India’s leather industry already has a strong global footprint. Indian leather, leather products and footwear are exported to more than 150 countries showing wide acceptance across developed and emerging markets. By Leather News.

In FY 2023-24 India exported $4.69 billion worth of leather, leather products and footwear. What stands out is Europe’s dominance among key buyers.

Out of India’s top 10 leather export destinations 7 are European Union countries. These are Germany, Italy, France, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands and Poland.

Together these 7 EU countries imported leather, leather products and footwear worth about $1.61 billion from India in FY 2023-24. Within the top 10 destinations the EU alone accounts for around 34% of India’s total leather exports.

Germany is the largest EU buyer of Indian leather, leather products and footwear with imports of $535 million. Italy follows at $319 million. France, Spain, Belgium, Netherlands and Poland together add another $756 million in FY 2023-24.

This shows that demand is spread across Western and Central Europe and not limited to one country.

The top three markets overall USA, Germany and UK account for 42.42% of India’s leather exports. This confirms that Indian leather is already strong in regulated high value markets.

The India EU trade deal is not just about tariffs. It is about job creation, competitiveness and where India stands in global supply chains over the next decade.