Shoe Ownership Statistics

This report aggregates a variety of statistics including historical and up-to-date numerical data, future projections, and other vital figures about shoe ownership around the world.  

Top shoe ownership statistics 

• The global shoe ownership average is 7 to 8 pairs per person.
• There are still about 1 billion people in the world who don’t own a pair of shoes. 300 million of these are children.
• In the United States, an average person owns 6 pairs of shoes. 
• Nevada is the top state in terms of ownership with 19 pairs per person. San Antonio, Texas, on the other hand, topped all US cities with an average of 12 pairs per person. 
• The majority of both men (27.6%) and women (19.8%) own 3 pairs of shoes. 
• Sports and leisure workers own the most number of shoes in terms of profession. They own 20 pairs of shoes on average. 
• In terms of age groups, those who are 25-34 years old own the most at 9 pairs per person. 
• 60.12% of the shoes owned by women are sneakers. For men, 37.5% are athletic shoes. 
• Jordan Geller was awarded with the biggest shoe collection of more than 2,500 shoes in 2013. Today, DJ Khaled reportedly owns the biggest collection with 10,000+ shoes. 

Shoe ownership by country

• The global shoe ownership average is 7 to 8 pairs per person. 
• In the United States, the average number of pairs owned by one person is 6. 
• British women own 30-35 pairs of shoes on average. Meanwhile, British men own 18. 
• Additionally, 13% of British women own more than 100 pairs of shoes. This is equivalent to approximately 4 million people. 
• In Australia, women on average have 11 pairs of shoes on their racks. 
• However, in India, the average shoe ownership is 2 pairs per person. 
• Furthermore, there are an estimated 1 billion people across the globe who do not have shoes. 
• Over 300 million children worldwide can’t go to school because of the lack of footwear. 

Shoe ownership in the United States

• The top state in terms of shoe ownership is Nevada with 19 pairs of shoes per person.
• Arkansas and South Dakota trail with 11 and 10 pairs of shoes for each person. 
• Tied in fourth place are North Dakota, Connecticut, New Jersey, Vermont, Delaware, California, Wisconsin, and Virginia with 8 pairs a person. 

Shoe ownership by US state

• In terms of US cities, an average person from San Antonio, Texas, owns 12 pairs of shoes. 
• Another Texas city, Austin, averages 10 pairs per person. 
• On average, 10 pairs of shoes are owned by each individual living in Los Angeles, California. 
• New York, New York citizens own 8 pairs of shoes on average. 
• Completing the top 5 list is Detroit, Michigan. An average person there owns 7 pairs of shoes. 

Shoe ownership by US city

Shoe ownership by gender

• 54.6% of men own 2-3 pairs of shoes. 
• That is, 27.6% own 3 pairs of shoes while 27% own 2 pairs of shoes. 
• Only, 4.4% of men own more than 10 pairs of footwear. 
• For women, 19.3% owns 3 pairs. 
• 65% of women own less than five pairs of shoes. 
• However, 8.9%, or 9 of every 100 women own more than 10 pairs of shoes. 

Shoe ownership of men and women

• So far in 2023, 27 is the average number of pairs owned by women. 
• In 2011, the figure was 17. Back in 2007, it was 19. 
• Presently in the United States, an average female owns 19 pairs of shoes. 
• 15% of the US women's population owns more than 30 pairs of shoes. 
• 43% of women who own a stiletto have experienced moderate injuries. Also, about 8% have experienced serious injuries. 
• Of all the shoes they own, women use only 4-5 pairs of shoes regularly. 
• On the other hand, men own an average of 12 shoe pairs.
• Men keep their shoes for around 3-4 years before buying a new one.

Average pairs of shoes owned by women

Shoe ownership by occupation

• Sports and leisure workers own the most number of shoes, averaging 20 pairs per person. 
• Recruiters grab the silver spot with 14 pairs on average. 
• Meanwhile, bankers are close to third with an average of 12 pairs of shoes. 
• Basketball players reportedly own about 200 pairs of shoes 

Shoe ownership by occupation

Shoe ownership by age group

• Consumers aged 25-34 own the most number of shoes with 9 on average.
• Adults belonging to the 35-44 age group, on the other hand, own an average of 8 pairs of shoes. 
• Meanwhile, those aged from 16 to 24 own 7 pairs of shoes on average. 

Shoe ownership by age group

• Men aged 18-34 own the most number of shoes. In this age group, the average is 15 pairs per person. 
• 11 is the average number of shoes owned by men aged 35-44. 
• Additionally, men between the ages of 45 and 54 own about 9 pairs of shoes. 

Average pairs of shoes owned by men by age group

Shoe ownership by type

• 60.12% of the footwear owned by women are sneakers. 
• 10.7% are boots while 9.24% are flip-flops or sandals. 
• Furthermore, 19.94% of the shoes owned by women include athletic and other type of shoes.
• For men, about 50% of the shoes they own are sneakers and boots. 
• Only 12.5% of the footwear owned by men are sandals or flip-flops. 
• However, 37.5% or the majority of the shoes owned by men belong to others. This includes sports shoes for running and basketball among others. 

Type of shoes owned by men and women

Notable shoe collectors of the world

• Currently, it is reported that DJ Khaled houses the biggest shoe collection in the world with over 10,000 shoes. 
• Women collectors, Ariana, Dakota, and Dresden Peters, collectively known as Chicks with Kicks, estimated that their 25-year-old shoe collection reached about 6,000 pairs in 2016. 
• Michael Jordan is also one of the top shoe collectors in the world with no less than 4,000 pairs. 
• Former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos, reportedly owned 3,000 pairs of designer and locally-made shoes. According to reports, 253 of her shoes are currently on display while 467 are kept in storage. 
• The Guinness world record holder of the biggest shoe collection in 2013 was Jordan Geller. During the time of his award, he amassed about 2,500 pairs of shoes in total. He later sold his collection.

Notable shoe collectors 

Sources