APICCAPS, the Portuguese Footwear Association, published the 13th edition of its World Footwear Yearbook, which analyses the most critical trends worldwide.
2022 saw a 7.6 percent increase in global footwear production, roughly reaching pre-pandemic levels.
The geographical distribution of footwear production has remained relatively unchanged over the past decade, with the highest concentration in Asia, with China being the world’s largest footwear producer.
Asia’s consumption accounted for more than half of the worldwide total, followed by North America and Europe. Yet again, China remains the leading consumer of footwear. At the same time, consumption in the United States saw an increase of 12.7 percent, reclaiming the second position as a footwear consumer and overtaking India.
The European Union, when taken as one region, represents the fourth largest market for footwear consumed in 2022.
Footwear exports continued to increase and recorded growth of 9 percent in 2022 as compared to a 7.4 percent increase in 2021. In terms of value, footwear exports worldwide soared to a new record high of $175.2 billion in 2022, marking a substantial increase of 16.1 percent over the previous year and an impressive surge of 42.9 percent over the past decade.
Although most footwear exports originate from Asian countries, this percentage has slightly declined over the past decade. Conversely, the share of exports from European countries has increased.
China stands out as the origin of over 60 percent of total exports. However, its share has declined by more than 10 percent over the last decade. Vietnam has emerged as the primary beneficiary of this reduction, significantly increasing its share from two percent to nearly ten percent.
The average export price per pair of footwear reached $11.54 in 2022. Rubber and plastic footwear recorded the most significant rise, while leather footwear only rose moderately.
