Many people have a hard time finding their size in a shoe store, and it is even more difficult to find a shoe that fits in an appealing style. This is partly because the most popular sneaker sizes for both men and women are getting larger and larger every few decades.

Related: List of Nike Shoes that Run Big | Small | True to Size

Men‘s to Women’s Shoe Size Conversion

Men’s Sizing	Women’s Sizing
5.5	7
6	7.5
6.5	8
7	8.5
7.5	9
8	9.5
8.5	10
9	10.5
9.5	11

Average Shoe Sizes for Men & Women World Wide

In the US, the average shoe size is 11 for men and 8.5 for women. Globally, the average shoe size for men is between 9 and 12 with an average of 10.5, and women’s average shoes size is between 7 and 9 with an average of 8.

Height also plays a role in average shoe sizes. Taller people generally have bigger feet, and shorter people usually have smaller feet, although there are exceptions as everyone’s feet are slightly different.

Men’s average shoe size based on height: The average shoe size for an average American men who are 6 feet tall is between 11 to 12. The average eight for Asian men are 5’7”, and their shoe size is around 8.5 to 9.5.

Men Height	Average Shoe size
Under 5’5″	7 – 9
5’6″ – 5’9″	9.5 – 10.5
5’10” – 6’2″	11 – 12.5
6’3″+	13 – 20+

Men’s international shoe size conversion chart (CM to Inches)

CM	IN	USA	UK	Euro	China	Japan	Korea
22.8	9	3½	3	35	35	21.5	228
23.1	9⅛	4	3½	35½	36	22	231
23.5	9¼	4½	4	36	37	22.5	235
23.8	9⅜	5	4½	37	38	23	238
24.1	9½	5½	5	37½	39	23.5	241
24.5	9⅝	6	5½	38	39.5	24	245
24.8	9¾	6½	6	38½	40	24.5	248
25.1	9⅞	7	6½	39	41	25	251
25.4	10	7½	7	40	–	25.5	254
25.7	10⅛	8	7½	41	42	26	257
26	10¼	8½	8	42	43	26.5	260
26.3	10⅜	9	8½	43	43.5	27	263
26.7	10½	9½	9	43½	44	27.5	267
27	10⅝	10	9½	44	44.5	28	270
27.3	10¾	10½	10	44½	45	28.5	273
27.6	10⅞	11	10½	45	46	29	276
27.9	11	11½	11	45½	–	29.5	279
28.3	11⅛	12	11½	46	47	30	283
28.6	11¼	12½	12	46½	47.5	30.5	286
28.9	11⅜	13	12½	47	48	31	289
29.2	11½	13½	13	47½	–	31.5	292

Women’s average shoe size based on height: An Asian woman who is between 4’9” and 5’3” normally has feet that range from 5 to 8.5 in U.S. sizes. Women who are between 5’4” and 5’7” may wear shoes in sizes from 6.5 to 9.5, and women who are 5’8” or taller might wear sizes 9 to 13.

Women Height	Average Shoe size
Under 5’3″	5 to 8.5
5’4″ – 5’7″	6.5 to 10
5’8″+	9 to 15

Women’s international shoe size conversion chart (CM to Inches)

CM	IN	US	UK	Euro	China	Japan	Korea
22.8	9	5	2½	35	35.5	21	228
23.1	9⅛	5½	3	35½	36	21.5	231
23.5	9¼	6	3½	36	37	22	235
23.8	9⅜	6½	4	37	37.5	22.5	238
24.1	9½	7	4½	37½	38	23	241
24.5	9⅝	7½	5	38	39	23.5	245
24.8	9¾	8	5½	38½	39.5	24	248
25.1	9⅞	8½	6	39	40	24.5	251
25.4	10	9	6½	40	41	25	254
25.7	10⅛	9½	7	41	41.5	25.5	257
26	10¼	10	7½	42	42	26	260
26.7	10½	10½	8	43	43	27	267
27.3	10¾	12	9½	44	44.5	28	273
27.9	11	13	10½	45	46	29	279
28.6	11¼	14	11½	46½	47	30	286
29.2	11½	15½	13	48½	48	31	292

However, it is important to consider the width of your foot because your foot might be a size 9 in length, but if you have a foot that is wide near the top, you might need a shoe that is slightly bigger as well as extra-wide to allow your toes to spread properly in your shoes when you are running or doing other activities.

For women, life events such as pregnancy can also affect shoe size. When women are pregnant, they often notice their feet become wider, and this change can be temporary due to extra weight or permanent because of the hormone relaxin secreted in the placenta that loosens the foot’s ligaments.

How to Measure Your Feet Size at Home

1. Tape a sheet of paper on the floor.
2. Put your foot on the paper with your leg slightly bent and your shin in front of your ankle.
3. Trace the outline of your bare foot.
4. Draw a straight line on each side of your foot, so that it looks like your tracing is in a rectangle.
5. Use a ruler to measure the inches between the two parallel lines on each side of your foot—top to bottom and side to side.
6. Subtract 3/16 of an inch from each measurement.

