Women's Shoe Statistics

Posted on 15 September, 2023 by Laci

Top women’s shoe statistics

  • In 2023, the women’s shoe market size is estimated to reach almost $187 billion.
  • The forecasted compound annual growth rate of women’s shoe revenue from 2018 to 2027 is 4.2%.
  • North America is expected to dominate the 2023 market of women's shoes with a 21.25% share.
  • Asia Pacific, on the other hand, is the region foreseen to have the lowest market share of 18.66%.
  • The projected market value of women’s luxury shoes in 2023 is $29.10 billion.
  • By 2029, the women’s designer shoe market size is anticipated to expand to $39 billion.
  • The global revenue of the women’s non-athletic footwear industry in 2023 is estimated at around $128 billion.
  • While women in the US own 17 pairs of shoes on average, they only wear 3 pairs regularly.
  • Each year, women purchase an average of 3 pairs of shoes and spend $49 a pair.
  • The woman who holds the Guinness World Record for having the largest shoe collection is Darlene Flynn with over 16,000 pairs of shoes.
  • The average women’s shoe size around the world is 7 to 8.
  • In America, the average shoe size for women is 8.5 to 9.
  • 63% of shoes are for women, while 5.6% are for girls.
  • Women have 148% more boots brands to choose from than men.
  • Women also have 168% more clogs and 128% more slippers to choose from than men.
  • Jimmy Choo, a famous expensive brand, offers 99% of its shoes to women.
  • However, women’s shoes from Jimmy Choo are also more expensive than men’s by a median price difference of $245.
  • Nike only offers 34% of shoes to women. 
  • The median price difference between Nike’s men's and women's offerings is only $5, with men’s pairs as the more expensive.
  • 60% of women in the US are willing to continue wearing uncomfortable shoes for fashion.
  • More than 50% of women worldwide would rather be barefoot than tolerate painful shoes.
  • 50% of women’s shoe purchases are done solely because of their desire to buy, and not because they need to.
  • 19% of women buy shoes to satisfy their happiness.

Global women’s shoe market size

  • The projected market value of women’s shoes in 2023 is $186.86 billion.
  • In 2022, the market size reached a revenue of $179.33 billion.
  • The value of the women’s shoe market in 2021 was $172.10 billion.
  • Women’s shoe market size in 2019 gained $158.51 billion.
  • In 2018, the market’s worth was valued at around $152.12 billion.
  • From 2018 to 2027, the women’s shoe industry is anticipated to increase at a compound annual growth rate of 4.2%.
  • By 2027, the size of the women’s shoes global revenue is expected to grow to approximately $220 billion.

Year

Market value (in billions)

2018

$152.12

2019

$158.51

2020

$165.17

2021

$172.10

2022

$179.33

2023

$186.86

2024

$194.71

2025

$202.88

2026

$211.41

2027

$219.54

Women’s luxury shoe global market

  • The women’s luxury shoe worldwide market is anticipated to expand to $29.10 billion in 2023.
  • The industry of women’s luxury footwear reached a revenue of nearly $28 billion in 2022.
  • The market size of women’s high-end shoes is expected to rise at a compound annual growth rate of 5% from 2022 to 2029.
  • Accordingly, the market size is estimated to be worth $39 billion by 2029.

Year

Market value (in billions)

2022

$27.72

2023

$29.10

2024

$30.56

2025

$32.09

2026

$33.69

2027

$35.37

2028

$37.14

2029

$39.00

Global market size of women’s non-athletic shoes

  • The overall revenue of women’s non-athletic footwear is estimated to be worth $128.12 billion in 2023.
  • From 2023 up to 2028, the global women’s non-athletic shoe market is expected to expand at a compound annual growth rate of 3.68%.
  • Consequently, by 2028, the forecasted market value is about $153.5 billion.

Year

Market value (in billions)

2023

$128.12

2024

$132.83

2025

$137.72

2026

$142.79

2027

$148.05

2028

$153.49

How many shoes does an average woman have?

  • American ladies possess an average of 17 pairs of shoes.
  • However, only 3 pairs are worn regularly. 
  • 50% of women own over 10 pairs and 13% of women have more than 30 pairs but only 39% consider themselves as a “shoe person.”
  • Every 1 out of 12 women owns 100 or over than a hundred pairs of shoes.
  • On average, women purchase about 3 pairs per year and spend $49 per pair.
  • For every 7 ladies, 1 admits to keeping at least one of their purchases a secret from their partners.

