Bangladesh Ranks Seventh in Global Shoe Production as China Maintains Lead
Bangladesh produced 554 million pairs of shoes in 2025, ranking seventh globally, as China led footwear production and exports, APICCAPS data shows.
Bangladesh ranked seventh among the world’s footwear-producing countries in 2025, manufacturing 554 million pairs, according to the World Footwear Yearbook 2026, published by the Portuguese Footwear, Components and Leather Goods Manufacturers’ Association (APICCAPS).
Global footwear production fell 0.1% to 24.6 billion pairs in 2025, following growth of nearly 10% in 2024, the report said. Asian countries accounted for 88.7% of total output.
China remained the world’s largest footwear producer, manufacturing 13.66 billion pairs, or 55.6% of global production. India ranked second with 3 billion pairs, followed by Vietnam with 1.658 billion.
Brazil ranked fourth with 848 million pairs, while Indonesia and Pakistan placed fifth and sixth, producing 782 million and 627 million pairs, respectively. Bangladesh accounted for 2.3% of global production. Turkey, Cambodia and Mexico completed the top 10.
China Dominates Exports as Share Declines
Asian countries accounted for 84.3% of global footwear exports in 2025, but Bangladesh did not make the top 10 exporters, according to the yearbook.
China exported about 9.01 billion pairs, representing 61.2% of global footwear exports. Its share has declined from 69.1% in 2016, amid rising labor costs and trade tensions, the report said. Vietnam has gained some of the business lost by China.
Vietnam exported 1.66 billion pairs last year, accounting for 11.2% of global exports. Indonesia shipped 580 million pairs, Germany 360 million and India 270 million.
Europe accounted for 13.1% of global footwear exports but generated substantially higher average export prices than Asia. European exporters received an average of $34.76 per pair, compared with $8.02 for Asian exporters, according to the report.
Europe was also the largest destination for footwear imports, accounting for 35.3% of global imports in 2025. Asia represented 25.5%, while North America accounted for 20.3%.
North America’s share of global footwear imports declined from 23.3% in 2016, while Africa and South America increased their shares, the yearbook said.
Asia Leads Footwear Consumption
Asia accounted for 56% of global footwear consumption in 2025, making it the largest regional market, according to APICCAPS.
The region’s average annual consumption was 2.6 pairs per person, below the levels recorded in more mature markets. North America led in per capita consumption at 4.6 pairs per person, followed by Europe at 4.1 pairs.
Africa had the lowest average consumption, at 1.6 pairs per person annually, reflecting the constraints that affordability and purchasing power can place on demand, the report said.
