India is actively developing in the textile and fabric production sector; however, there are segments of clothing that are mainly imported from abroad. Among these segments is underwear, especially women's intimate apparel, which is purchased from overseas to the greatest extent.
The largest volume and cheapest goods arrive in India from China. Women's underwear is imported into the country worth billions of rupees annually because Chinese products are characterized by low prices. This drives high demand for Chinese underwear in Indian wholesale markets.
Cheap Chinese underwear meets the needs of consumers from lower socioeconomic strata in cities such as Delhi, Noida, Gurgaon, Kolkata, and Mumbai. There, women's underwear is sold on the streets for 50–100 rupees, and it turns out to be Chinese goods.
In addition to China, underwear is also imported into India from other countries, including Bangladesh, UAE, Myanmar, the USA, Jordan, and Kuwait. Nevertheless, when considering quantity and cost, China remains the main supplier of the cheapest and largest volume of goods. However, in terms of financial turnover, the largest business in the underwear sector is conducted with Bangladesh.
According to 2024 data, China leads in the quantity of imported women's underwear. At the same time, the largest dollar turnover was achieved with Bangladesh in the same year, where transactions amounted to about $350 thousand. Meanwhile, the import of women's underwear from China reached only $66 thousand. Regarding trade dumping, China demonstrates a more aggressive policy, as 272,688 units of goods were imported for $66 thousand, whereas only 114,113 units were imported from Bangladesh.
The figures provided are just examples, but they clearly show how affordable Chinese goods are. Because of this, the demand for them persists even in the lowest price segments of the Indian market, and Chinese underwear covers the entire market, regardless of brand or whether it is sold on the street. Thus, if a woman buys underwear in a supermarket, shopping mall, or open market, there is a probability that one of the five items purchased was produced in China.
