Nepal claims annual exports of 30 million pairs

The country’s leather footwear exports go primarily to Malaysia, the UK, the USA, Germany and Macau.

In a recent press statement, The Footwear Manufacturer’s Association of Nepal stated that the nation’s shoemakers now export 30 million pairs annually, and that the country is moving towards becoming more self-reliant in footwear production.

According to the body’s general secretary Nirmal Bhattarai, the Nepali footwear industry has the capacity to produce 160 million pairs each year, and that 70 per cent of the domestic shoe consumption is manufactured by companies in Nepal.

The Association further stated that the footwear industry has a crucial role in the nation’s economic development by earning foreign exchange through footwear exports, as well as the generation of jobs.

The Observatory of Economic Complexity (OEC) has said that Nepal’s leather footwear exports go primarily to Malaysia, the UK, the USA, Germany and Macau, while data platform trendEconomy suggests the main overseas destinations for ‘other footwear’ are India, the USA, Japan and Canada.

Publishing Data

This article was originally published on page 3 of the April 2026 issue of SATRA Bulletin.

Other articles from this issue »

---