During the first six months of the current fiscal year* Pakistan’s leather goods exports grew by 11.1% compared to similar period in the previous year. During the period July-December 2019, the country exported leather goods with a total value of 274.8 million US dollars compared to exports worth 247.4 million US dollars registered in the first semester of the preceding fiscal year.

According to the data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics, exports of leather garments increased by 11.9% during the period, going from 134.5 million US dollars to 150.5 million US dollars. The same source indicated that exports of tanned leather in the first six months of the year totalled revenue of 104.2 million US dollars, which compares to 128.3 million US dollars in similar period in the previous year (a decline of 18.7%).

During the month of December 2019 Pakistan exported 1.3 million pairs of shoes valued at 11.1 million US dollars. This compares with exports of 1.1 million pairs valued at 11.4 million US dollars in the last month of 2018, reflecting double-digit growth in terms of volume (+16.3%) and a decline of 2.0% in value. Exports of leather footwear, representing 83% of the total exports of footwear, declined in value (-5.4%) despite having presented growth in volume terms (+5.7%), when compared to December 2018. Exports of other footwear generated 1.8 million US dollars in December.

In the first semester of the year, 10.6 million pairs were sent abroad, resulting in exports revenue of 67.4 million US dollars. This translates increases of 49.5% in volume and 17.8% in value. In the first six months of the current financial year exports of leather footwear represented 85% of the total value of exports of footwear. Sales abroad of this type of footwear increased by 8.9% in volume and by 12.9% in value, from similar period in 2018. Growth also occurred across the categories canvas footwear and other footwear.

According to the World Footwear 2019 Yearbook (AVAILABLE HERE), in 2018, Pakistan's international trade reversed the trends from recent years with exports growing and imports decreasing. Pakistan was the 8^th largest producer of footwear with 411 million pairs and a world share of 1.7%. With a population of 201 million people, Pakistan was also the 8^th largest consumer of footwear. The industry is mainly focused on its internal market, exporting only 115 million US dollars of footwear (48^th largest exporter in 2018). Pakistan imports predominantly textile footwear from China and exports mostly leather footwear.

* Pakistan’s financial year runs from July to June

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