Which Country Sells the Most Furniture? Market Leaders, Export Giants, and 2025 Rankings

TL;DR

Short answer: it depends what you mean by “sells.”
Largest retail market (consumer sales): the United States, with China a close second (2024-2025 estimates).
Largest exporter (ships abroad): China, by a wide margin; Vietnam and Poland follow.
Largest manufacturer (by output): China, then the U.S. and key EU producers (Italy, Germany, Poland).
Want fresh numbers? Check UN Comtrade (HS 94) for exports/imports and CSIL/Euromonitor/Statista for retail market size.

You clicked to get a straight answer. Here it is: the United States sells the most furniture to consumers at home, while China sells the most furniture to the world through exports. That split trips people up. “Sells the most” can mean biggest domestic market, biggest exporter, or biggest producer. I’ll lay out all three, show the top countries, and give you a quick way to verify the data yourself so you’re not stuck with guesses or stale charts.

Who “sells the most” depends on the yardstick: market, exports, or production

Most people mean one of three things:

Retail market size: Where do consumers spend the most on furniture? That’s about in-country sales (offline and online).
Exports: Which country ships out the most furniture to other countries?
Production: Who makes the most, regardless of where it is sold?

Here’s how the leaderboard usually looks in 2024-2025 data and estimates (rounded, directional-use the verification steps below if you need decimal accuracy for a business case).

Largest retail markets (consumer sales, value)

United States - Typically the #1 market by consumer spend. Big homes, high incomes, and strong e‑commerce adoption keep it in front.
China - Huge middle class and rapid urbanization; often close to the U.S., and in some data cuts it’s neck-and-neck depending on currency and scope.
Germany - Europe’s anchor market; high-quality categories do well here.
Japan, United Kingdom, France - Mature, steady demand; premium and design-led segments are strong.
Risers to watch: India, Indonesia, Mexico - younger populations, fast housing growth, and a lot of first-time buyers.

Largest exporters (by value, HS 94: furniture and related items)

China - Clear #1, accounting for a very large share of world furniture exports.
Vietnam - A powerhouse in wood furniture, strong in U.S. and EU-bound shipments.
Poland - In the EU, big in upholstered furniture; strong ties to Germany and Western Europe.
Germany, Italy - High-value segments, fixtures, office furniture, premium design.
Rising exporters: Turkey, Mexico, Malaysia - benefiting from nearshoring and diversified sourcing.

Largest producers (by output)

China - Dominant in volume and a wide range of categories.
United States - Large domestic manufacturing base, especially in upholstered goods, office furniture, and mattresses.
Italy, Germany, Poland, Vietnam - Strong in niche capabilities: design, engineering, wood processing, upholstery.

So the clean answer most searchers want is this: the United States sells the most furniture at home; China sells the most furniture abroad. Both are true at the same time.

“China remained the world’s top merchandise exporter in 2023.” - World Trade Organization, 2024 Trade Statistics

That WTO line is about all goods, not just furniture, but it helps explain why China also dominates furniture exports. For furniture-specific export data, UN Comtrade and ITC Trade Map show China far ahead under HS Chapter 94.

China furniture exports also set the tone for global pricing. When freight or raw material costs move in China, retail prices in places like the U.S., UK, and EU often follow with a lag.

Now, if you need to trust the numbers for a pitch deck, budget, or sourcing plan, don’t stop at a blog post-get them from primary sources. Here’s the playbook I use.

How to verify the latest rankings in 15 minutes (and read them correctly)

If your job depends on the number, pull it yourself. Here’s a fast way to do it and avoid common traps.

