Raw human hair is a valuable commodity with notable commercial demand. In certain regions, its high value has even led to recurring cases of theft. Globally, natural human hair is widely traded and later processed into products such as wigs and hair extensions.

In 2025, worldwide exports of raw human hair (excluding finished products like wigs and extensions) were valued at approximately US$280.6 million. This represents a 35.7% increase compared to $206.7 million in 2021. On a year-over-year basis, exports grew sharply by 40.4%, up from $199.8 million in 2024.

The global market for human hair exports is highly concentrated. India dominated the sector, while Pakistan and the United States contributed much smaller shares. Together, these three countries accounted for 98.7% of total global exports in 2025, slightly higher than their 97.3% share in 2024.

From a regional perspective, Asia overwhelmingly led human hair exports, generating $277.7 million and representing about 99% of global shipments. Other regions contributed only marginal shares, including North America (0.6%), Europe (0.27%), Latin America (0.09%), Africa (0.09%), and Oceania—primarily Australia—at just 0.002%.

For classification purposes, human hair falls under the Harmonized System (HS) code 0501, which covers unprocessed human hair, whether cleaned or not, as well as waste human hair.

The following countries were the top 15 exporters of human hair by value in 2025:

1. India: $269.2 million (95.9% of global human hair exports)

2. Pakistan: $6.2 million (2.2%)

3. United States: $1.6 million (0.6%)

4. Vietnam: $898,000 (0.3%)

5. United Arab Emirates: $370,000 (0.1%)

6. Poland: $357,000 (0.1%)

7. South Korea: $346,000 (0.1%)

8. Myanmar: $278,000 (0.1%)

9. Brazil: $253,000 (0.1%)

10. Italy: $182,000 (0.1%)

11. Singapore: $144,000 (0.1%)

12. Bangladesh: $113,000 (0.04%)

13. Ghana: $102,000 (0.04%)

14. Indonesia: $96,000 (0.03%)

15. Nigeria: $84,000 (0.03%)

Collectively, these 15 countries accounted for 99.9% of total global human hair exports in 2025, highlighting an extremely concentrated market structure.

Among the leading exporters, the fastest growth between 2024 and 2025 was seen in Poland (up 35,600%), followed by Italy (up 600%), Ghana (up 537.5%), and the United Arab Emirates (up 460.6%). In contrast, several countries recorded declines in export performance, including Brazil (down 69.1%), Bangladesh (down 65.7%), Myanmar (down 60.8%), Indonesia (down 20.7%), and South Korea (down 15.4%).

According to Tendata, the top companies involved in human hair exports in 2025 included: >>Find More Human Hair Exporters via Tendata

1.KABIR ENTERPRISE(25.43%, $652.5 Million)

2.PKS INTERNATIONAL CO(4.07%, $104.29 Million)

3.MAHANAJ INTERNATIONAL PRIVATE LIMITED(3.61%, $92.73 Million)

4.SEKH MUKUL ALI(3.35%, $85.99 Million)

5.SK BABLU(3.31%, $84.98 Million)

6.SK MEHBUB ALAM(3.31%, $84.94 Million)

7.SK TUTUL ALI(2.88%, $73.89 Million)

8.SK TAMIJUDDIN(1.97%, $50.61 Million)

9.MANIMALA JANA(1.72%, $44.11 Million)

10.RONITA ENTERPRISES(1.71%, $43.87 Million)