Cotton accounts for about 40 percent of total world fiber production.

While some 80 countries from around the globe produce cotton, China (24%), the United States (20%), and India (16%) together produce over half the world's cotton.

The U.S. and Africa are the world's two leading exporters of raw cotton, accounting for more than half of the $12 billion market worldwide. Other top exporters include Uzbekistan, Australia, and India.

China is, by far, the world's largest cotton importer.

Texas, Georgia, Mississippi, California, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Louisiana were the top cotton-producing states in the U.S. in 2003, accounting for 80 percent of total production.

The top 10 percent of cotton producers receive the majority—78 percent—of U.S. cotton subsidies.