Decide what “sells the most” means for you. Pick one:
- Retail sales in-country (market size)
- Exports by value (who sells abroad)
- Production output (who makes it)
For exports/imports: use UN Comtrade or ITC Trade Map.
- Commodity: HS Chapter 94. If you need core furniture only, focus on HS 9401-9403 (seats; other furniture; metal/wood furniture), and be mindful that HS 9405 (lamps) and 9406 (prefab buildings) can blur comparisons if included.
- Year: pull the latest complete year (usually 2023 or 2024 right now), then look at the year-to-date if the current year isn’t closed.
- Metric: export value in USD, then sort by country.
- Sanity check: China should be #1 by a wide margin; Vietnam and Poland should feature in the top five.
For retail market size: use a consumer market dataset.
- Go-to sources: CSIL World Furniture Outlook, Euromonitor (Home and Garden/Furniture), Statista market revenue series, national stats offices (e.g., U.S. Census retail sales; UK ONS).
- Scope: include both offline and online. A lot of furniture has shifted to marketplaces and DTC brands. If a dataset only tracks “furniture stores,” you’ll miss online channels.
- Currency: convert to USD for rankings; note exchange-rate swings can reshuffle positions year to year.
For production output: use industry reports and national manufacturing stats.
- Reliable names: CSIL, national ministries of industry, Eurostat (Prodcom), U.S. Federal Reserve/BEA for manufacturing categories.
- Be clear if you’re counting factory gate value or physical volumes (units/tonnes).
Document assumptions. Write down what you included (HS codes, channels, whether mattresses/lamps are in or out) so the number can be defended.

Quick pitfalls to avoid

Mixing scopes. A “retail” number includes margins and services; a “factory” number doesn’t. Don’t compare them.
Forgetting e‑commerce. If your data ignores online-only retailers, the U.S., UK, and Germany will look too small.
HS 94 coverage. Lamps (9405) and prefab (9406) inflate “furniture” if you meant just seats, tables, and cabinets.
Currency noise. A weak yen can make Japan look smaller than it is in USD. Re-run in PPP if you’re comparing consumer spending power.
Re-exports. Places like the Netherlands or Hong Kong can look big due to logistics; check domestic production if you care about making, not trading.

Rules of thumb

U.S. is usually #1 in retail sales; China is #1 in exports and output.
Vietnam, Poland, Italy, Germany = reliable top-tier exporters.
Mexico and Turkey gain share when brands shift supply closer to the U.S. and EU.
When plywood/MDF prices fall, exporters with wood advantages (Vietnam, Poland) can grab share.

How the rankings play out in real life

A sofa sold in Liverpool on a UK marketplace might be designed in London, built in Poland, with fabric from Turkey, and frames cut in the Baltics.
In the U.S., a dining set shipped from Vietnam can be on a doorstep in ten days via California ports-exports show up directly in retail.
In Germany, premium kitchen and office furniture drive higher average prices, so value ranks well even if unit volumes are lower.

Cheat sheet: When to use which metric

Retail market size - Use if you’re a brand/retailer picking markets for entry or ad spend.
Exports by value - Use if you’re sourcing or benchmarking supplier countries.
Production output - Use if you’re planning factories, M&A, or raw material bets.

Simple decision helper

If your question is “Where are my future customers?” → look at retail markets (U.S., China, Germany, UK, Japan).
If your question is “Where can I get capacity fast?” → look at exporters (China, Vietnam, Poland, Italy, Germany, Turkey, Mexico).
If your question is “Where will prices be set?” → watch China’s export prices and freight; they anchor the global cost curve.

Indicative ranking snapshot (for orientation only)

Lens	#1	#2	#3	#4	#5
Retail market (value)	United States	China	Germany	Japan	United Kingdom
Exports (value, HS 94)	China	Vietnam	Poland	Germany	Italy
Production (output)	China	United States	Italy	Germany	Poland

Credible sources to cite in your notes

UN Comtrade Database (HS Chapter 94) - for exports/imports by country.
ITC Trade Map - alternative interface for the same trade data.
CSIL World Furniture Outlook (2024/2025 editions) - market size and production by country.
Euromonitor: Home and Garden/Furniture - retail market revenue by country, channel splits.
Statista - compiled market sizes; always check their source footnotes.
U.S. Census (Monthly Retail Trade), UK ONS (Retail Sales) - country-level retail series to cross-check.

Practical answers by job-to-be-done: rankings, examples, and what to do next

Job #1: Get a one-sentence answer you can repeat.

The U.S. sells the most furniture to its own consumers; China sells the most furniture to the world via exports. If someone asks “Which country sells the most furniture?” ask them “retail or export?” and you’ll look like the only adult in the room.

Job #2: See the top five and why they’re there.

