Things are looking up! January–February 2026 lighting industry export data released

According to the latest import and export data released by the General Administration of Customs, in the first two months of 2026, China's total export value of lighting products was approximately USD 8.8 billion, a year-on-year increase of about 17%, accounting for 2.2% of the total export value of mechanical and electrical products, marking a good start. Among them, the export value in February alone was approximately USD 3.8 billion, the highest level for the same period in the past five years, with a year-on-year increase of 65%. (This article provides a brief introduction to the export situation of the lighting industry in January–February 2026; a more detailed analysis will be published in the March 2026 issue of "China Lighting", the journal of the China Association of Lighting Industry（中国照明电器协会）.)

—Cumulative exports of luminaire products reached USD 6.5 billion

In the first two months, the total cumulative export value of luminaire products was approximately USD 6.5 billion, a year-on-year increase of about 17%, accounting for about 74% of the total export value of all lighting products. Among them, major luminaire products such as fixed luminaires, other electric lamps and lighting devices designed to use only light-emitting diode (LED) light sources and photovoltaic, searchlights and spotlights achieved double growth in both export volume and export value. The export volume increased year-on-year by 27%, 19% and 28% respectively, and the export value increased year-on-year by 6%, 19% and 34% respectively.

—Total export value of electric light source products was approximately USD 900 million

The total export volume of electric light sources for general lighting was approximately 3.9 billion units, a year-on-year increase of 17%. Among them, the export volume of LED electric light source products was about 3.6 billion units, a year-on-year increase of 19%. The export volumes of LED light bulbs and LED tubes both increased by 14% year-on-year, and the export volume of LED modules increased by 22% year-on-year.

—The total value of the top ten export destinations accounts for nearly half of all exports

The United States, Germany, Malaysia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Spain, India, Vietnam, Saudi Arabia, and Thailand occupied the top ten rankings for China's lighting product exports from January to February, with an export value of approximately USD 4 billion, a year-on-year increase of 15%, accounting for about 46% of China's lighting exports.

—Export value to the United States decreased by 6%

From January to February, exports to the United States amounted to approximately USD 1.6 billion, a year-on-year (YoY) decrease of 6%, accounting for about 18% of China's total exports. Among these, exports of luminaires to the US totaled about USD 1.1 billion, down 7% year-on-year (YoY); exports of electric light sources to the US reached USD 200 million, down 5% year-on-year (YoY).

—Exports to the European market increased by 26% year-on-year (YoY)

In the first two months, China's exports of lighting products to the European market amounted to approximately USD 2.4 billion, a year-on-year (YoY) increase of about 26%; this accounted for 28% of China's total lighting product exports, an increase of 2 percentage points compared to the same period last year. Among these, exports to Russia totaled about USD 300 million, a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 66%.

—Exports to emerging markets maintain growth momentum

Exports of lighting products to the RCEP market amounted to approximately USD 1.8 billion, a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 16%; exports of lighting products to the African market totaled about USD 700 million, a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 39%; exports of lighting products to Central Asia reached approximately USD 160 million, a year-on-year (YoY) increase of 1%.

—The decline in export unit prices is slowing down

From January to February 2026, the average export price of lighting products under 30 tariff codes decreased year-on-year, a reduction of 15 tariff codes compared to the previous year. The downward trend in the average export price of China's lighting products has slowed. Among key products, the average export price of LED modules increased by 18% year-on-year. For other products such as light strings for Christmas trees, searchlights, and spotlights, the average export prices increased by 13% and 31% respectively compared to December 2025.

To help enterprises expand their foreign trade markets and activate the development potential of the domestic market, the China Association of Lighting Industry (CALI) will continue to provide various services to the industry in 2026. By organizing enterprises to participate in international exhibitions such as the Uzbekistan Smart Building Exhibition (Brief Analysis of Central Asian Lighting Export Market Conditions) and the Russia Lighting Exhibition, and by building industry exchange and cooperation platforms such as the China Road Lighting Forum (Leading the Industry for Two Decades: The 21st China Road Lighting Forum Invites You to the Grand Event!), the China Lighting Industry Conference, and the China Lighting Industry Standard Quality Conference, we will actively promote the construction of a dual-circulation development pattern for the industry domestically and internationally. Enterprises interested in related activities may contact CALI.

The above article is sourced from China Association of Lighting Industry（中国照明电器协会）, authored by CALI