In 2025, purchases of used clothing and accessories increased, revealing sustained demand and economic challenges for the local textile industry.
Cameroon imported 73,008 tons of second-hand clothes in 2025, for a total expenditure of 42.5 billion FCFA, according to data published by the National Institute of Statistics (INS) in its foreign trade report. These figures reflect a slight increase in value, estimated at 2.6 billion FCFA year-on-year.
In 2024, the country had indeed imported 72,600 tons of used clothing, footwear, and accessories for an amount of 39.8 billion FCFA. The increase observed in 2025, although moderate in volume, indicates a rise in costs or an evolution in supply chains.
Second-hand clothing remains a key segment of household consumption, driven by affordable prices in a context of constrained purchasing power. However, this dynamism raises questions about its long-term effects, particularly on the competitiveness of the already weakened local textile industry.
Faced with this trend, some experts advocate for regulatory policies or progressive substitution by national production. But in the short term, second-hand clothing continues to establish itself as an essential component of the Cameroonian clothing market.
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