Portugal’s footwear sector posts bumper results

In 2022, Portugal’s footwear and leather goods cluster exported €2.347Bn, a new all-time high. When compared to the prior year, exports grew by 22,2%. All segments of the sector registered significant growth.

Portugal exported 76 million pairs of shoes, worth €2.009 million, which reflects an increase of 10.5% in volume and 20.2% in value, on a comparable basis to the previous year. Against 2019, exports grew by more than 13,8%.
A more refined analysis of the evolution of exports shows that Portugal is growing in nearly all the most relevant markets, such as Germany (up by 11,7% to €433 million), France (up 15% to €384 million) and Netherlands (up 25% to €306 million).
Sales to non-EU countries stand out in the general picture, already amounting to 20% of the total value exported (€392 million exported in 2022). A decade earlier, in 2012, non-EU markets accounted for only 9% of total exports. Brexit has decisively contributed to these figures, but it does not entirely justify this expressive leap. For example, in the space of a decade, exports to the US  grew from €19 million to €114 million (up 52% in 2022).
The average price of a pair of Portuguese shoes stood at €26.40 euros, which suggests an increase of 8.7% compared to 2021.