The world’s population currently stands at around 8.28 billion. Last year, an average of three pairs of shoes were made for every person, bringing global footwear production to 24.6 billion pairs. Asian countries manufactured 88.7 per cent of the total.
China retained its position as the world’s largest footwear manufacturer, manufacturing 13.66 billion pairs last year. India and Vietnam ranked second and third respectively, while Bangladesh emerged as the world’s seventh-largest footwear manufacturer, making around 554 million pairs in 2025.
These figures are from the World Footwear Yearbook 2026, published under the initiative of the Portuguese Footwear, Components and Leather Goods Manufacturers’ Association (APICCAPS).
According to the report, global footwear production fell by 0.1 per cent to 24.6 billion pairs in 2025. In 2024 however, the production had increased by nearly 10 per cent.
Who produces the most footwear
Ten countries account for 89.5 per cent of the world’s annual footwear production. China alone accounts for 55.6 per cent of the total, having produced 13.66 billion pairs last year. India, in second place, manufactured 3 billion pairs, representing 12.2 per cent of global production.
Vietnam is the world’s third-largest footwear manufacturer. It manufactured 1.658 billion pairs last year. Brazil, Indonesia and Pakistan ranked fourth, fifth and sixth, producing 848 million, 782 million and 627 million pairs respectively.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh ranked seventh, producing 554 million pairs in 2025 and accounting for 2.3 per cent of global footwear production. Turkey, Cambodia and Mexico completed the list of the world’s top 10 footwear-producing countries.
China’s share of footwear exports declines
Asian countries dominate global footwear exports, accounting for 84.3 per cent of all pairs exported worldwide. However, Bangladesh did not make the list of the world’s top 10 footwear exporters. The leading exporters are China, Vietnam, Indonesia, Germany, India, Cambodia, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy and Turkey.
China exported around 9.01 billion pairs of shoes last year, accounting for 61.2 per cent of global footwear exports. A decade earlier in 2016, China’s share stood at 69.1 per cent. Rising labour costs, trade wars and other factors have contributed to the decline, with Vietnam capturing a significant portion of the business China has lost.
Vietnam exported 1.66 billion pairs of shoes last year, accounting for 11.2 per cent of global footwear exports. Indonesia exported 580 million pairs, Germany 360 million and India 270 million.
According to the World Footwear Yearbook, Europe accounted for 13.1 per cent of global footwear exports. However, European exporters earned more per pair than their Asian counterparts. The average export price was $34.76 per pair in Europe, compared with $8.02 in Asia.
Europe was also the world’s largest destination for footwear imports. The continent accounted for 35.3 per cent of total global footwear imports last year.
Asia’s share was 25.5 per cent, while North America accounted for 20.3 per cent.
North America’s share of global footwear imports has declined from 23.3 per cent in 2016. In contrast, the shares of Africa and South America have increased.
Asia has the highest footwear demand
Asia was the world’s largest footwear consumption market in 2025, accounting for 56 per cent of all shoes used worldwide. The region’s growing share of the global market highlights the footwear industry’s increasing shift towards Asia, driven by both manufacturers and consumers.
However, Asia’s high overall footwear consumption is driven more by its large population than by per capita use. In 2025, people in Asia used an average of 2.6 pairs of shoes per person, considerably less than in developed and mature markets.
North America recorded the highest per capita footwear consumption last year, with each person using an average of 4.6 pairs. The average in Europe was 4.1 pairs.
In Africa, by contrast, per capita footwear consumption stood at just 1.6 pairs. This indicates that limited purchasing power and the affordability of footwear remain major barriers to growth in demand across the continent.