India exported $940 million in human hair in FY2026, mostly unprocessed

India exported about $940 million worth of human hair in FY2026, but only $1.35 million worth of finished wigs, extensions and related products.

Much of the exported hair is collected from homes, barbershops and salons, while some is donated at religious sites.

Workers, many of them women, disentangle and straighten some of the hair in small-scale industries.

Indian exporters say raw hair is becoming scarce and auction prices for high-quality donated hair have risen.

Official figures show about 98% of raw hair exports going to Myanmar, where the hair is processed before reaching China.

Exporters allege that more Indian hair reaches China through smuggling, and that Chinese interests may be behind unusually high bids at auctions; these claims are not confirmed in the account.

China’s city of Xuchang produces nearly 60% of finished hair products, which are sold in markets including the United States and Europe.

The gap between India’s large hair exports and its tiny finished-products trade shows how much value is added outside India.