Ladies shoes on sale.
Credit: Vladyslav Starozhylov/Shutterstock.com
Could Portugal s recent strides in footwear production signify a shifting tide in European manufacturing?
Recent statistics show that Portugal has now eclipsed Spain, becoming the second-largest producer of footwear within the European Union.
As of 2022, Portugal manufactured 85 million pairs of shoes, surpassing Spain s output by two million pairs. This milestone was reached due to Portugal s consistent growth over the last decade in footwear production, contrary to the downward trend observed in Spain.
Production trends
From 2012 to 2022, Portugal saw its footwear production climb by 14.4 per cent, from 74 million to 81 million pairs.
Meanwhile, Spain s production fell by 14 per cent, dropping from 97 million pairs in 2012 to just 83 million in 2022. This contrast highlights a significant shift within the industry, positioning Portugal favourably on the European stage.
Italy remains by far the top footwear producer in Europe, although its sector too has seen a decline, with production falling by 18.6 per cent since 2012, to 162 million pairs.
This indicates a broader slowdown in the European footwear market, which has contracted by 19.6 per cent over the past ten years, totalling 496 million pairs.
A vision for the future
This is the result of the continuous investment of the footwear sector in Portugal in the definition of an ambitious vision and adapted public policies, which have allowed the sector to reposition itself in the international competitive scene,
Luis Onofre, president of the Association of Manufacturers of Footwear, Components, and Leather Goods, explained that Portugal s success stems from the footwear sector s ongoing commitment to setting a bold vision and implementing tailored public policies, enabling it to improve its competitive stance around the world.
In terms of business numbers, Italy leads with 3,381 registered footwear companies, though this is a drop of 25.8 per cent since 2012.
Spain and Portugal have also seen reductions in their number of footwear companies by 16.1 per cent and five per cent, respectively. Spain now has 2,808 companies, while Portugal hosts 2,428.
Portugal s rise in the footwear industry not only reflects its economic resilience but also suggests a promising outlook for its market share in Europe.
Sign up for personalised news
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our
Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Written by
John Ensor
Originally from Doncaster, Yorkshire, John now lives in Galicia, Northern Spain with his wife Nina.
He is passionate about news, music, cycling and animals.
Known as the PEOPLE’S PAPER, Euro Weekly News is the leading English language newspaper in Spain. And it’s FREE!
Covering the Costa del Sol, Costa Blanca, Almeria, Axarquia, Mallorca and beyond, EWN supports and inspires the individuals, neighbourhoods, and communities we serve, by delivering news with a social conscience. Whether it’s local news in Spain, UK news or international stories, we are proud to be the voice for the expat communities who now call Spain home.
With around half a million print readers a week and over 1.5 million web views per month, EWN has the biggest readership of any English language newspaper in Spain. The paper prints over 150 news stories a week with many hundreds more on the web – no one else even comes close.
Our publication has won numerous awards over the last 25 years including Best Free Newspaper of the Year (Premios AEEPP), Company of the Year (Costa del Sol Business Awards) and Collaboration with Foreigners honours (Mijas Town Hall). All of this comes at ZERO cost to our readers. All our print and online content always has been and always will be FREE OF CHARGE.
Sign up for personalised news
Subscribe to our Euro Weekly News alerts to get the latest stories into your inbox!
By signing up, you will create a Euro Weekly News account if you don’t already have one. Review our Privacy Policy for more information about our privacy practices.
Close
