According to official data released by the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA) China’s leather industry is under clear pressure in 2025 as exports and imports all moved lower during the first ten months of the year.
From January to October 2025 the sales revenue of key leather enterprises in China fell by 6.8% compared to the same period last year.
Exports from the chinese leather industry which also includes footwear, leather garments, bags and cases stood at USD 68.71 billion during this period. This marks a drop of 9.9% year on year.
Imports also declined with total inbound shipments valued at USD 12.68 billion down by 11.8%.
If we look only at the tanning industry it had a sharper impact. Sales revenue of key tanneries reached 43 billion RMB from January to October 2025. This figure represents a year on year decline of 10.4%.
Imports of raw hides and skins reached 1.174 million tons in volume with a value of USD 0.93 billion (USD 930 Million). This reflects a fall of 4.3% in quantity and 16.4% in value.
China also imported 487,000 tons of semi finished leather during the same period. Volumes declined by 5.7% while the import value slipped to USD 0.71 billion (USD 710 Million) down 17.1% year on year.
Finished leather imports saw one of the steepest drops. Total volume stood at 30,000 tons valued at USD 0.47 billion (USD 470 Million). This is a decline of 15.6% in quantity and 16.5% in value compared to last year.
In the coming days we will delve deeper into other categories to understand where the pressure is building and what it means for manufacturers traders and exporters.
