In the first quarter of 2026, China's lighting industry faced significant export pressure.
Recently, the China Lighting Association released the "Q1 2026 Lighting Industry Export Bulletin." According to the latest import and export data from the General Administration of Customs, China’s total lighting product exports in Q1 amounted to approximately USD 11.4 billion, down about 3.5% year-on-year and accounting for 1.8% of total electromechanical product exports. Of this, March alone saw exports of roughly USD 2.5 billion, a sharp 40% decline year-on-year.
In terms of export product structure, lighting fixtures remained the main export category, with cumulative Q1 exports reaching approximately USD 8.8 billion, down about 5% year-on-year and representing roughly 74% of total lighting exports—a 1 percentage point decrease compared to the same period last year.
Among these, exports of certain niche products—including Christmas lights, searchlights and spotlights, and other electric lamps powered exclusively by light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and designed for photovoltaic use—continued to grow, with export values rising approximately 7%, 2%, and 1% year-on-year, respectively. Meanwhile, exports of major lighting fixture categories such as portable and fixed luminaires declined significantly, falling about 28% and 13% year-on-year.
Additionally, exports of electric light sources totaled approximately USD 1.3 billion, down about 4% year-on-year, accounting for around 11% of China’s total lighting industry exports—roughly flat compared to last year. Specifically, general-purpose electric light source exports reached about 4.9 billion units, up 13% year-on-year, while LED light source exports totaled approximately 4.6 billion units, an increase of about 15% year-on-year.
By destination market, clear divergence emerged. Demand for Chinese lighting products varied significantly across regions, with emerging markets becoming the core growth engine while traditional markets showed mixed performance.
The U.S. market continued its decline. In Q1, China’s lighting product exports to the U.S. totaled approximately USD 2.3 billion, down about 22% year-on-year and representing roughly 18% of China’s total lighting exports. Of this, exports of luminaires to the U.S. reached about USD 1.4 billion, down 25% year-on-year, while electric light source exports totaled USD 260 million, down approximately 17% year-on-year.
The European market continued to rise. In Q1, China’s lighting product exports to Europe totaled approximately USD 3.1 billion, up about 8% year-on-year, accounting for roughly 27% of total lighting exports—an increase of 3 percentage points compared to the same period last year. Notably, exports to Russia reached USD 380 million, surging 51% year-on-year. Luminaire exports to Europe totaled USD 2.4 billion, up 3% year-on-year, while electric light source exports reached USD 300 million, up 5% year-on-year.
The African market maintained its upward trend. In Q1, China’s lighting product exports to Africa totaled approximately USD 850 million, up about 13% year-on-year and representing roughly 7% of total lighting exports—an increase of 1 percentage point from last year. Luminaire exports reached USD 600 million (up 13% YoY), while electric light source exports totaled USD 90 million (up 4% YoY).
Growth in the Middle East market slowed. In Q1, China’s lighting product exports to the Middle East totaled approximately USD 940 million, accounting for about 8% of total lighting exports—down 2 percentage points from the first two months of the year. Luminaire exports reached USD 700 million (up 6% YoY), while electric light source exports totaled USD 100 million (down 3% YoY).
Notably, Southeast Asian countries such as Malaysia, Vietnam, and Thailand remain among the top ten export destinations, though overall export growth to ASEAN has slowed.
Among China’s key domestic export regions, Guangdong maintained its leading position. In Q1 2026, Guangdong’s exports totaled approximately USD 4.5 billion, up 20% year-on-year and accounting for roughly 40% of China’s total lighting product exports—an 8 percentage point increase compared to Q1 2025.
Zhejiang followed closely behind, with Q1 2026 exports totaling approximately USD 2.8 billion, up 2% year-on-year and representing 25% of national exports—a 1.5 percentage point increase. Notably, Jiangsu and Xinjiang achieved breakthrough growth. Jiangsu Province recorded Q1 exports of approximately USD 740 million, up 26% year-on-year, while Xinjiang’s exports reached USD 540 million, soaring 60% year-on-year.
Overall, China’s lighting industry exports remained under pressure in Q1 2026, primarily due to shrinking demand in the U.S. market, declining exports of certain traditional luminaire categories, and a sharp drop in March’s monthly figures. Nevertheless, counter-trend growth in markets like Europe and Africa continues to provide momentum. Looking ahead, how China’s lighting industry will accelerate global capacity deployment, expand into emerging markets, and overcome product homogenization remains to be seen.
Source: Dazhaoming
Original article: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/J3It61ffib8kAkOZTGEIaQ