Portuguese imports from practically every country in Europe in the knitwear sector keep on climbing, but chiefly from Spain. It has a market share that, in upcoming years, should continue to grow (within the framework of the Iberian Peninsula market’s integration). The increase in imports coming from countries such as France, Italy and Germany is therefore surprising. Among those countries supplying knitwear to Portugal, there is not one single country employing "cheap labor".

Of the 10 major customers for Portuguese exports in the knitwear sector, all are European countries. Knitwear exports account for some 50% of the total exports of textile and clothing products, highlighting the leading role the subsector plays in the Portuguese textile and clothing industry. Spain has yet to become a major market (it is still outstripped by markets such as Germany, France and the UK), but it constitutes the one appearing to make the most notable headway.