Bangladesh's non leather footwear export growth slows in FY2025-26
Bangladesh's non leather footwear exports grew just 1.6% in FY2025-26 as financing constraints, high production costs and capacity limitations offset opportunities created by global sourcing diversification under the "China Plus One" strategy.
LW Desk
Bangladesh's non leather footwear exports slowed significantly in FY2025-26, growing just 1.6% to US $531 million from US $522 million a year earlier, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB). The category includes synthetic, rubber, plastic and textile footwear
The sector had staged a strong recovery over the previous two years after exports declined from US$449 million in FY2021-22 to US $385 million in FY2022-23 amid weak demand in key markets such as the United States and Europe. Exports rebounded to US $417 million in FY2023-24 before growth slowed again in the latest fiscal year.
Combined with leather footwear exports of US$691 million, Bangladesh's total footwear exports stood at US $1.22 billion in FY2025-26 well below regional competitors such as Vietnam, which exports more than US$25 billion annually, and Indonesia, with exports exceeding US $6 billion.
Industry leaders attribute the slowdown to limited investment rather than weak demand. They believe that improved political stability, better access to financing and policy support will be essential for Bangladesh to fully capitalize on global sourcing diversification and strengthen its position in the international footwear market.
