72% of Women Wear the Wrong Shoe Size, Study Finds

Foot health is determined by many factors, and a big one is how well—or not so well—our shoes fit. Many of us don’t give this point a whole lot of thought, though. After all, when’s the last time you used that old-school shoe-sizer before you made your purchase?

But as a new study published in the International Journal of Fashion Design, Technology, and Education suggests, you might want to rethink defaulting to your typical size. When researchers looked at the foot measurements of 107 Australian women and compared them to the shoe sizes they wore, they discovered most of them didn’t match their actual foot length: Most women were technically wearing the wrong size shoe.

Meet the Experts: Daniel Stewart, D.P.M., a podiatric physician from Miami and medical advisor at Stride Soles; and Rizwan Tai, D.P.M., podiatrist, podiatric surgeon, and owner of Vital Podiatry in Houston.

When looking at U.S. sizing, 72% of participants did not wear the proper shoe size. In EU sizing, 65% wore ill-fitting shoes. In both cases, over half of the participants’ shoes were too big because they had sized up to accommodate the width of their feet. What’s more, 68% of the women also reported struggling to find well-fitting shoes in general.

That’s a significant number of people wearing uncomfortable and improper footwear. Below, podiatrists explain why this issue is so common—and what people can do to avoid it.

What the findings mean

Shoe sizing isn’t a perfect science, and it tends to focus more on foot length than width, which is where fit issues tend to arise. “Women with essentially the same foot length could differ by as much as 40 millimeters, or about 1.6 inches, in circumference around the widest part of the foot,” explains Daniel Stewart, D.P.M., a podiatric physician from Miami and medical advisor at Stride Soles. That means one woman can feel comfy in a certain size shoe, but another who has the same foot length but a wider width might feel scrunched.

“I actually wouldn’t say [women] are necessarily choosing the ‘wrong’ size,” Dr. Stewart adds, regarding the mismatch between shoe sizes and actual foot length in the study. “The bigger issue is that shoe sizing is overwhelmingly based on length, while feet are three-dimensional.” So, as the study found, in order to account for tighter widths, many women end up moving up a size—making the length a little too long for their feet.

The problem is, there is a general lack of wide shoes and brands, especially for women, podiatrists say, which can make it difficult to choose sizes that fit both length and width. When you also take into consideration the fact that shoe trends don’t always support foot health and sizing is inconsistent among brands, improper fit becomes more and more likely.

Why is shoe fit important for foot health?

Proper shoe fit affects the quality of our lives, says Rizwan Tai, D.P.M., podiatrist, podiatric surgeon, and owner of Vital Podiatry in Houston. Not only can poor fit cause foot pain, but it can also impair blood circulation (if it’s too tight) or balance and posture (if it’s too loose), Dr. Tai adds. Over time, those symptoms can compound or even create conditions like bunions, hammertoes, plantar fasciitis, calluses, and even chronic falls, he notes.

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How to make sure your shoes fit properly

In general, a shoe should “secure the foot without compressing it,” says Dr. Stewart. In most shoe stores, and even in some physical therapy offices, you can recruit help with measuring your feet using a standard shoe sizing tool known as a Brannock device, which measures foot length, arch length, and width.

“Measure both feet, because they aren’t always identical,” notes Dr. Stewart, and do so while standing, preferably later in the day, “when feet may be slightly larger,” he adds. If there’s a meaningful difference between the feet, he suggests fitting the larger foot. This might be different from the size you’ve historically purchased—and that’s perfectly normal.

Even then, consider the measurement a starting point, not an absolute. From there, you can try on different styles of shoes, looking out for a few things that point to the potential need for adjustments.

Dr. Stewart recommends asking yourself these questions after the initial try-on:

• Do you feel pressure on the toes and forefoot? This can mean the shoe is too narrow. The increased pressure can contribute to blisters, calluses, and nail problems, and can aggravate bunions or hammertoes, too.
• Is your foot sliding around? This can mean your shoe is too large or too wide. Too much room, whether in width or length, can create friction (hello, blisters) and instability, which can mess with your balance.

If the shoe doesn’t feel quite right, you may be able to make adjustments with things like inserts or laces—or you may need to try a different shoe altogether. Depending on your needs, you may also want to consider arch support, foot cushioning, heel height (our experts recommend not exceeding two inches), and the flexibility of a shoe’s materials.

And, of course, comfort matters—and it should feel good from the get-go. “A shoe shouldn’t require you to tolerate significant pain in the hope that it eventually ‘breaks in,’” says Dr. Stewart.

The bottom line

The reality is, standardized shoe sizing has a long way to go, says Dr. Tai. For now, Dr. Stewart recommends focusing less on the number printed on the box and more on whether the shoe actually matches the dimensions and shape of your foot. “This study is a good reminder that your shoe size isn’t really your foot size,” he says. “It’s just one measurement used to approximate it.”