Women’s average shoe size

  • The global average shoe size for adult women is 7 to 8.
  • In the US, the average shoe size of women is 8.5 to 9.
  • The typical shoe size of women in the UK is 6.5 or 7.
  • Australian ladies have an average shoe size of 7.5 while most Japanese adult women fit 5.5 shoes.
  • Adult women aged 20 and above and heights between 4’9” and 5’3” have an average shoe size of 5 to 8.5.
  • 5’4” to 5’7” ladies usually have shoe sizes from 6.5 to 10.
  • Taller adult women with height that ranges from 5’6” to 6” have an average shoe size of 9 to 15.
  • Pregnancy, especially for first-time mothers, can decrease feet arches, and consequently increase foot length by 0.1 up to 0.4 inches. 

Country

Average shoe size (US size)

The United States

8.5 to 9

The United Kingdom

6.5 to 7

Japan

5.5

Australia

7.5

Height

Average shoe size (US size)

4’9” to 5’3”

5 to 8.5

5’4” to 5’7”

6.5 to 10

5’6” to 6’ or taller

9 to 15

Women vs. men shoe statistics

  • With 63% of shoes intended for women, they have the most pairs to choose from.
  • Women are followed by girls with the most shoe selections as 5.6% of shoes are offered to them.
  • As of 2017, there are around 1,060 brands that sell women's shoes.
  • Compared to men, women have more than 87% more brands to choose from.
  • It is estimated that women spend double as much as men when purchasing shoes.

Brand count by shoe categories

  • 7 out of 12 shoe categories are offered by more brands to women than men.
  • There are around 25% more brands that sell athletic footwear to ladies than gents.
  • Women have 568% and 142% more brands to choose sandals and slippers from compared to men.
  • 163% more brands have women’s boots than men’s boots.
  • Men lead in the brand count for oxfords, sneakers, and loafers by 495%, 4%, and 10%, respectively than women.
  • There are also 46% and 15% more brands that offer outdoor and work shoes to men than to women.

Shoe category

Brand count for women

Brand count for men

Oxfords

22

131

Sneakers

166

172

Loafers & Slip-ons

105

116

Athletic

144

115

Work & Safety

34

39

Outdoor

41

60

Mules & Clogs

68

20

Slippers

58

24

Sandals

474

71

Boots

500

190

Pumps

340

0

Flats

199

0

Shoe count by shoe categories

  • There are 8 out of 12 shoe categories in which women’s shoe count dominates over men’s.
  • There are 787,784 shoe counts for women in a total of 12 categories.
  • For men, there are only 345,121 shoes offered in 10 categories.
  • Compared to men, women have 1062% more clogs and 352% more slippers to select from.
  • However, when it comes to oxfords, men have 747% more shoe choices than women.
  • Fellas also have 62% more loafers, 41% more sneakers, and 20% more athletic footwear to choose from compared to ladies.

Shoe category

Shoe count for women

Shoe count for men

Oxfords

5,778

48,935

Sneakers

46,572

65,857

Loafers & Slip-ons

25,817

41,703

Athletic

57,986

69,299

Work & Safety

6,133

3,624

Outdoor

15,399

11,704

Mules & Clogs

14,031

1,207

Slippers

22,325

4,935

Sandals

152,625

16,017

Boots

221,519

81,840

Pumps

157,045

0

Flats

62,554

0

Shoe listings of expensive brands by gender

  • Aquazzura is a high-end brand with 100% of their shoes marketed and sold to women.
  • 99% of the footwear offered by Stella McCartney is for women.
  • Jimmy Choo is another designer brand that sells 98% of their shoe models to ladies.
  • Givency, with an estimated net worth of almost $65 million, has 96% of its footwear selection intended for women.
  • 90% of Valentino’s pairs are available for girls.
  • Louboutin and Fendi are expensive brands that both have 88% of their shoe catalogs with ladies as target markets.

Brand

Percentage of women’s shoes

Percentage of men’s shoes

Aquazzura

100%

0%

Stella McCartney

99%

1%

Jimmy Choo

98%

2%

Givenchy

96%

4%

Valentino

90%

10%

Christian Louboutin

88%

12%

Fendi

88%

12%

Saint Laurent

77%

23%

Gianvito Rossi

77%

23%

Maison Margiela

65%

35%

Women’s vs. men’s median shoe prices for the most expensive brands

  • Out of all these 10 brands, only Christian Louboutin offers more expensive shoes to men than women, with a median price difference of $298.
  • Women’s shoes from Gianvito Rossi are $281 pricier than their men’s offerings.
  • Valentino women’s shoe selection has a median price of $975, while men’s only have a $707 median price.
  • Jimmy Choos for men are $245 generally more affordable than their women pairs.
  • The difference between the median prices of women’s and men’s pairs from Saint Laurent is $200, with the women’s selection as the more costly.
  • Maison Margiela women’s pairs are also more expensive than the men’s pair with a $150 difference.
  • The prices of men's and women’s shoes from Fendi and Givenchy are closer to each other with only $50 and $35 deviation. 

