Trade

Brazilian footwear exports decline in November amid rising imports

Dec 18, 2025 Brazil

Brazilian footwear exports fell in November, with shipments to the US, its main market, continuing to decline while imports surged. The trade balance is being pressured by US tariffs and growing inflows from Asia

According to the latest data compiled by the Brazilian Footwear Industries Association (Abicalçados) and based on figures from Secex, the country exported 6.92 million pairs of shoes in November, worth 65.82 million US dollars. This represents a 17.7% decrease in volume and a 13.3% decrease in value, as compared to November 2024.

Cumulative figures show that, from January to November 2025, 94.2 million pairs were shipped, generating 885.26 million US dollars – a 5.1% increase in volume but a 2% decrease in value, on a comparable basis to the same period last year.

At the assessment of the Executive President of Abicalçados, Haroldo Ferreira, the setback in November reflects the intensification of the impact of the additional tariff applied by the United States on Brazilian footwear.

In November, 497,650 pairs of shoes were shipped to the US, worth 10.84 million US dollars. This represents a year-on-year decrease in volume of 48.8% and a decrease in value of 44.6%. Over the first 11 months of the year, exports to the United States totalled 9.43 million pairs and 198.45 million US dollars, reflecting an increase of 1.5% in volume, but a decrease of 0.5% in revenue.

“In the four months since the surcharge came into effect, volumes shipped to the United States have fallen by 23.4%, a result that has eroded the growth of the first seven months of the year”, Ferreira emphasises. “At the same time that there is a decline in exports, the trade diversion triggered by US policy is boosting footwear imports”.

In November, Brazil imported 3 million pairs of footwear valued at 42.8 million US dollars. Although volume was up by 7% year-on-year, value was down by 1%, indicating lower average prices. To date this year, imports have reached a record 39.6 million pairs, valued at 528 million US dollars – this represents an increase of over 21% in both volume and value, with imports already exceeding last year’s total. Asian countries continue to dominate the supply market, accounting for 88% of imports.

Other Main Destination Markets

Exports to Argentina, the second-largest destination market for yellow and green footwear, are also declining because of slowing consumption and increased international competition.

In November, Argentina purchased 551,750 pairs of shoes, worth 5.6 million US dollars, marking a 56.7% decrease in volume and a 63.8% decrease in value, as compared to the same month in 2024. From January to November, Argentina purchased 13.28 million pairs of shoes, valued at 175.2 million US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 10.5% in volume, but a decrease of 9.2% in value.

Paraguay ranked third, importing 818,260 pairs of Brazilian shoes for 5 million US dollars. This represents a 6.6% decrease in volume and a 33.3% increase in value, as compared to November 2024. Meanwhile, exports to Paraguay totalled 8.95 million pairs of shoes, worth 44.3 million US dollars in the first 11 months of the year, marking an increase of 14.7% in volume and 9.3% in value, respectively.

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, which is concentrated in the Northeast, South and Southeast regions. In 2024, production finally recovered 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: Samuel Costa Melo on Unsplash

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