Published: 12:14 AM, 04 May 2026
Export earnings rise 33% after 8-month slump
Bangladesh's export earnings have rebounded in April, rising almost 33 percent year-on-year after declining for eight straight months.
The country earned more than $4 billion from merchandise exports in April, driven mainly by strong growth in the ready-made garment sector.
Data released by the Export Promotion Bureau on Sunday showed Bangladesh earned $4.01 billion from goods exports in April, the 10th month of fiscal year 2025-26.
That was up 32.91 percent from $3.01 billion in April last year and 15.20 percent higher than March's $3.48 billion.
GARMENTS LEAD RECOVERY:
The ready-made garment sector, Bangladesh's largest export earner, generated $3.14 billion in April, up 31.21 percent from $2.39 billion a year earlier.
Knitwear exports rose 30.02 percent to $1.70 billion, while woven garment exports increased 32.65 percent to $1.42 billion.
Despite April's strong performance, cumulative exports for the first 10 months of the fiscal year remained in negative territory.
From July to April, Bangladesh exported goods worth $39.39 billion, down 2.02 percent from $40.21 billion in the same period a year earlier.
A VOLATILE FISCAL YEAR:
The fiscal year began strongly, with exports surging 24.90 percent to $4.77 billion in July.But momentum quickly faded.
Exports declined 2.93 percent in August, 5.66 percent in September, 7.43 percent in October, 5.54 percent in November, 14.25 percent in December, 0.50 percent in January, 12.03 percent in February and 18.07 percent in March.
March marked the steepest monthly fall, with exports dropping to $3.48 billion.
TRUMP TARIFFS AND MARKET UNCERTAINTY:
Exporters had initially expected Bangladesh to benefit after the United States reduced reciprocal tariffs on Bangladeshi goods from 35 percent to 20 percent on Jul 31, just before the measures took effect on Aug 7.
Higher tariffs imposed on Chinese and Indian goods had also raised hopes of additional orders shifting to Bangladesh.
However, exports continued to weaken.
Fresh uncertainty emerged after the US Supreme Court struck down President Donald Trump's global tariff measures on Feb 20.
A new 10 percent tariff was imposed the next day, later raised to 15 percent.
Bangladesh's exports are heavily driven by the Ready-Made Garments (RMG) sector, which accounts for over 80-90% of total export revenue, totaling around $48.28 billion in the 2024-25 fiscal year. Key products include knitwear, woven garments, jute goods, leather products, footwear, frozen food, and home textiles, with the EU and the US serving as the primary markets.
In 2024, Bangladesh was the number 35 (out of 193) economy in the world in terms of GDP ($450B current US$), the number 55 (out of 226) in total exports, the number 148 (out of 193) economy in terms of GDP per capita (current US$).
In 2024, Bangladesh was the number 114 (out of 130) most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (Trade, 2024), the number 86 (out of 97) most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (Technology, 2021), the number 83 (out of 138) most complex economy according to the Economic Complexity Index (Research, 2024).
