.1%)
- Sweden: -$1.6 million (down -54.5%)
- Singapore: -$1 million (up 161.2%)
- Bangladesh: -$870,000 (up 37.7%)
- Israel: -$665,000 (down -59.6%)
- Vietnam: -$589,000 (down -85.7%)
- Germany: -$536,000 (up 112.7%)
- France: -$508,000 (down -22.2%)
- United Kingdom: -$367,000 (down -36.1%)
- Netherlands: -$345,000 (down -34.8%)
- Laos: -$170,000 (up 24.1%)
- Poland: -$108,000 (up 369.6%)
- Slovakia: -$94,000 (up 28.8%)
Myanmar and Austria recorded the highest deficits in the international trade of human hair. In turn, the negative cashflows highlight both countries’ competitive disadvantages for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for human hair-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful consumer demand.
Average Prices Compared for Major Human Hair Exporters
The world’s average price for exported hair was US$29,544 per ton in 2023, spiking 370.4% from $6,280 per ton five years earlier in 2019 and gaining 8.6% compared to an average $27,206 starting from 2022.
Listed below are the average unit prices per ton for the top 15 leading exporters of human hair in 2023. The list is sorted in descending order starting with the international suppliers shipping the highest total value of exported human hair.
- India: US$50,225 per ton of human hair exports (down -13.8% from 2022)
- Pakistan: $1,461 per ton (down -20.9%)
- United States of America: $40,479 per ton (up 157.4%)
- Brazil: $1,219,000 per ton (up 4131.3%)
- Singapore: $81,556 per ton (up 54%)
- Indonesia: $29,458 per ton (down -25%)
- Thailand: $193,000 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
- Japan: $58,333 per ton (up 4.5%)
- Vietnam: $23,850 per ton (down -57.4%)
- Myanmar: $27,012 per ton (up 0.8%)
- Germany: $37,125 per ton (up 1,865%)
- Italy: $58,600 per ton (down -5.9%)
- Hong Kong: $43,000 per ton (up 698.1%)
- South Korea: $179,000 per ton (up 645.8%)
- United Kingdom: $1,367 per ton (2022 data unavailable)
The lowest average prices among the listed biggest exporters of human hair originated from the United Kingdom and Pakistan.
The highest average prices for exported hair were charged by suppliers in Brazil, Thailand and South Korea.
Human Hair Exporting Companies
According to global trading platform Alibaba, the following suppliers are examples of human hair exporters. The home-country location for each business is shown within parentheses.
- B & K Import & Export (United States)
- Business-Salon Group Ltd (Ukraine)
- Evergreen Products Factory Ltd (Hong Kong)
- GRV Exports (India)
- Rawhair Import Export Company (Vietnam)
- UNICS Co, Ltd (Japan)
- Waheed Universal Hair Company (Pakistan)
- Widya International (Indonesia)
See also Top Exporters of Wigs, Beards and Eyelashes, Beauty Cosmetics and Skincare Exports by Country and Perfumes Exporters by Country
Research Sources:
Alibaba, Supplier showroom for human hair. Accessed on July 27, 2024
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on July 27, 2024
Forbes Global 2000 rankings, The World’s Biggest Public Companies. Accessed on July 27, 2024
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on July 27, 2024
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on July 27, 2024
Wikipedia, Hair theft. Accessed on July 27, 2024