Year over year, exported leather shoes accelerated by 19.9% compared to $46.2 billion during 2020.
The top 5 largest exporters of leather footwear by dollar value are mainland China, Vietnam, Italy, Germany, and Indonesia. Collectively, that cohort of leading suppliers generated well over half (56.8%) of international sales of leather footwear.
Among continents, European countries sold the highest dollar value worth of exported leather shoes with shipments valued at $27.8 billion or half (50.2%) of worldwide export sales for this commodity. Exporters in Asia were close behind, exporting $25.6 billion worth or 46.2% of the global total.
Tinier percentages came from North America (1.6%), Latin America (1.2%) excluding Mexico but including the Caribbean, Africa (0.8%), then Oceania (0.1%) mainly Australia.
For research purposes, the 4-digit Harmonized Tariff System code prefix for leather footwear is 6403.
Leather Shoes Exports by Country
Below are the 15 countries that exported the highest dollar value worth of leather shoes during 2021.
- China: US$9.7 billion (17.5% of exported leather shoes)
- Vietnam: $7.6 billion (13.8%)
- Italy: $7.5 billion (13.6%)
- Germany: $3.7 billion (6.6%)
- Indonesia: $2.9 billion (5.3%)
- Belgium: $2.7 billion (4.9%)
- Netherlands: $2.23 billion (4%)
- France: $2.21 billion (4%)
- Portugal: $1.69 billion (3%)
- India: $1.68 billion (3%)
- Spain: $1.5 billion (2.7%)
- Poland: $1.2 billion (2.3%)
- Hong Kong: $899.3 million (1.6%)
- Bangladesh: $765.3 million (1.4%)
- Mexico: $518.1 million (0.9%)
By value, the listed 15 countries shipped 84.7% of global leather shoes exported in 2021.
Among the top exporters, the fastest-growing exporters of leather shoes from 2020 to 2021 were: Mexico (up 57.7%), Vietnam (up 48.5%), Netherlands (up 41.3%) and mainland China (up 31.4%).
The lone top supplier to post a decline in its sales of exported leather shoes was Hong Kong, experiencing a -2.5% reduction.
Countries Generating Best Trade Surpluses from Leather Footwear
The following countries posted the highest positive net exports for leather shoes during 2021. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the surplus between the value of each country’s leather shoes exports and its import purchases for that same commodity.
- Vietnam: US$7.6 billion (net export surplus up 47.6% since 2020)
- China: $6.9 billion (up 38%)
- Italy: $4.6 billion (up 13.3%)
- Indonesia: $2.8 billion (up 32.1%)
- India: $1.62 billion (up 25.6%)
- Portugal: $1.48 billion (up 15.5%)
- Bangladesh: $756.5 million (up 22.9%)
- Belgium: $628.4 million (up 50.4%)
- Cambodia: $452.5 million (up 13.9%)
- Turkey: $292.5 million (up 47.3%)
- Spain: $287.1 million (down -8%)
- Brazil: $284.2 million (up 33.2%)
- Tunisia: $259 million (up 23.1%)
- Mexico: $256.6 million (up 132.8%)
- Albania: $246.5 million (up 97%)
Fast-growing Asian power Vietnam generated the highest surplus in the international trade of leather shoes. In turn, this positive cashflow confirms Vietnam’s strong competitive advantage for this specific product category.
Countries Incurring Largest Trade Deficits from Leather Footwear
The following countries posted the highest negative net exports for leather shoes during 2021. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports. Thus, the statistics below present the deficit between the value of each country’s purchases of imported leather shoes and its exports for that same commodity.
- United States: -US$10.6 billion (net export deficit up 29.8% since 2020)
- United Kingdom: -$1.59 billion (up 7.8%)
- France: -$1.53 billion (up 3%)
- Germany: -$1.51 billion (down -7%)
- Russia: -$1.47 billion (up 21.3%)
- South Korea: -$1.2 billion (up 16.7%)
- Japan: -$1 billion (down -0.9%)
- Canada: -$820.4 million (up 17%)
- Australia: -$746.3 million (up 25%)
- Switzerland: -$668.6 million (up 1.7%)
- United Arab Emirates: -$409.7 million (up 23.2%)
- Israel: -$404.5 million (up 55.7%)
- Austria: -$382.7 million (up 18%)
- Chile: -$356.2 million (up 37%)
- Netherlands: -$351.2 million (down -33.2%)
The United States of America posted the highest deficit in the international trade of leather shoes. In turn, this negative cashflow highlights America’s strong competitive disadvantage for this specific product category but also signals opportunities for leather shoes-supplying countries that help satisfy the powerful consumer demand.
