India, Bangladesh outperform China in footwear supply to U.S.

India and Bangladesh surpassed China in footwear supply to the U.S. In 2022, U.S. footwear imports from China did not reach the levels achieved in 2018.

However, imports from Bangladesh increased more than threefold, and imports from India soared by over 75 per cent in the last five years. Despite these changes, China remained the top footwear supplier by a significant margin. 

U.S. footwear imports from China were valued at $13.802 billion in 2022, higher than the 2021 figure of $11.242 billion. Imports peaked at $14.027 billion in 2018 but dropped to $13.224 billion in 2019. The Covid-19 pandemic in 2020 led to a steep decline in imports, falling to $8.264 billion, according to Fibre2Fashion's market insight tool TexPro. 

Nevertheless, U.S. footwear imports from Bangladesh rapidly recovered after Covid-related disruptions in 2020. Imports fell to $144.167 million in 2020 from $156.293 million in 2019, but they surged to $266.312 million in 2021 and further rose to $431.662 million in 2022. The trade volume increased 3.31 times from $130.199 million in 2018. 

Similarly, imports from India rose by 76.43 per cent to $771.672 million in 2022, up from $437.336 million in 2018. The shipments were recorded at $464.368 million in 2019, $300.614 million in 2020, $457.420 million in 2021, and $771.672 million in 2022, as per TexPro. Despite China's leading position in the trade, supplies from India and Bangladesh increased significantly.