Bangladesh's apparel exports to the US posted double-digit year-on-year growth in August 2026, even as the first eight months of the year remained in negative territory overall, making it the most divergent performer among Asia's major suppliers that month.

Key points

  • In August 2026, Bangladesh's apparel exports to the US reached $734.6 million, a clear rebound from $660.9 million in the same period of 2025.
  • India's August exports to the US were only $291.1 million, down 31.5% year-on-year, the steepest decline among the five largest suppliers.
  • From January to August 2026, Bangladesh's cumulative exports to the US totaled about $5.39 billion, still down 4.17% year-on-year.

Diverging trends among the five largest suppliers in August

Data from the Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) show that among August shipments to the US, Bangladesh recorded double-digit growth, China and Vietnam edged up slightly, Cambodia declined, and India contracted sharply.

Vietnam's August apparel exports to the US were $1.61 billion, up from $1.59 billion a year earlier—a limited gain, but its share of the US market remained relatively stable. China's exports that month rose from $1.05 billion to $1.07 billion, up 2.3% year-on-year. Cambodia's fell from $576.4 million to $531.2 million, a drop of 7.8%.

Cumulative data show Bangladesh's pressure remains

The single-month rebound did not reverse Bangladesh's annual slump. From January to August 2026, Bangladesh's apparel exports to the US were about $5.39 billion, down 4.17% from about $5.62 billion in the same period of 2025. Since January, Bangladesh's exports to the US had consistently posted negative growth, with declines of as much as 17% in both February and April, narrowing to 6.0% and 5.6% in May and June respectively.

Cumulative performance among other suppliers was similarly uneven. China's exports to the US from January to August were about $5.63 billion, a decline of more than 29%, the largest cumulative drop among major exporters. Vietnam's were about $10.98 billion, down just under 1.0% year-on-year, essentially flat. Cambodia was the only country besides Vietnam to achieve cumulative growth, at about $3.15 billion, up 7.18%. India, meanwhile, fell from $3.73 billion to about $2.74 billion, a decline of more than 26.31%.

Order shifts and tariff uncertainty

Mahmud Hasan Khan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), said tariff uncertainty has prompted US buyers to move orders away from India, giving Bangladesh more orders from the US, which explains the August export rebound. He also noted that Bangladesh faces similar uncertainty in the EU market, and that, combined with the pressure of graduating from least developed country (LDC) status and competition from India through its free trade agreement with the EU, Bangladesh is gradually losing ground in the European market.

For those in the used clothing and original textile and apparel export business, Bangladesh's August rebound and India's sharp export decline reflect a reallocation of US sourcing orders among Asian suppliers; and multiple institutional factors such as LDC graduation and the EU-India free trade agreement may continue to reshape the competitive landscape of South Asian apparel exports.

Source: Country's apparel export to US rebounds in Aug · Originally published on 2026-10-07