The historical growth of footwear imports

Investigating the sometimes dramatic increases in demand for shoes by various markets around the world since the 1980s.

by Stuart Morgan

Which countries import the most footwear? In this article, we will consider where most imports of footwear have been delivered over the period of 1980-2022, as well as how many pairs of shoes have been delivered.

Not surprisingly, most products have been shipped to the lands where spending customers are living. While footwear production in the USA has all but disappeared when compared to the millions of pairs (and in some cases, billions) made in other countries, US imports in 2022 grew by over 461 per cent from the 1980 figure. Other nations with reasonably healthy GDPs – such as France, Germany, Japan and the UK – have been ever-present in the list of top ten footwear importing nations.

Top ten footwear importers in 1980
1	USA	486 million pairs
2	West Germany	205 million pairs
3	France	128 million pairs
4	USSR	119 million pairs
5	UK	106 million pairs
6	Japan	75 million pairs
7	Hong Kong*	63 million pairs
8	Netherlands	53 million pairs
9	Canada	49 million pairs
10	Belgium	46 million pairs
*Hong Kong figures in these tables include footwear destined for re-export

Interestingly, three nations (Hong Kong, the Netherlands and Belgium) which have much smaller populations than most of the other importing countries can be seen in these tables, with Hong Kong actually taking second place for footwear imports in 1990 and 2000. While re-exporting of shoes takes place from every nation on these lists, these three countries were reportedly particularly active in this trade, thus explaining why the number of pairs arriving on their shores was in some cases many times their own population. Gradually, however, they all lost their previous positions, with Belgium and the Netherlands being relegated from the top ten tables before regaining their standings, and Hong Kong no longer in the ‘premier league’ of footwear importers by 2022.

Top ten footwear importers in 1990
1	USA	1,097 million pairs	(+125.7 per cent over 1980)
2	Hong Kong*	682 million pairs	(+982.5 per cent over 1980)
3	Germany**	317 million pairs	(+54.6 per cent over 1980)
4	France	212 million pairs	(+65.6 per cent over 1980)
5	UK	209 million pairs	(+97.2 per cent over 1980)
6	Japan	168 million pairs	(+124.0 per cent over 1980)
7	CIS***	149 million pairs	(+25.2 per cent over 1980)
8	Netherlands	93 million pairs	(+75.5 per cent over 1980)
9	Canada	79 million pairs	(+61.2 per cent over 1980)
10	Italy	74 million pairs	(new entry)
**Following the re-unification of Germany ***The Commonwealth of Independent States – comprising nine of the 15 former Soviet republics – compared to the 1980 figure for the USSR

Not just the USA

As already mentioned, the amount of footwear being shipped into the USA rose by more than 460 per cent between 1980 and 2022. However, other countries saw their imports grow even more. Belgium (as a major re-exporter) saw its imports boosted by 567.4 per cent during these years and the total in Japan grew by an amazing 716.0 per cent. Hong Kong arrived as a major importer in the 1980s and logged a 684 per cent increase by 2010. Other nations which have seen import growth during the 42 years up to 2022 include Germany (286.8 per cent), the UK (280.2 per cent) and Russia (reported as USSR and then CIS up to the 1990s) which saw a 152.9 per cent growth in imported footwear.

Top ten footwear importers in 2000
1	USA	1,746 million pairs	(+59.2 per cent over 1990)
2	Hong Kong*	1,057 million pairs	(+55.0 per cent over 1990)
3	Japan	423 million pairs	(+151.8 per cent over 1990)
4	Germany	349 million pairs	(+10.1 per cent over 1990)
=5	UK	280 million pairs	(+34.0 per cent over 1990)
=5	France	280 million pairs	(+32.1 per cent over 1990)
7	Italy	196 million pairs	(+164.9 per cent over 1990)
=8	Netherlands	114 million pairs	(+22.6 per cent over 1990)
=8	Poland	114 million pairs	(new entry)
10	Russia	111 million pairs	(-25.5 per cent over 1990)

It is interesting to compare the increase in these import figures with the steady growth in the world’s population during these 42 years. Although some regions obviously had greater population increases than others, the overall figures go some way to indicating why there is a solid growth in demand for footwear. While in 1980 there were reportedly 4.44 billion people on the planet, this rose to around eight billion in 2022 – approximately an 80 per cent growth over this period. The population of the biggest importer – the USA – grew from 226.5 million in 1980 to 331.4 million 40 years later (a 46.2 per cent increase). Taking into consideration the 400-plus per cent growth in footwear imports during this period, individual consumers in the USA may have bought far more shoes in the 2020s than they did in the eighties.

Top ten footwear importers in 2010
1	USA	2,373 million pairs	(+35.9 per cent over 2000)
2	Japan	611 million pairs	(+44.4 per cent over 2000)
3	Germany	533 million pairs	(+52.7 per cent over 2000)
4	Hong Kong*	494 million pairs	(-53.3 per cent over 2000)
5	UK	471 million pairs	(+68.2 per cent over 2000)
6	France	450 million pairs	(+60.7 per cent over 2000)
7	Italy	368 million pairs	(+87.8 per cent over 2000)
8	Spain	315 million pairs	(new entry)
9	Russia	272 million pairs	(+145.0 per cent over 2000)
10	Belgium	221 million pairs	(re-entry)

An issue that importers face, of course, is the added cost of duty charges. In recent years, many have been hit by increasing levels of taxation, depending on the style involved and where the item was made. There are a number of nation blocs (such as the European Union) where footwear from certain countries are viewed more favourably when it comes to tariffs levied. In contrast, shoes imported from some other nations may attract considerable duties in an attempt to stem the flow of what are considered to be ‘cheap’ shoes.

Top ten footwear importers in 2022
1	USA	2,727 million pairs	(+14.9 per cent over 2010)
2	Germany	793 million pairs	(+48.8 per cent over 2010)
3	Japan	612 million pairs	(+0.2 per cent over 2010)
4	France	501 million pairs	(+11.3 per cent over 2010)
5	UK	403 million pairs	(-14.4 per cent over 2010)
6	Italy	389 million pairs	(+5.7 per cent over 2010)
7	Netherlands	337 million pairs	(re-entry)
8	Spain	328 million pairs	(+4.1 per cent over 2010)
9	Belgium	307 million pairs	(+38.9 per cent over 2010)
10	Russia	301 million pairs	(+10.7 per cent over 2010)

Future footwear imports

There is no doubt that the global COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing financial instability in many markets have affected imports and subsequent sales to a greater or lesser degree. As economies grow in certain countries and their citizens’ expendable incomes gradually rise, the demand for quality shoes is likely to increase. While being a gradual process, we may see further movement in the world’s top ten footwear importing nations, and perhaps some new names entering the list in the years to come.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 22 of the March 2024 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

Other articles from this issue »

---