According to official data released by the China Leather Industry Association (CLIA), China’s leather industry, which includes leather, footwear, leather garments, bags and cases sectors recorded exports worth $19.05 billion from January to March 2026, the first quarter of 2026, down 4.22% year-on-year. Imports during the same period stood at $3.87 billion, rising 4.6%.

China’s footwear industry remained the largest contributor to exports during the first quarter of 2026. Footwear exports reached $9.42 billion, declining 8.0% year-on-year, while leather shoe export volumes increased 9.9% despite lower export value.

The tanning industry reported mixed performance during the period. Imports of raw hides and skins increased 1.9% in quantity, while imports of semi-finished leather and finished leather declined in both volume and value.

China’s leather garment sector showed strong growth in the first quarter. Leather garment exports rose 54.3% year-on-year to $33.535 million, while imports increased 27.8%.

Meanwhile, the bags and cases industry recorded exports worth $7.04 billion, down 1.1% year-on-year. Imports in the segment increased sharply by 20.7% to $1.48 billion during the same period.

In the upcoming articles, we will dive deeper into each product segment including tanning, footwear, leather garments and bags and cases to understand the sector-wise performance in detail.

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