Rising domestic demand drives footwear production in Brazil

Footwear production increased by 3.5% last year, as compared to 2023, driven by rising domestic demand. Growth could have been higher without the “invasion” of imported shoes, says Abicalçados
Figures compiled by the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados), based on IBGE indices, show that production increased by 3.5% last year, as compared to 2023. Out of the 896.8 million pairs of shoes produced, only 97.4 million were for export.
The Executive President of Abicalçados, Haroldo Ferreira, explains that the production growth could have been even higher if it hadn’t been for the “invasion” of imported shoes, especially from Asia. Last year, imports increased by 26% compared to the previous year, mainly from Vietnam, China and Indonesia.
“Today, more than 85% of our production is absorbed by the domestic market, which was hot throughout 2024, with apparent consumption growth of 7.7%. However, much of this good domestic momentum has been taken up by imports”, he said.
This news is in line with data reported by the World Footwear 2024 Yearbook (more information available here), which shows that in 2023, Brazilian footwear exports fell significantly from the previous year’s record levels, largely due to lower consumption in the US, while imports into the Brazilian market continued to grow.
Image Credits: https: abicalcados.com.br