Leather Shoes Exporting Companies
Below is a list of leading shoe manufacturers from countries that are major players in the international trade of leather footwear. Shown within parenthesis is the country where the shoe manufacturer is headquartered.
- Belle International (China)
- Luigi Voltan Shoe Company (Italy)
- Erich Rohde GmbH (Germany)
- Camper (Spain)
- Brantano Footwear (Belgium)
- Foreva – Comércio de Calçado, S.A. (Portugal)
- Liberty Shoes Limited (India)
- Berluti (France)
- John Lobb Bootmaker (United Kingdom)
- Allen Edmonds (United States)
Searchable List of Leather Shoes Exporting Countries in 2021
The 100 key exporters of leather shoes in the database below generated 99.95% of all leather shoes sold on international markets during 2021.
| Rank | Exporter | Leather Shoes Exports | 2020-1 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | China | $9,720,107,000 | +31.4% |
| 2. | Vietnam | $7,646,771,000 | +48.5% |
| 3. | Italy | $7,527,789,000 | +14.1% |
| 4. | Germany | $3,666,590,000 | +6.6% |
| 5. | Indonesia | $2,912,088,000 | +30.5% |
| 6. | Belgium | $2,708,874,000 | +10.5% |
| 7. | Netherlands | $2,227,096,000 | +41.3% |
| 8. | France | $2,214,499,000 | +16.4% |
| 9. | Portugal | $1,686,302,000 | +13.4% |
| 10. | India | $1,681,926,000 | +26.1% |
| 11. | Spain | $1,504,243,000 | +9.2% |
| 12. | Poland | $1,249,072,000 | +10.1% |
| 13. | Hong Kong | $899,319,000 | -2.5% |
| 14. | Bangladesh | $765,332,000 | +22.5% |
| 15. | Mexico | $518,051,000 | +57.7% |
| 16. | United Kingdom | $513,732,000 | -47% |
| 17. | Austria | $483,958,000 | +4.3% |
| 18. | Switzerland | $471,335,000 | -4.7% |
| 19. | Turkey | $466,855,000 | +31.1% |
| 20. | Cambodia | $456,211,000 | +14% |
| 21. | Romania | $446,374,000 | +7.9% |
| 22. | Slovakia | $395,206,000 | -0.2% |
| 23. | Brazil | $343,914,000 | +27.9% |
| 24. | Denmark | $341,812,000 | +8.2% |
| 25. | Czech Republic | $335,597,000 | +14.3% |
| 26. | Hungary | $325,081,000 | +18% |
| 27. | Sweden | $303,069,000 | +4.6% |
| 28. | United States | $285,403,000 | +6.7% |
| 29. | Tunisia | $269,205,000 | +22.6% |
| 30. | Albania | $258,015,000 | +94.5% |
| 31. | Thailand | $254,476,000 | +9.4% |
| 32. | Croatia | $200,311,000 | +7.9% |
| 33. | Singapore | $174,288,000 | +24.1% |
| 34. | Panama | $153,271,000 | +0.3% |
| 35. | Bosnia/Herzegovina | $143,445,000 | +6.7% |
| 36. | Myanmar | $140,955,000 | -12.2% |
| 37. | Serbia | $122,587,000 | +7.3% |
| 38. | Belarus | $114,960,000 | +23.6% |
| 39. | Pakistan | $112,570,000 | +8.5% |
| 40. | Morocco | $107,775,000 | +3% |
| 41. | Slovenia | $98,918,000 | +14.4% |
| 42. | Russia | $93,629,000 | +3.2% |
| 43. | South Korea | $71,383,000 | -5.2% |
| 44. | Laos | $69,882,000 | +19.5% |
| 45. | Dominican Republic | $63,338,000 | +55.1% |
| 46. | Malaysia | $59,665,000 | +20.3% |
| 47. | Canada | $56,743,000 | +24% |
| 48. | Australia | $55,627,000 | +8.4% |
| 49. | Bulgaria | $53,447,000 | +23% |
| 50. | Greece | $50,677,000 | +11.4% |
| 51. | South Africa | $50,084,000 | +42.6% |
| 52. | Finland | $49,907,000 | +24.1% |
