Average Shoe Size by Country 2024

The average shoe size of different countries is relatively similar across the world. It has been estimated that the average global shoe size among adults is 9-12 for men and 7-9 for women (both US sizes). In the United States the average shoe size for men is believed to be 10-11, while the average shoe size for women is roughly 9 (again, both in US sizes).

What is the average shoe size in Europe?

Average shoe sizes vary only slightly by region (and often in parallel with average height). The average shoe size of someone in Europe falls somewhere between size 43 and size 46 on the European scale, which equates to a range of 10.5-12.5 in US men's sizes.

What are the challenges of determining the average shoe sizes in various countries?

It can be difficult to determine the average shoe size in a single country, let alone the collective average shoe size of the world as a whole. One complication is that unlike life-changing indicators such as Gross National Income (GNI) or cancer survival rates, shoe size is not considered a vital statistic by the various governments of the world. As such, governments do not officially track shoe sizes. Therefore, the task falls to independent entities, which often have fewer resources and may resort to manufacturers' and retailers' reported sales numbers to estimate averages.

Speaking of sales, shoes from different brands often run slightly larger or smaller than shoes of the same labeled size from a different brand or manufacturer, making average sizes slightly more challenging to compute.

Another more important complication is that there are many different scales for shoe size currently in use all over the world. For example, a men's size 10 shoe in the United States is a size 9 in the United Kingdom, between the sizes 42.5 and a 43 in Europe, and between 270 and 275-277.5 in the Mondopoint system used in Russia, Japan, China, and several other predominantly Asian countries. Additionally, many sizing systems add a width indicator as well (usually a letter).

To assist in avoiding the confusion that can arise from comparing disparate systems, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) has created a set of technical specifications designed to standardize conversions between various shoe sizing systems.

Which country has the person with the biggest feet?

The record for largest shoe size is widely believed to have been located in Venezuela, home of the Guinness Book of World Records holder for man with the biggest feet, Jeison Orlando Rodriguez Hernandez. At the age of twenty, Hernandez was measured to have feet that were approximately 16 inches long, which translates to a size 26 shoe on the United States scale—significantly larger than the vast majority of people in Venezuela, in the United States, and all over the world.

The woman with the largest feet in the world is Tanya Herbert, an American whose right foot measures 33.1 cm (13.03 in), a size 18 in US women's sizes. The largest feet ever measured belonged to Robert Wadlow, the tallest man in recorded history, whose 18.5-inch-long feet required a US size 37AA shoe.

Which person has the smallest feet in the World?

The adult with the smallest feet in the world is widely believed to be Jyoti Amge, an Indian woman whose feet have been measured at only 3.7 inches long. Born in 1993, Amge is the current Guiness World Record holder for the title of shortest living woman. Due to a genetic disorder known as primordial dwarfism, Amge's adult height is 62.8 centimeters (24.75 inches).