Bangladesh has lost the second spot it had long held in the US apparel import market. Data from the US Department of Commerce's Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) show that from January to August this year, Bangladesh's apparel exports to the US totaled $5.39 billion, down 4.43% year-on-year; over the same period, China exported $5.66 billion to the US, and despite a sharp 39.39% year-on-year decline, it overtook Bangladesh by value to reclaim second place. Vietnam topped the list with $10.97 billion.

Key Points

  • OTEXA data: From January to August, Bangladesh's apparel exports to the US were $5.39 billion, down 4.43% year-on-year; China's were $5.66 billion, down 39.39% year-on-year, overtaking Bangladesh to rise to second place.
  • From January to July this year, Bangladesh had held second place with $4.55 billion, ahead of China; the ranking shifted in the single month of August.
  • From January to August, total US apparel imports were $49.07 billion, down 7.42% year-on-year; Vietnam led with $10.97 billion, down 0.76%.

In volume terms, Bangladesh exported 1.75 billion pieces to the US from January to August, down 2.75% year-on-year, a smaller decline than China (-21.61%) and India (-24.91%); Mexico, Pakistan and Honduras also saw volume declines, while Indonesia and Cambodia grew 8.53% and 7.18% respectively. On unit price, nearly all major suppliers saw declines across the board, with China posting the largest drop at 9.93%, while Indonesia, India, Pakistan and Bangladesh fell 5.49%, 2.04%, 3.57% and 1.73% respectively; Vietnam and Cambodia saw only slight declines, while Mexico and Honduras rose 15.02% and 6.68% respectively.

Former BGMEA director Mohiuddin Rubel attributed the decline to US buyers cutting imports overall, with exports from major competitor countries all falling; but Bangladesh lost far less growth than China and India, and China defended its US market share through aggressive "low-price export" marketing. He also noted that the tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump and policy changes involving different tariff rates at different times have disrupted everyone's calculations.

Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, executive president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), pointed to the domestic supply side: the country already had power problems, and a severe natural gas crisis broke out starting July 21, forcing local spinning mills to halt production for several days; garment factories could not get fabric, affecting both production and exports, with the key US market also hit.

Source: Bangladesh loses 2nd spot to China in US apparel exports · Originally published 2026-10-08