World trade of lighting fixtures

The world trade of lighting fixtures registered a setback. After a slowdown in 2015, in 2016 both imports and exports contracted by respectively 2.4% and 6.2%. Several factors combine to explain this result. Firstly, there is the slowdown of the Chinese economy. Second, this result is part of a larger trend that has characterized the global furniture and, more in general, manufacturing industries over the last two years. Finally, the technological innovations, which have been driven the lighting industry at outstanding rates of growth over the last decade, have now been selling at lower and lower prices, resulting in a general slowdown of the industry as a whole. Still, the overall trend of the last five years remains strongly positive: between 2011 and 2016 exports grew by an average rate of 9.2% (in US$) per year and import by 5.4%.

That is what emerges from World trade of lighting fixtures. The new CSIL’s report, now at its XXII edition, combines official trade figures for 66 countries, economic indicators by national and international statistical agencies, together with a 30-year business intelligence expertise of the sector. The result is an in-depth overview of the lighting trade of lighting fixture for the years 2011-2016 and forecasts for the years 2017-2021. Here, the main findings:

• In 2016, the major exporters were China, Germany, and Mexico (that surpassed the USA). Together they accounts for approximately 64% of the world exports of lighting fixtures;
• After years of impressive growth, in 2016 China recorded a setback of its export flows (-13% both in US$ and in EUR);  Among the top 10 largest exporters, very positive performances come from Poland (+20.1%) and Mexico (+11.5%), but also from Germany (+4.6%) and Spain (+4.8%).
• In 2016, the top three importers of lighting fixtures were the United States, Germany, and the United Kingdoms that together account for 35% of the global value of the imports;
• Among the top 10 importers, the worse downturn was registered by the USA (-9%) and India (-15%); while the best performances belonged to France (+6.6%) and Italy (+6.1%).

Here the link to the latest edition of the report.