Bangladesh loses second position in garment export list in US market

POBNEWS24, Dhaka Oct 8, 2026 : Bangladesh’s ready-made garment exports to the US market have declined. As a result, Bangladesh has lost its second position in the list of garment exporters in the US market as a single country. China has surpassed Bangladesh to take second place at the end of August.
However, Vietnam has retained its top position in the US garment market. The country has been the largest garment supplier to the US market for a long time.
This information was revealed from the latest statistics released by the Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) under the US Department of Commerce on Thursday.
According to OTEXA data, Bangladesh exported ready-made garments worth $5.3934 billion to the US in the eight months from January to August this year. This export has decreased by 4.43 percent compared to the same period last year.
On the other hand, China exported garments worth $5.637 billion to the US market during the same period. As a result, the country has surpassed Bangladesh to take second place. However, China’s garment exports also decreased by 39.39 percent compared to the previous year. The report said that the decline in the country’s exports was due to geopolitical tensions and various tariff-related reasons.
However, Bangladesh was ahead of China in the first seven months of this year. From January to July, Bangladesh’s garment exports amounted to $4.6589 billion. After the August figures were added, China surpassed Bangladesh in overall exports.
The United States is an important market for Bangladesh’s ready-made garment industry. As a single country, it is the largest export market for Bangladesh’s garments. About 20 percent of the country’s total garment export revenue comes from the US market.
According to statistics, Bangladesh’s garment exports to the US market increased by a record 36 percent in 2022 to $9.73 billion. The following year, exports fell by 25 percent to $7.29 billion due to the impact of high inflation and interest rate hikes worldwide.
In 2024, Bangladesh’s garment exports to the US increased slightly to $7.34 billion. In 2025, it increased further to $8.22 billion with a growth of about 12 percent.