Domestic firms now account for more than 60% of ready-made garment exports, underscoring a maturing industrial ecosystem and rising global competitiveness.
Key takeaway: A sharp increase in the number of Egyptian exporters—driven largely by local firms—highlights a sector-wide boom between 2023 and 2025, with both domestic and foreign companies recording 50% export growth.
Egypt’s ready-made garment sector has consolidated its position as one of the country’s most dynamic export engines. Local manufacturers consistently contribute 62–63% of total apparel exports, while foreign companies account for 37–38%—a structure that has remained remarkably stable despite rapid industry expansion.
Between 2023 and 2025, the number of exporting companies surged from 960 to 1,266, marking a 32% increase in just two years. The strongest gains came from Egyptian firms, which rose from 867 to 1,160 exporters—a 34% jump that reflects intensified investment, capacity expansion, and improved pathways into global markets.
Foreign companies also grew, albeit more modestly—from 93 to 106 exporters, an increase of 14%, signalling sustained investor confidence in Egypt’s apparel value chain.
Export performance mirrors this trend.
• Egyptian companies increased exports from $1.07bn (2023) to $1.60bn (2025)—a 50% rise.
• Foreign companies saw exports climb from $655m to $979m, also a 50% increase.
The stability in export shares—local firms above 60%, foreign firms near 40%—suggests a complementary ecosystem: domestic manufacturers driving scale, product diversification, and employment; foreign investors contributing technology, compliance capabilities, and international market access.
For Egypt’s global positioning, this blend of local dynamism and foreign participation strengthens resilience, raises competitiveness, and enhances integration into global supply chains at a time when buyers are seeking diversified sourcing bases.
The momentum offers a platform for deeper upgrading:
• expanding into higher-value apparel categories,
• strengthening compliance and sustainability systems, and
• moving up the value chain in design, logistics, and near-market fulfillment.
If supported by stable policy, trade facilitation, and investment in skills and infrastructure, Egypt’s apparel sector is well placed not only to retain its export shares but also to elevate its role as a regional manufacturing hub in the coming years.