| 53. | Lithuania | $49,465,000 | +14.3% |
| 54. | Philippines | $35,422,000 | +57.4% |
| 55. | Macao | $31,093,000 | +1527.9% |
| 56. | Guatemala | $27,343,000 | +66.8% |
| 57. | Norway | $25,553,000 | +324.7% |
| 58. | Ukraine | $24,012,000 | -7.9% |
| 59. | Latvia | $23,525,000 | +33.9% |
| 60. | Estonia | $22,199,000 | -3.2% |
| 61. | Ireland | $20,197,000 | +2.2% |
| 62. | North Macedonia | $19,115,000 | +68.8% |
| 63. | United Arab Emirates | $17,659,000 | -92.3% |
| 64. | El Salvador | $16,400,000 | +33.9% |
| 65. | Taiwan | $15,645,000 | +5.6% |
| 66. | Colombia | $15,627,000 | +58.8% |
| 67. | Luxembourg | $14,568,000 | +18.2% |
| 68. | Iran | $12,058,000 | -8.5% |
| 69. | Japan | $11,203,000 | -16.1% |
| 70. | Moldova | $9,860,000 | -8.9% |
| 71. | Israel | $8,310,000 | -27.9% |
| 72. | Peru | $8,141,000 | +30.4% |
| 73. | Uzbekistan | $7,812,000 | +58.8% |
| 74. | Sri Lanka | $5,797,000 | -4.1% |
| 75. | Cyprus | $5,446,000 | -7.9% |
| 76. | Georgia | $3,466,000 | -32.7% |
| 77. | Lebanon | $3,046,000 | -37.5% |
| 78. | British Virgin Islands | $2,737,000 | +240% |
| 79. | Argentina | $2,702,000 | +76.3% |
| 80. | Mauritius | $2,518,000 | +249.2% |
| 81. | Kuwait | $2,204,000 | -68.8% |
| 82. | Oman | $2,170,000 | -1% |
| 83. | Qatar | $2,155,000 | +1.9% |
| 84. | Paraguay | $2,037,000 | +65.2% |
| 85. | Armenia | $1,563,000 | +98.4% |
| 86. | Ethiopia | $1,470,000 | +37.3% |
| 87. | Kyrgyzstan | $1,270,000 | +21.9% |
| 88. | Kenya | $1,231,000 | +14% |
| 89. | Kazakhstan | $1,189,000 | +175.9% |
| 90. | Syria | $1,127,000 | +184.6% |
| 91. | Lesotho | $1,081,000 | -8% |
| 92. | Chile | $1,029,000 | -66.4% |
| 93. | Nicaragua | $707,000 | -20.6% |
| 94. | Bahrain | $662,000 | -76.3% |
| 95. | Zimbabwe | $591,000 | +53.5% |
| 96. | Curaçao | $488,000 | +12100% |
| 97. | Tanzania | $480,000 | -29.4% |
| 98. | Egypt | $475,000 | -55.1% |
| 99. | New Zealand | $452,000 | -10.1% |
| 100. | Namibia | $428,000 | +248% |
Focusing on the 100 major exporters, the fastest growers from 2020 to 2021 were Curaçao (up 12,100%), Macao (up 1,528%), Norway (up 324.7%), Mauritius (up 249.2%), Namibia (up 248%), British Virgin Islands (up 240%), Syria (up 184.6%), then Kazakhstan (up 175.9%).
You can change the presentation order by clicking the triangle icon at the top of any of the above table’s columns The right-most column shows the percentage change in the value of exported leather shows from 2020 to 2021. An entry of 0% in that column means that no 2020 data was available.
See also T-shirt Exports by Country, Cotton Exports by Country, Cotton Imports by Country and Top Exported Baby Clothing Sales
Research Sources:
Central Intelligence Agency, The World Factbook Field Listing: Exports – Commodities. Accessed on August 20, 2022
International Trade Centre, Trade Map. Accessed on August 20, 2022
Investopedia, Net Exports Definition. Accessed on August 20, 2022
Wikipedia, Shoe companies by country. Accessed on August 20, 2022
Zepol’s company summary highlights by HTS code. Accessed on August 20, 2022
