PUBLISHER: The Business Research Company | PRODUCT CODE: 1942708
PUBLISHER: The Business Research Company | PRODUCT CODE: 1942708
Diabetic footwear refers to therapeutic shoes designed for individuals with diabetes. These shoes are characterized by their broader and deeper construction compared to regular shoes, incorporating special protective inserts and soft materials. The design typically features a larger toe box to prevent squeezing of the toes and reduce the risk of bottom blisters (ulcers) caused by pressure and friction. The primary purpose of diabetic footwear is to alleviate pressure and address calluses on the bottom of the foot.
The main categories of diabetic footwear include shoes, sandals, and slippers. Diabetic shoes are crafted with special protective inserts and soft materials, aiming to enhance blood circulation, improve nerve sensation, provide a wide toe box, and offer massaging effects to alleviate pressure. These specialized footwear products are available through various distribution channels, including online platforms, specialty stores, and traditional footwear stores. Diabetic footwear caters to diverse end-users, including men and women.
Tariffs are influencing the diabetic footwear market by increasing costs of imported specialty materials, cushioning foams, orthopedic inserts, and manufacturing components. North America and Europe are most affected due to reliance on imported therapeutic materials, while Asia-Pacific faces cost pressure on footwear exports. These tariffs are increasing retail prices and impacting affordability for patients. However, they are also supporting local manufacturing, regional sourcing of materials, and innovation in cost-efficient diabetic footwear designs.
The diabetic footwear market research report is one of a series of new reports from The Business Research Company that provides diabetic footwear market statistics, including diabetic footwear industry global market size, regional shares, competitors with a diabetic footwear market share, detailed diabetic footwear market segments, market trends and opportunities, and any further data you may need to thrive in the diabetic footwear industry. This diabetic footwear market research report delivers a complete perspective of everything you need, with an in-depth analysis of the current and future scenario of the industry.
The diabetic footwear market size has grown rapidly in recent years. It will grow from $9.2 billion in 2025 to $10.15 billion in 2026 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.3%. The growth in the historic period can be attributed to rising prevalence of diabetes, increased awareness of diabetic foot complications, expansion of specialty footwear retail channels, growing physician recommendations for therapeutic footwear, availability of supportive footwear materials.
The diabetic footwear market size is expected to see strong growth in the next few years. It will grow to $14.74 billion in 2030 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 9.8%. The growth in the forecast period can be attributed to growing demand for customized orthopedic footwear, rising adoption of smart insole technologies, expansion of online distribution channels, increasing focus on preventive diabetic care, product innovation for enhanced comfort and mobility. Major trends in the forecast period include increasing demand for therapeutic footwear designs, growing use of pressure-relief insoles, expansion of customized diabetic footwear solutions, rising adoption of lightweight and breathable materials, enhanced focus on foot ulcer prevention.
The rising prevalence of diabetes is expected to drive the growth of the diabetic footwear market in the future. Diabetes is a chronic condition characterized by elevated blood glucose levels. Diabetic footwear plays a crucial role in preventing serious foot health issues associated with diabetes while offering benefits such as improved blood circulation, a wide toe box, and massaging features that alleviate pressure on pain-prone areas of the foot. For instance, in June 2023, a report from the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, a US-based independent population health research organization, projected that the number of diabetics would more than double to 1.3 billion over the next 30 years. Additionally, by 2050, the total number of individuals with diabetes is anticipated to reach 529 million. Thus, the growing number of diabetic patients is fueling the expansion of the diabetic footwear market.
Leading companies in the diabetic footwear market are concentrating on creating innovative products, such as smart shoes, to enhance patient care and improve health outcomes. These smart shoes typically feature advanced technologies, including pressure sensors and monitoring systems, that assist in the early detection of foot problems, thereby minimizing the risk of complications like ulcers and amputations. For example, in March 2024, nine students from Oman College of Health Sciences, an educational institution based in Oman, developed a smart shoe designed to reduce complications in diabetic patients. This groundbreaking footwear aims to tackle critical health issues related to diabetes, especially diabetic foot complications, which can result in severe outcomes such as foot ulcers and amputations.
In August 2025, DiabeticShoe, an India-based supplier of diabetic and orthopedic footwear, entered into a partnership with Carbon Meditek to broaden access to therapeutic and diabetic footwear products. Through this collaboration, both companies aim to improve the availability of clinically designed footwear for diabetic patients and individuals in need of orthopedic support. The partnership highlights the diabetic and orthopedic footwear market's increasing focus on accessibility, customized solutions, and patient-centric product distribution. Carbon Meditek is an India-based company that provides custom orthotic footwear, diabetic socks, and orthopedic support products.
Major companies operating in the diabetic footwear market are Podartis Srl Co., Orthofeet Inc., Dr. Comfort LLC, Drew Shoe Corp., Aetrex Worldwide Inc., Finn Comfort USA Inc., Apex Foot Health Industries LLC, Propet USA Inc., Anodyne Shoes LLC, P.W. Minor and Son Inc., Pedorthic Shoe Company, San Antonio Shoe Inc., DARCO International Inc., Diabetic Soles Inc., Orthopedic Footwear LLC, SureFit Footwear Inc., Ewidex Footwear Inc., Gravity Defyer Medical Footwear Inc., Orthoshoes Inc., Doctor Cutillas Footwear SL
North America was the largest region in the diabetic footwear market in 2025. The regions covered in the diabetic footwear market report are Asia-Pacific, South East Asia, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, North America, South America, Middle East, Africa.
The countries covered in the diabetic footwear market report are Australia, Brazil, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Taiwan, Russia, South Korea, UK, USA, Canada, Italy, Spain
The diabetic footwear market consists of sales of in-depth shoes, healing shoes, and custom-made shoes. Values in this market are 'factory gate' values, that is the value of goods sold by the manufacturers or creators of the goods, whether to other entities (including downstream manufacturers, wholesalers, distributors and retailers) or directly to end customers. The value of goods in this market includes related services sold by the creators of the goods.
The market value is defined as the revenues that enterprises gain from the sale of goods and/or services within the specified market and geography through sales, grants, or donations in terms of the currency (in USD unless otherwise specified).
The revenues for a specified geography are consumption values that are revenues generated by organizations in the specified geography within the market, irrespective of where they are produced. It does not include revenues from resales along the supply chain, either further along the supply chain or as part of other products.
Diabetic Footwear Market Global Report 2026 from The Business Research Company provides strategists, marketers and senior management with the critical information they need to assess the market.
This report focuses diabetic footwear market which is experiencing strong growth. The report gives a guide to the trends which will be shaping the market over the next ten years and beyond.
Where is the largest and fastest growing market for diabetic footwear ? How does the market relate to the overall economy, demography and other similar markets? What forces will shape the market going forward, including technological disruption, regulatory shifts, and changing consumer preferences? The diabetic footwear market global report from the Business Research Company answers all these questions and many more.
The report covers market characteristics, size and growth, segmentation, regional and country breakdowns, total addressable market (TAM), market attractiveness score (MAS), competitive landscape, market shares, company scoring matrix, trends and strategies for this market. It traces the market's historic and forecast market growth by geography.
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