Who Puts the Lights on the Tree?

While Santa’s factories are rumored to be hidden in the mountains of Lapland (or at the North Pole, depending on who you ask), someone else is doing the heavy lifting when it comes to Christmas decorations.

According to data extracted from the UN Comtrade database, China accounts for 66 percent of global exports of Christmas tree lighting sets and 90 percent of exports of other Christmas decorations excluding candles and natural trees.

As the following chart nicely illustrates, no other country comes even close to China’s role in putting the holiday spirit in our homes. With a total export value of $11.1 billion in 2022, China’s Christmas industry dwarfs those of second and third ranked Cambodia and the Netherlands.