World footwear output down by 1.5 billion pairs in 2023

In 2023, world footwear production output fell by 6% to 22.4 billion pairs, the lowest in the last decade except for 2020 and 2021, during the pandemic. The figure was reported in the World Footwear Yearbook 2024, recently published by Portuguese footwear association APICCAPS. 
 

The output decrease was mainly due to a consumption slump in the world’s main markets. In the USA, output fell by 749 million pairs, in China by 398 million pairs, and in the European Union by 399 million pairs.
 
Last year, 14 billion pairs were exported worldwide, a decrease of 9.1% compared to 2022. The value of worldwide exports fell by 6.1% in 2023 to $168 billion, which was however the second-highest value ever recorded.

Footwear production remained highly concentrated in Asia, where nearly nine out of every 10 pairs of footwear were manufactured. Asia accounted for 87.1% of global output. China was still the world’s leading footwear producer, with a global market share of nearly 55%. India’s share of global output increased to 11.6%.
 
Consumption-wise, Asia accounted for more than half (54.7%) of the world’s total footwear consumption in 2023, followed by Europe and North America with shares of 13.9% and 13.4% respectively. China remained the world’s largest footwear consumer country, though its global share fell to 17.1%. Consumption in the USA declined significantly, and the country lost its status as the world’s second footwear consumer country to India.
 
In 2023, 14 billion pairs of footwear were exported globally, for a value of $168 billion, corresponding to year-on-year decreases of 9.1% and 6.1% respectively for traded volumes and transaction values. Of these exports, 63.8% were sourced in China. Vietnam accounted for 9.5% of exports, followed by Indonesia with 3.2%. These three countries combined accounted for more than three quarters of world footwear exports.
 
The average export price per pair of shoes was $12 in 2023, a 3.2% increase over 2022. Over the last decade, average price has risen by 38.8%. The highest average price increase, 65%, was recorded for textiles-based shoes, compared to a 24% increase for leather shoes.