Portugal overtakes Spain in global footwear output

Portugal climbed to 18th place among the world’s largest footwear producers in 2025, overtaking Spain and reinforcing its position as Europe’s second most relevant manufacturer in the sector after Italy, according to the World Footwear Yearbook 2026 seen by ECOnews. The shift matters because Portugal’s footwear industry is heavily export-driven and remains one of the country’s best-known manufacturing sectors abroad.

The yearbook shows Portugal accounted for 0.5% of global footwear production by value and 0.3% by volume last year, while Spain dropped out of the top 20. Almost 93% of shoes made in Portugal in 2025 were sold abroad, reaching customers in 174 countries. Portugal ranked 13th worldwide by export value, with $1.949 billion, and 17th by volume, with 69 million pairs exported.

Germany, France, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK were the most valuable markets for Portuguese footwear companies in 2025, while Germany, Spain and the US posted the strongest growth over the past five years. After two years of declining export sales, the Portuguese footwear industry returned to growth in 2025, with exports rising 0.8%, even as Italian and Spanish competitors contracted. In the first five months of this year, however, Portuguese exports fell 2.7% year on year, although that decline was still smaller than in most competing countries cited in the report.

The average export price of Portuguese footwear rose 2.5% last year to $28.25 per pair, keeping Portugal as the world’s second most expensive exporter by that measure, behind Italy. Italy’s average export price fell from $68.14 in 2024 to $63.67 in 2025, while Mexico’s rose from $26.80 to $28.23, narrowing the gap with Portugal. APICCAPS, the Portuguese footwear association, said the increase suggests the industry preserved export value and its position in higher value-added segments despite pressure on volumes.

Originally published at Eco.pt