In Japan, traditional crafts have the largest comeback in the world, according to an October 2026 hobby and recreation report. As the world’s handicraft market is projected to double in value by 2034, a new study by Embroidery Legacy identified 10 countries that put more effort into traditional crafts than ever before.
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In Japan, residents search for handicrafts almost twice as often as just 3 years ago, making it the largest interest shift in the world.
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The biggest employment growth in crafts was recorded in Guatemala, where the workforce added 66.2% more employees.
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The US is the leading craft-machinery importer, paying $621M for the equipment in a single year.
The study examined traditional crafts across 45 countries, comparing them by a variety of personal interest and industry factors. The report calculated the change in online interest between 2022 and 2025 to measure whether hobby-level interest is growing or declining. For the industry of traditional crafts, the study analyzed the number of registered businesses, craft employment change, and embroidery and craft-machinery imports. Together, these factors gave a well-rounded understanding of the larger trends in traditional crafts across the world.
Here are the countries leading in traditional craft resurgence:
|
Country
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Growth in Traditional Craft Searches (%) 2022–2025
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Number of Registered Craft Businesses
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Craft Employment Growth (%) over period
|
Craft Workers as % of All Employed (latest)
|
Embroidery/Knitting Machine Imports 2023
|
Total Craft-Machinery Imports 2023
|
Craft-Machinery Imports per 1K Workers
|
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Japan
|
97.7%
|
19.9K
|
-3.2%
|
9.1%
|
$14.22M
|
$140.21M
|
$22.84K
|
|
Vietnam
|
96.5%
|
9.6K
|
13.2%
|
13.0%
|
$129.23M
|
$309.05M
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$42.99K
|
|
Spain
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60.5%
|
3.8K
|
20.6%
|
10.9%
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$14.22M
|
$45.65M
|
$18.88K
|
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Thailand
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35.4%
|
2.4K
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-8.2%
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10.4%
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$21.84M
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$61.46M
|
$14.95K
|
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Portugal
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33.0%
|
371
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17.4%
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12.6%
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$8.03M
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$28.61M
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$43.20K
|
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Mexico
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32.5%
|
2.8K
|
27.8%
|
13.5%
|
$46.77M
|
$194.78M
|
$23.95K
|
|
United States
|
30.9%
|
115K
|
-7.4%
|
8.2%
|
$214.86M
|
$621.05M
|
$46.62K
|
|
Guatemala
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30.4%
|
224
|
66.2%
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18.9%
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$8.81M
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$21.11M
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$14.19K
|
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Estonia
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30.0%
|
496
|
4.3%
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14.0%
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$324.26K
|
$5.48M
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$55.69K
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Pakistan
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29.9%
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21K
|
35.6%
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13.2%
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$24.74M
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$44.54M
|
$4.33K
|
You can access the full report findings by following this link.
1. Japan
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Growth in traditional craft online interest: 97.7%
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Registered craft businesses: 19.9K
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Craft workers: 9.1% of all employees
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Embroidery/knitting machine imports: $14.2M in one year (2023)
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Total craft-machinery imports: $140.2M in one year (2023)
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Craft-machinery imports per 1K workers: $22.8K
In Japan, traditional crafts are marking the biggest comeback, with online interest in them almost doubling in the last few years (97.7% growth). Craft workers also make up 9.1% of all employment in the country, a higher rate than in the US or in South Korea. Embroidery and knitting are some of the main crafts in Japan, as their machinery imports make up 10% of all craft equipment purchases.
2. Vietnam
In second place is Vietnam, where 13% of all workers are employed in crafting. The industry imported $309M worth of craft machinery, and knitting and embroidery were over a third of all acquisitions. The hobby-level interest is catching up, too, with 96.5% more people checking online information about traditional crafts now than in 2022.
3. Spain
Spain follows closely, with 20.6% growth in craft employment. Thanks to that, a little over one-tenth of all Spanish workers are now employed in crafts, and the country spends around $45.6M on machinery annually. There are also over 3,800 craft businesses all over Spain, making it a key part of small ventures.
4. Thailand
Thailand earns the fourth spot, almost matching Spain with 10.4% of all workers employed in crafts. The online interest related to crafts rose by 35.4%, but craft employment didn’t catch up to this trend yet. At the same time, Thailand spends more on craft machinery imports than Spain, with $61.4M. Embroidery and knitting are a full third of the industry purchases, and small craft businesses are common, too, with 2.4K establishments around the country.
5. Portugal
In Portugal, traditional crafts are having their fifth-biggest comeback, with 17.4% growth in crafts employment. Together with the second-fastest industry development in the top 5, Portugal saw a 33% growth in public interest in the last few years related to handmade hobbies. But here, embroidery and knitting are not as popular as in other countries, being just 28% of the total crafts machinery imports.
A spokesperson from Embroidery Legacy commented on the study:
“Artists and consumers are turning to textiles, embroidery, ceramics, and basketry as a counterbalance to the fast-paced, tech-heavy environment most people live in. The movement is driven by sustainability and a yearning for tactile authenticity, and that’s not a temporary lifestyle trend. The countries showing the strongest craft revivals in this study, like Japan, Vietnam, Spain, and Portugal, are all places where handmade production carries genuine cultural weight that mass manufacturing cannot replicate.”
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