Posts highest annualised growth of 29.34% among peers in the four months to April

Bangladesh Becomes Fastest-Growing Apparel Exporter to the US in Early 2025

Bangladesh has emerged as the fastest-growing apparel exporter to the United States, recording the highest year-on-year growth of 29.34 percent among major exporting nations during the first four months of 2025.

According to data released on June 5 by the Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA), an agency under the US Department of Commerce, Bangladesh’s readymade garment (RMG) exports reached US$2.98 billion between January and April, up from US$2.31 billion during the same period in 2024.

This growth far exceeded the global average of 10.67 percent, positioning Bangladesh ahead of key competitors such as Vietnam, India, and Cambodia in the US market.

Total US apparel imports during January–April 2025 stood at US$26.22 billion, rising from US$23.69 billion a year earlier. The increase reflects improved consumer demand and ongoing adjustments in global supply chains, especially due to trade policy shifts and tariff changes related to China.

Vietnam maintained its position as the top apparel exporter to the US, having overtaken China in March. It shipped RMG products worth US$5.09 billion in the first four months, reflecting a 16.08 percent year-on-year increase.

China slipped to second place with US$4.36 billion in exports—showing a marginal 0.6 percent growth—as it continued to face the impact of renewed US tariffs and geopolitical frictions. While Chinese exports showed strong growth early in the year, with a 13.6 percent rise in January and 3.0 percent in February, they declined by 8.9 percent in March and further by 13.3 percent in April.

Vietnam, on the other hand, showed steady momentum, with export growth of 19.8 percent in January, 2.2 percent in February, followed by 20.2 percent and 23.3 percent in March and April respectively.

India’s apparel exports to the US rose by 20.3 percent to US$2 billion, while Indonesia recorded a 15.61 percent increase, reaching US$1.6 billion. Cambodia's shipments grew by 19.79 percent to US$1.23 billion, and Pakistan saw a 19.5 percent rise to US$750 million.

Commenting on the development, Fazlul Hoque, former president of the Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA), described the growth as encouraging. He noted that it would take until around August to gauge the full impact of the new US tariff regime. He explained that in many cases, local exporters and US buyers have agreed to equally share the additional 10-percent duty burden during the interim period.

Exporters also noted that while overall order flow remains positive, disruptions in backward-linkage industries, particularly due to gas shortages, continue to pose challenges.