Trade

Brazilian footwear exports benefit from the strong dollar at the start of the year

Mar 21, 2025 Brazil

The Brazilian footwear industry showed positive export performance in volume and value between January and February, benefiting from the strength of the dollar against the real

According to the Brazilian Footwear Industry Association (Abicalçados), 21 million pairs of shoes valued at 174.23 million US dollars were shipped in the first two months of 2024. This represents an increase of 14.7% in volume and 2.7% in value, as compared to the same period in 2023.

In February alone, Brazil exported 9.6 million pairs of footwear worth 85.9 million US dollars, an increase of 18.9% in volume and 8.9% in value, on a comparable basis to the same months of last year.

In addition to the weak comparative basis, this growth trend is explained by the effects of the exchange rate, says Haroldo Ferreira, Executive President of Abicalçados, since with the dollar stronger against the real, exporters can get better prices without losing profitability.

“Footwear exported in the two months was 10.5% cheaper than that exported in the same period last year”, he explained, pointing out that the average price of green-yellow shoes sent abroad was 8.26 US dollars in the period.

Main Destinations

Between January and February, Brazil exported 1.93 million pairs of shoes to the US, valued at 37.17 million US dollars. This represents an increase of 0.6% in volume and a fall of 4.5% in value, as compared to the same period of 2023.

In a remarkable recovery, Argentina imported 1.87 million pairs of yellow and green shoes worth 32.58 million US dollars in the first two months of 2024, up by 58% and 31.6% respectively, on a comparable basis over the same months last year.

Spain was the third most important destination for Brazilian footwear. The European country purchased 3.64 million pairs of shoes worth 8.64 million US dollars, an increase of 24.1% in volume and 2.7% in value, as compared to January-February 2023.

Brazilian Footwear Industry

Brazil boasts one of the largest footwear industries in the world, with a substantial domestic market that is largely supplied by local production. From an international trade perspective, according to the World Footwear 2024 Yearbook (more information available here), the country’s footwear exports in 2023 fell significantly from the previous year’s record levels, mainly due to reduced consumption in the United States.

Image Credits: Gustavo Juliette on Unsplash

Brazil Exports Footwear International Trade Organisations