Brand

Women’s Median Price

Men’s Median Price

Difference

Christian Louboutin

$875

$1,173

$298

Gianvito Rossi

$750

$469

$281

Valentino

$975

$707

$268

Jimmy Choo

$695

$450

$245

Saint Laurent

$795

$595

$200

Maison Margiela

$739

$589

$150

Fendi

$650

$700

$50

Givenchy

$730

$695

$35

  • 62% of all the Skechers pairs are intended for women.
  • ASICS and Converse are brands that sell 50% of their shoes to women and 50% to men.
  • New Balance has 43% of its shoe selections available to women.
  • 40% of K-Swiss footwear have women as their target market.
  • Women’s shoes cover 36% of the pairs offered by Reebok and PUMA.
  • Nike and Vans have more men’s offerings by 66% and 67% compared to women’s.
  • Adidas only has 27% of its footwear products catering to women.

Brand

Percentage of women’s shoes

Percentage of men’s shoes

Skechers

62%

38%

ASICS

50%

50%

Converse

50%

50%

New Balance

43%

57%

K-Swiss

40%

60%

Reebok

36%

64%

PUMA

36%

64%

Nike

34%

66%

Vans

33%

67%

adidas

27%

73%

Men’s shoes offered by popular brands are generally more high-priced than women’s pairs.

  • Vans sneakers for men are $10 more costly than women’s kicks.
  • The difference between the median prices of men’s and women’s pairs from Skechers is $6, with women’s shoes being cheaper.
  • The sneakers offered to men by Converse, Nike, and Adidas are all $5 more expensive than pairs for women.
  • K-Swiss pairs for ladies are pricier than men but only by $1.
  • The median price of the ASICS shoes for men and women are both $70 while for PUMA, both are $50.

Brand

Women’s Median Price

Men’s Median Price

Difference

Vans

$40

$50

$10

Skechers

$45

$51

$6

Converse

$40

$45

$5

Nike

$80

$85

$5

adidas

$70

$75

$5

Reebok

$54

$58

$4

New Balance

$58

$61

$2

K-Swiss

$51

$50

$1

ASICS

$70

$70

$0

PUMA

$50

$50

$0

Which woman owns the most pair of shoes?

  • Darlene Flynn holds the record of having the largest shoe collection reaching more than 16,000 pairs.
  • With over 10,000 pairs in her closet, Celine Dion is also one of the women who acquired the most pairs.
  • Danielle Steel, an American writer, owns at least 6,000 pairs.
  • The controversial Imelda Marcos, the wife of the late dictator of the Philippines, Ferdinand Marcos, had more than 3,400 pairs of shoes.
  • Paris Hilton has almost 2,000 pairs of shoes.

How many women suffer from painful shoes

  • 90% of American women own at least a pair of painful shoes.
  • 60% of women are willing to tolerate painful shoes in the name of fashion.
  • Almost 60% also got blisters because of shoes.
  • 24% of women have fallen because of their shoes.
  • Around 33% of women worldwide became unable to walk properly for days because of wearing an incorrect size of shoes.
  • Over 80% of American women wear painful pairs at least once per month.
  • 41% wear uncomfortable shoes at least four times monthly.
  • 40% of women in the US own shoes that are painful to walk in but still decide to wear them.
  • 44% of women still proceed wearing shoes that they’re sure will hurt their feet at least twice a month.
  • Over half of the women around the world would prefer walking or dancing barefoot than continuing to wear painful shoes.
  • 1/3 of the women's global population admits carrying a spare pair of comfortable shoes.
  • 35% had their night ruined because of painful shoes while 14% of adult ladies brought their night outs to an early end.
  • 32% of women are using shoes that are not their size.

Why women shop for shoes

  • Half of the shoe purchases of women derive from wants and not needs.
  • 19% of women shop for shoes to make themselves happy.
  • 28% of ladies believe that shoes are an essential element of their outfit.
  • More than 50% of girls notice shoes that other people are wearing.

Sources

Author
Laci
Laci
Laci is a contemporary dancer turned shoe aficionado. She is the most knowledgeable person when it comes to athletic shoes, size conversions and details people nitpick about footwear. She keeps the RunRepeat content gears turning 24/7. And she walks 20miles/week.