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Bangladesh has lost its position as the second-largest apparel exporter to the United States, with China overtaking it at the end of August amid a decline in Bangladesh’s shipments.
Vietnam continues to rank as the largest apparel supplier to the US, a position it has held for years.
The latest data released Wednesday by the US Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) showed that Bangladesh exported $5.39 billion worth of garments to the US in the first eight months of this year, down 4.43% from the same period last year.
China, meanwhile, exported $5.63 billion worth of apparel to the US during the period, moving ahead of Bangladesh to take second place.
However, China’s exports also recorded a sharp decline, falling 39.39% year-on-year. The report attributed the drop to geopolitical tensions and tariff-related factors.
Bangladesh had remained ahead of China through July, with garment exports to the US reaching $4.66 billion during the first seven months of the year. China moved ahead after August figures were included.
The US is a crucial market for Bangladesh’s garment industry and its largest single-country export destination. Around 20% of Bangladesh’s total apparel export earnings come from the US market.
Bangladesh’s garment exports to the US rose a record 36% in 2022 to $9.73 billion. They then fell 25% in 2023 to $7.29 billion amid high global inflation and rising interest rates.
Exports edged up to $7.34 billion in 2024 before rising nearly 12% to $8.20 billion in 2025.
Overall US apparel imports also declined during the first eight months of this year. OTEXA data showed that US importers bought $49.08 billion worth of clothing from countries around the world between January and August, down 7.42% from about $53 billion during the same period last year.
Despite the overall decline in US apparel imports, Vietnam retained the top position. Its exports to the US stood at $10.98 billion in the first eight months, although the figure was 0.76% lower than a year earlier.