Footwear imports have been racing in recent months and bringing concerns to the sector in Brazil. In July this year alone, the country imported US $ 66 million on shoes, the highest amount of dollars since the beginning of the historic series, which began in 1997.
According to the Brazilian Association of Footwear Industries (Abicalçados), 4.2 million pairs of footwear were imported in July, which represented 98.5% increase over the same period last year. In revenue, the increase was 89.6%.
In the first seven months of 2025, imports totaled 26.58 million pairs and US $ 337.8 million, which represented an increase in both volume (+27.5%) and revenue (+30.5%) compared to the same period of 2024.
Low exports
At the same time, exports are falling. In July, more than 7.18 million units were boarded, totaling US $ 76.74 million. This represented a 7.3% drop in volume and a retreat of 11.8% compared to revenue compared to the same month last year.
In the first seven months of 2025, exports are still positive, but in a decreasing pace. In the period, 59.88 million pairs were embarked abroad, an increase of 6.6%. These sales generated US $ 574 million, which represents a growth of 0.7%.
According to Abicalçados, the slowdown of exports is due to the intensification of international competition, mainly because China has been redirecting its exports from the United States to other markets, seeking to escape the surcharge that has been applied by the US government. With this, Brazilian exports to Europe and Latin America have been directly impacted.
