1000
There is a strong tradition of manufacturing footwear and leather goods in Portugal. The sector is made up of more than 1,000 companies, responsible for around 40,000 jobs.
2.3B
The footwear and leather goods cluster reached €2.23 billion in exports in 2025, demonstrating resilience in the face of economic challenges and maintaining sustainable growth. Even in a volatile global market, Portugal increased footwear exports, reaching 68 million pairs (+0.8%) in 2025.
174
Portugal offers a complete and highly specialized ecosystem that includes footwear manufacturers, tanneries, component producers, and leather goods manufacturers. This cluster operates in a vertically integrated way, ensuring quality control, rapid response capacity, and greater production flexibility, which is why its products were sold in 174 countries across all continents.
80M
In 2025, Portugal produced 80 million pairs of shoes, exporting 90% of its production. Portugal even outperformed countries such as Italy and Spain and faced the contraction of the Chinese footwear industry, reinforcing its strong competitive position in the global market.
82%
Portugal is one of the world’s leading exporters of high-quality leather footwear, with 82% of exports concentrated in this segment, while also showing strong growth in new product categories. Major international brands, including luxury labels, are increasingly turning to “Made in Portugal”. The country’s focus on leather footwear is directly linked to a strategy that combines quality, durability, and comfort.
100M
Over the past three years, the sector has invested €100 million under the PRR in innovation and sustainability, the largest investment program in the history of the Portuguese footwear industry. The Portuguese industry aims to become the most modern in the world.
Photo: Pedro Ferreira with Ana Caracol
Silver piece: Topázio × Luís Carvalho
