The Portuguese footwear industry has overtaken Spain to become the second largest footwear producer in Europe in 2022, with 85 million pairs manufactured, two million more than Spanish competitors.
Based on the final results of 2022 calculated by Eurostat, the Portuguese Association of Footwear, Components, Leather Articles and Their Substitutes (APICCAPS) highlights that, in the last decade, footwear production in Portugal increased by 14.4% (from 74 to 85 million pairs), which compares with a 14% decline (from 97 to 83 million) in the Spanish industry.
"Only Italy is better, even though, year after year, it is losing ground to Portugal", emphasizes the association in a statement, detailing that "Italian industry took a step back" and decreased 18.6% since 2012, to 162 million pairs produced in 2022, "far from the 199 million a decade earlier".
The association highlights that "in practical terms, in Europe, only Portugal has increased footwear production".
As a result, Portugal's share in European production increased by 34.3%, now reaching 17.1% of the total.
According to data provided by APICCAPS, 6,381 footwear companies are currently registered in Italy (down 25.8% in a decade), 2,808 in Spain (down 16.1% since 2012), and 2,428 in Portugal (down 5%).
The three countries, together, are responsible for practically 70% of European footwear production.
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