This is a complete list of up-to-date Leather Industry statistics. On this page, you’ll find hand-picked stats.
So, without further ado, let’s see the stats!
Global Leather Industry Market Size
- The global market size for leather goods is projected to increase from $468.49 billion in 2023 to $738.61 billion by 2030, reflecting a CAGR of 6.7%. (Tech Crunch)
- The revenue in the luxury leather goods market is expected to reach US$13.02 billion in 2024. (Statista)
- The leather Footwear segment is projected to generate a revenue of US$132.40bn in 2024, with an estimated annual growth rate of 2.33% (CAGR 2024-2028). (Statista)
- The United States accounted for over 20% of global leather shoe imports’ value in 2022. (Statista)
- A 3%-4% growth in global sales of leather goods is seen in 2023. (Bain & Company)
- Revenue from leather and hide tanning and finishing in the USA was approximately 1,257 million U.S. dollars in 2022. (Statista)
- France Produced approximately 40 million euros worth of leather clothing in 2020. (Statista)
Global Leather Goods Exports
- China was the leading exporter of leather goods, with 30% of the global export value as of 2021. (Statista)
| Country | Export Value (%) |
| China | 30 |
| Italy | 20 |
| France | 15 |
| Vietnam | 6.4 |
| India | 2.6 |
Source: Statista
- India exported leather worth $1158.24 to the United States from 2021 to 2022. (Council for Leather Exports)
Global Imports Leather apparel and clothing accessories
The estimated value of global imports of leather apparel and clothing accessories was $7,907,476 in 2023.
| Importers | Imported value in 2023 |
| World | 7,907,476 |
| United States of America | 1,368,370 |
| Germany | 528,439 |
| France | 516,760 |
| China | 375,752 |
| Italy | 404,956 |
| United Kingdom | 251,779 |
Source: Trade Map
Alternative Leather Solutions
With the growing demand for leather and pollution of the world, different companies are moving toward alternative solutions to the leather gained from animal hides.
Gozen is a startup that innovates the lab-grown leather product “Lunaform,” a vegan and plastic-free biomaterial produced by microorganisms through fermentation. Applications include the fashion and automotive industries.
Bio-based leather alternatives are becoming more widely available at lower costs. (Mckinsey)
Funding Overview of Alternative Leather Startups
| Startup | Location | Funding Raised | Key Focus |
| Gelatex | Estonia | $1.3M | Plant-based, eco-friendly leather alternatives |
| Beyond Leather | Copenhagen | €1.2M | Plant-based, eco-friendly leather alternatives |
| VitroLabs | San Jose, USA | $54.4M | Stem cell-based leather manufacturing |
| Modern Meadow | USA | $183.6M | Lab-grown leather and other biomaterials |
| Gozen | Turkey / USA | $3.3M | Vegan, plastic-free biomaterial (Lunaform) |
Source: TechCrunch
Leather Goods Growth
- Accessories remained the largest category for personal luxury goods, with a growth of 2% to 4%. Specifically, leather goods saw a growth of 3% to 4%. (Bain & Company)
- Small leather goods are more popular among younger and aspirational consumers.(Bain & Company)
- In recent years, there has been strong growth in leather goods and shoes, but the growth has slowed down recently. (Bain & Company)
United States Leather Industry
Export Statistics
- Total Exports: The U.S. exported over $1.4 billion in combined cattle hides, pigskins, and semi-processed leather products in 2021, a $506 million increase from 2020.
- Salted Cattle hide Exports exceeded $959 million in value, a 67% increase from 2020.
- Wet Blue Cattle Hides: Exports totaled $451 million, a 53% increase from 2020.
- Pigskin Exports: Increased by 31% in value, surpassing $26 million.
Top Export Destinations of US leather products
- China is the largest buyer of salted cattle hides ($584 million) and wet blue cattle hides ($131 million).
- Other Major Markets: South Korea, Mexico, Thailand, and Vietnam.
EXPORT NUMBERS FOR U.S. BOVINE FRESH/WET SALTED HIDES
| Country | Number of Pieces | Value Thousand $ |
| World Total | 30353625 | 959563 |
| China/HK | 20463683 | 584849 |
| Korea | 2948686 | 124054 |
| Mexico | 3867295 | 117750 |
| Thailand | 1185570 | 55387 |
| Brazil | 439069 | 22477 |
| Taiwan | 451707 | 18390 |
| Japan | 159931 | 9571 |
| EU-27 | 232885 | 8704 |
Wages for Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing in the US (2023):
- Median hourly wages ranged from $16.51 to $24.15, with mean hourly wages ranging from $16.73 to $27.03.
- Median annual wages ranged from $34,350 to $50,230, with mean annual wages ranging from $34,800 to $56,210.
Increased Number of Private Establishments in the Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing Industry
Private Establishments in the Leather and Allied Product Manufacturing industry are increasing in the US over time.
Source: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS
Source: US Leather
Top Countries with Most Cattles
The main source of leather is animal skins and hides. Most Common leathers come from cattle. You can find below the main populations of cattle in the world
| Country | Cattle Population 2022 |
| Brazil | 234,352,649 |
| India | 193,606,913 |
| United States | 92,076,600 |
| Ethiopia | 67,961,433 |
| China | 61,390,129 |
| Argentina | 54,242,595 |
| Pakistan | 53,436,000 |
| Mexico | 36,338,366 |
| Chad | 35,749,982 |
UK Leather & Leather Goods Industry in 2023
UK global exports of Leather & Leather Goods
- Export values of leather and leather goods decreased by 6.7% in value in 2023 compared to 2022.
- On the other hand, Export volumes rose by 3.2%.
| Category | Value (£m) | Volume (ktonnes) | Change (%) Value vs 2023 | Change (%) Volume vs 2022 |
| Raw materials | 71.96 | 112.68 | -12.29 | -4.77 |
| Part-processed leather | 21.1 | 8.96 | -2.36 | -4.15 |
| Finished leather | 106.05 | 3.1 | -17.76 | -24.98 |
| Total exports | 199.12 | -14.4 |
UK Global Imports of Leather & Leather Goods
- Imports of leather and leather goods decreased by 9.91% in value in 2023 and by 22.86% in volume compared to 2022.
- The trade deficit decreased to £562 million in 2023 compared to £645 million in 2022.
| Category | Value (£m) | Volume (ktonnes) | Change (%) Value | Change (%) Volume |
| Raw materials | 4.6 | 5.35 | -39.24 | -26.89 |
| Part-processed leather | 11.57 | 2.69 | -18.7 | -21.96 |
| Finished leather | 105.67 | 5.97 | -19.58 | -22.86 |
| Total imports | 121.84 | NaN | -20.47 | NaN |
UK Trade with the Other European Countries
- EU accounted for 62% of bovine raw hides exports and over 90% of part-processed leather exports.
- EU accounted for 26% of finished leather exports from the UK.
- EU accounted for over 84% of all raw material and leather imports to the UK.
UK Trade in Raw Hides and Skins
- Northern Ireland remained the main exporter of raw hides to the UK.
- Top export destinations for raw hides included Italy, China, France, Germany, and Czechia.
- China and Türkiye were the main destinations for UK sheepskins.
UK Trade in Part-Processed and Finished Leather
- Italy and Belgium remained top export destinations for part-processed bovine leather.
- Morocco replaced the USA as the main export destination for finished bovine leather.
- The USA remained the largest export market for finished leather of other animals.
- India remained the main destination for chamois leather exports.
Source: Leathers UK
