China's cumulative export value of lighting products reached approximately USD 20.9 billion From January to May 2025

On June 20, the China Association of Lighting Industry released the "Lighting Industry Export Briefing for the First Five Months of 2025." According to the briefing, from January to May 2025, China's cumulative export value of lighting products reached approximately USD $20.9 billion, representing a year-on-year decline of 7% and accounting for about 2.3% of total electromechanical product exports. In May alone, China's lighting product exports amounted to approximately USD $4.6 billion, reflecting a 2% increase compared to April.

Overall Export Value of Lighting Products Declines, but Some Products See Growth in Both Value and Volume

In terms of exported lighting fixtures, from January to May, the cumulative export value of lighting fixtures reached approximately USD $15.7 billion, representing a year-on-year decline of around 8%. Among them, export values of products such as fixed luminaires and portable luminaires showed a downward trend.

Despite the overall decline in export value, certain lighting products still achieved growth in both export value and volume. For example: Christmas lights saw a year-on-year export value increase of 45%, with export volume up 31%. Other photovoltaic lighting fixtures designed to use only LED light sources experienced a 7% increase in export value and a 29% rise in export volume. Non-photovoltaic lighting fixtures designed to use only LED light sources recorded a 5% growth in export value and a 16% increase in export volume.

In terms of electric light source products, from January to May, total export value reached approximately USD $2.3 billion, marking a 12% year-on-year decline and accounting for about 11% of total lighting product exports. Among these, LED light source products achieved an export value of around USD $1.7 billion, down 11% compared to the same period last year.

Although the total export value of electric light source products declined, export volume showed an upward trend. From January to May 2025, China’s electric light source product export volume reached approximately 10.8 billion units, a 7% year-on-year increase.

Among them, LED light source product export volume was about 6 billion units, a significant 41% year-on-year increase, accounting for 90% of China’s general lighting light source exports, up 2 percentage points from the same period last year. The total export volume of general lighting light sources was around 6.7 billion units, up 38% year-on-year. The export volume of LED module products reached approximately 3.3 billion units, representing a strong 85% year-on-year growth.

Export Value to the U.S. Fell by 17%, and Some Product Unit Prices Rebounded

From the export destination perspective, focusing on exports to the U.S. first. Since the beginning of 2025, affected by unfavorable factors such as the escalation of U.S. tariffs on Chinese products, China's lighting product exports to the U.S. have generally shown a downward trend.

From January to May 2025, China’s lighting product exports to the U.S. totaled approximately USD 4.2 billion, down about 17% year-on-year, accounting for 20% of China’s total lighting exports. In May alone, China’s lighting product exports to the U.S. were around USD $700 million, a 36% year-on-year decrease and about 10% lower than in April. Despite the overall decline, certain lighting product categories have shown signs of unit price recovery, driven by product structure upgrades and demand for higher-value products.

By Product Category, Most Lighting Exports to the U.S. Showed a Declining Trend.

· Luminaires (Lighting Fixtures): Export value to the U.S. was approximately USD $3.1 billion, a year-on-year decrease of about 18%, accounting for 73% of total lighting exports to the U.S.

· Electric Light Sources: Export value to the U.S. was around USD $450 million, a year-on-year decrease of approximately 25%, representing the largest decline among product categories.

· Other Non-Core Lighting Products: Export value to the U.S. was about USD $650 million, down approximately 9% year-on-year, accounting for 16% of total U.S.-bound lighting exports.

It is worth noting that two specific categories of lighting products saw an increase in export value to the U.S.:

· Electrical Table Lamps, Bedside Lamps, or Floor Lamps Designed to Use Only LED Light Sources: Export value reached USD 160 million, marking a 24% year-on-year increase.

· Other Searchlights and Spotlights Designed to Use Only LED Light Sources: Export value reached USD 4 million, a 5% year-on-year increase.

Meanwhile, 27 HS code categories of lighting products experienced a rebound in export unit prices to the U.S.

By Major Export Regions (Jan–May 2025):

· Guangdong Province: Lighting product exports to the U.S. totaled approximately USD $1.7 billion, a 28% year-on-year decline.

· Yangtze River Delta Region: Exports totaled about USD $1.3 billion, down 13% year-on-year.

· Fujian Province: Exports totaled around USD $230 million, a 35% year-on-year decrease.

The Positive Results of Diversified Foreign Trade Development re Becoming Evident, with Export Growth to the EU and ASEAN Markets on the Rise

Looking at other major export destinations:

· China's lighting product exports to the North American market reached approximately $4.6 billion, continuing a downward trend with a 15% year-on-year decrease, 4 percentage points larger than the decline in the first four months.

· Exports to Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) countries totaled approximately $10.4 billion, down 4% year-on-year, but the decline narrowed by 1 percentage point compared to the first four months.

· Exports to the European market reached approximately $5.2 billion, representing a 2% year-on-year increase, 1 percentage point higher than the growth in the previous four months.

The China Association of Lighting Industry stated that although exports to the U.S. continue to decline, exports to Europe and other regions maintain a growth trend, reflecting the positive outcomes of China's diversified foreign trade development.

From the perspective of individual markets, the top 10 export destinations for Chinese lighting products are: The United States, Germany, Malaysia, Vietnam, The United Kingdom, Singapore, Thailand, Japan, The Netherlands and Canada. Total lighting product exports to these ten markets amounted to approximately $10.3 billion, down 6.5% year-on-year, accounting for 49% of China's total lighting product exports.

In terms of export growth rates, China's lighting product exports to markets such as the United States, Malaysia, and Singapore all experienced year-on-year declines, with decreases ranging between 2% and 12%. In contrast, exports to markets like Germany, the Netherlands, and Vietnam—representing the EU and ASEAN regions—showed year-on-year growth, with increases ranging between 0.8% and 11%.

According to the Joint Statement of the China-U.S. Geneva Economic and Trade Talks, starting from May 14, the U.S. temporarily reduced additional tariffs on Chinese imports from 25% to 10% for a period of 90 days, yet retained a 20% "Fentanyl Tariff". Therefore, the overall export environment for China's lighting products remains under significant pressure.

Source: China Association of Lighting Industry