United States (retail #1): High homeownership, large dwellings, and strong replacement cycles. E‑commerce and BNPL made large-ticket online buys normal.
China (exports #1): Integrated supply chains, scaled factories, big clusters for wood, metal, and upholstery. Ports and logistics capacity matter too.
Vietnam (exports #2): Competitive labor, strong wood sector, good compliance track record with big U.S./EU buyers.
Poland (exports #3): Proximity to Western Europe, solid craftsmanship, and efficient upholstered lines.
Germany/Italy (top 5 exporters and market leaders): Premium, design, and contract furniture; high average sale prices; strong B2B (office, hospitality).

Job #3: Understand how e‑commerce and nearshoring shuffle the deck.

Cross‑border e‑commerce blurs “who sold it” because a UK shopper can buy from a German marketplace fulfilled from a Polish warehouse.
Nearshoring pushes growth for Mexico (serving U.S.) and Turkey (serving EU/UK). If shipping lanes get messy, these two climb faster.
Parcelable furniture (flat-pack, ready-to-assemble) favors exporters with good carton engineering and reliable packaging suppliers.

Job #4: Pick the right metric for your decision.

Opening stores or turning on ads? Use retail market size and channel splits (store vs online).
Negotiating costs? Track export unit values, freight rates, and input prices (timber, foam, steel).
Capex planning? Look at production output and cluster depth (suppliers within a day’s truck drive).

Job #5: Apply a quick sizing heuristic.

Rule: Household furniture spend often tracks new housing and moves. If a country’s housing starts and household formation are rising, furniture spend usually follows within 6-12 months.
Rule: When mortgage rates fall 100 bps in the U.S., you often see a rebound in durable home goods 1-2 quarters later.
Rule: In the EU, watch Germany’s consumer confidence and construction PMIs; they spill over to Poland and Italy’s order books.

Mini case from the UK (what I see on the ground): Sofas and mattresses move fast on promotions, but lead times make or break customer satisfaction. Brands that split lines between Poland (quick ship) and Asia (price points) keep both delivery speed and margin.

What causes year-to-year jumps? Currency swings, freight spikes or drops, and raw material shocks (foam, fabric, steel). These can reshuffle ranks without any real change in consumer demand.

Quality vs quantity: Italy ships fewer units but higher value per unit. Vietnam and Poland excel in mid- to upper-mid ranges with efficient scaling. China does it all, from entry-level to premium contract.

Short checklist for analysts

Pick the lens: Retail vs Export vs Production.
Define scope: HS 9401-9403 for core furniture; note if 9405/9406 are excluded.
Pick the year: last full year + latest YTD.
Convert to USD and note FX rate used.
Record your source names and timestamps.

Pro tips

If your U.S. retail number looks small, you probably used “furniture store” sales only. Add online channels.
If a country jumps in exporter rankings, check if it’s re-exports via a hub. Gross exports can mislead.
Try PPP for cross-country consumer comparisons when FX is volatile.

Mini‑FAQ

Is China also the biggest retail market? Often #2 and sometimes very close to the U.S., depending on scope and the year. FX and what you count (mattresses, lighting) can flip positions in some datasets.
Does IKEA change the country rankings? No. IKEA is a retailer/brand sourcing from many countries; its sales show up in the retail market of the buyer’s country.
Are mattresses counted? Some datasets include them; some don’t. Always check the scope.
What about office vs home? Many databases split them. If you only care about home, filter out contract/office when possible.
Why do my numbers not match this page? Different scope, year, or currency. Trace your inputs.

Next steps

Retailer/brand: Prioritize U.S., China, Germany/UK/Japan for scale; pilot in India or Mexico if you sell mid‑price ranges and can localize sizing and finishes.
Sourcing/procurement: Keep a dual‑track: one Asian hub (China or Vietnam) and one nearshore hub (Poland for EU/UK; Mexico for U.S.).
Investor/analyst: Watch housing starts, freight rates, and consumer credit as lead indicators for furniture demand.
Ops: Build buffers around seasonal peaks (spring moves, autumn refresh, and pre‑holiday promotions). Packaging and last‑mile damage rates are silent margin killers.

If you only remember one thing: say which “sell” you mean. For consumers, it’s the U.S.; for exports and factory output, it’s China. That clarity saves you hours and a few awkward meetings.