These shoe size tables will help you find your true size once the measuring process is complete.

USA Men’s Shoe Size (Inches)

Size	Length in Inches
6	9 1/4″ (9.4 in)
6.5	9 1/2″ (9.5 in)
7	9 5/8″ (9.6 in)
7.5	9 3/4″ (9.8 in)
8	9 15/16″ (10.0 in)
8.5	10 1/8″ (10.1 in)
9	10 1/4″ (10.2 in)
9.5	10 7/16″ (10.5 in)
10	10 9/16″ (10.6 in)
10.5	10 3/4″ (10.7 in)
11	10 15/16″ (11.0 in)
11.5	11 1/8″ (11.1 in)
12	11 1/4″ (11.3 in)
13	11 9/16″ (11.6 in)
14	11 7/8″ (11.9 in)
15	12 3/16″ (12.2 in)
16	12 1/2″ (12.5 in)

USA Women’s Shoe Size (Inches)

Size	Length in Inches
4	8 3/16″ (8.2 in)
4.5	8 5/16″ (8.4 in)
5	8 11/16″ (8.5 in)
5.5	8 13/16″ (8.7 in)
6	9″ (8.9 in)
6.5	9 3/16″ (9.1 in)
7	9 5/16″ (9.3 in)
7.5	9 1/2″ (9.4 in)
8	9 11/16″ (9.5 in)
8.5	9 13/16″ (9.7 in)
9	10″ (9.9 in)
9.5	10 3/16″ (10.0 in)
10	10 5/16″ (10.2 in)
10.5	10 1/2″ (10.3 in)
11	10 11/16″ (10.5 in)
11.5	10 13/16″ (10.7 in)
12	11″ (10.9 in)

How to Figure out Your True Shoe Size

Measure your foot from the heel to the tip of your longest toe at the end of the day in case of any expansion or swelling. Make sure to measure both of your feet because many people have feet that are different sizes, and it is crucial to buy shoes that are big enough for the larger foot.

Note both the length and the width, as people can have many different combinations, such as a long foot that is narrow or a small foot that is extra wide.

If your size is in the middle of two sizes, go with the larger size to avoid issues with discomfort and foot pain.

Be careful not to assume that your size in one sneaker is automatically the same in another—the make and brand of each shoe causes it to fit differently, and sometimes the difference is so slight that it might not be noticeable right away. However, if you start to develop foot pain over time, it is crucial to see a podiatrist, as many people do not realize that the cause of foot problems often stems from wearing shoes that are just a bit too small.

In fact, according to the study from the College of Podiatry, out of 2,000 adults, one-third of the men (34 percent) and nearly half of the women (46 percent) had bought shoes that did not quite fit. Unfortunately, twice as many respondents bought shoes that were too small than too big.

Below is a chart with a summary of their reasons with the corresponding percentages.

Twenty percent of the people surveyed said they had trouble finding shoes that are wide enough, and 51 percent said they struggled to find shoes that are comfortable, but still stylish. Seventeen percent of the respondents said they had never even had their feet measured before.

Even if your feet are measured by an expert at a shoe store, make sure that the shoes in that size are actually comfortable for your feet. Feet vary quite drastically from person to person in shape and past injuries, so even if you are told your best size on paper, it may need slight adjustments when it comes to sneakers in different brands or styles.

Why average shoe sizes are increasing

Interestingly, people’s feet are getting larger over time. In fact, during the past thirty years, the foot of an average woman has increased by more than a size, according to an article in Time. This is mostly caused by increased access to high-calorie foods during childhood, when we are still developing. An average woman wore a size 3.5–4 in the beginning of the 20^th century, and a 5.5 in the 1940s. In the ‘70s, the average size was 7.5—a full size smaller than it is now.

This increase in the size of women’s feet has also been noticed in other countries such as the United Kingdom.

Tragically, having to buy shoes in a large size has caused many women such embarrassment that they buy shoes that are too small, leading to foot pain and possibly worse complications over time, such as headaches and back pain. Often, the shoes in larger sizes do not look as stylish and give women fewer options when it comes to fashion.

Worse yet, many shoe stores still do not even carry shoes that are large enough for what is becoming the majority of the female population, causing difficulties and further embarrassment when women have to special order shoes that actually fit. The problem is that stores cannot send back what they do not sell, so many still refuse to buy bigger shoes, even though the demand for those sizes is growing more and more over time.

A Word from Love at First Fit

If your feet fall outside of the range of what you would consider “normal,” do not worry. As the years go by, feet are getting bigger and bigger, and thus, the most popular sneaker sizes are also growing larger and larger. If your feet are not in the average range right now, they are bound to be eventually.

What is more important is having shoes that fit well and do not cause you pain. By measuring your feet accurately and being flexible enough to adjust that number based on the style of sneaker and what feels comfortable to you, you will find exactly the right sneaker size for your individual needs.