Trade

Brazilian footwear exports decline as Chinese imports surge

Sep 17, 2025 Brazil

While Brazilian footwear exports declined in August, mainly due to the impact of the 50% tariff imposed by the United States on Brazilian goods, imports from China surged

The latest data released by the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados) shows that the country shipped 7.64 million pairs of shoes worth 77 million US dollars in August. This represents a 0.5% decrease in volume and a 9.1% decrease in value, as compared to the same period last year. In the first eight months of the year, 67.52 million pairs of shoes, valued at 651.1 million US dollars, were exported, reflecting a 5.7% increase in volume and a 0.6% decrease in value, as compared to the same period in 2024.

According to the association, the performance in August was significantly affected by the 50% tariffs imposed by the US on Brazilian goods. That month, exports to the US totalled 803,700 pairs and 21.4 million US dollars, representing a 17.6% decline in volume and a 1.4% decline in value, as compared to August 2024. However, exports to the country increased by 10.7% in volume and 5.8% in value year-on-year in the first eight months of the year, reaching 7.7 million pairs and 156.3 million US dollars respectively.

“The high tariffs imposed by the United States, a country that accounts for over 20% of total Brazilian footwear exports, were already having an impact in August. In September, when the additional tariffs have been in effect for a full month, the setback is expected to be even greater”, said Haroldo Ferreira, Executive President of Abicalçados.

According to Ferreira, the tariffs render Brazilian exports “practically unviable” in the face of fierce competition from Asian countries, particularly China. In August alone, 492 thousand pairs of shoes made in China entered Brazil, at a cost of 3.7 million US dollars. This reflects an increase of 41.5% in volume and 67.2% in value, on a comparable basis to August last year. So far this year, Chinese footwear imports totalled 8.45 million pairs, worth 31.18 million US dollars – a 9% increase in volume and a 14.1% increase in value.

“With the tariffs imposed by the United States on Chinese products, producers in China have been selling their surpluses in other markets, including Brazil, at very low prices,” explains Ferreira, pointing out that this creates a competitive imbalance in the Brazilian domestic market, resulting in losses for the national industry.

Other Destination Markets

In August, Argentina was the second-largest market for yellow and green footwear, purchasing 1.63 million pairs of shoes worth 18.44 million US dollars. This represented a 68% increase in volume and an 11.6% increase in value, as compared to August 2024. Meanwhile, Paraguay followed, importing 876 thousand pairs of shoes worth 4.3 million US dollars, which is an increase of 41.4% in volume and 23.5% in value, as compared to August 2024.

Brazilian Footwear Industry

According to the World Footwear 2025 Yearbook (more information available HERE), Brazil is home to one of the world’s largest footwear industries. In 2024, production finally returned to pre-pandemic levels. However, exports declined by 17%, while imports surged by 26%, highlighting the industry’s strong focus on the domestic market.

Image Credits: Agustin Diaz Gargiulo on Unsplash

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