The export of readymade garment items to the United States from Bangladesh experienced robust growth of 21.61 per cent in January to May, reaching $3.53 billion amid ongoing tariff concerns.
According to the latest data published by the US Office of Textiles and Apparel, Bangladeshi exporters shipped RMG items worth $2.9 billion in the same period of 2024.
During the first five months of 2025, Bangladesh outpaced its major competitors in terms of export growth rates.
During January-May of 2025, the RMG exports to the European Union countries were $8.97, which was 17.8 per cent higher form $7.61 billion in the January-May period of 2024, said the Eurostat Data.
Apart from US and EU, Bangladesh exported RMG items worth $4.35 billion to other markets including UK, Canada, and non-traditional markets in January-May of 2025.
The North American country鈥檚 RMG imports from its global suppliers also witnessed a positive growth of 7.08 per cent to $31.70 billion in January-May 2025, compared with $ 29.60 billion in the same period of 2024.
In terms of volume, Bangladeshi RMG exports to the US in the mentioned period also saw a positive growth of 21.04 per cent to 1.15 billion square metres, up from 956.14 million square metres in the same period in 2024, according to OTEXA data.
As the third-largest supplier to the US, Bangladesh鈥檚 market share in the North American country stood at 9.80 per cent as of May 2025.
Amid the ongoing trade war between the US and China, Vietnam remained the top exporter for the past several months, surpassing China.
In January-May, with a positive growth of 16.35 per cent, Vietnam exported apparel items worth $6.29 billion, surpassing the $5.40 billion recorded in the same period of 2024.
Vietnam held a market share of 19.50 per cent.
As the second-largest exporter, China exported apparel items worth $4.89 billion during the reporting period, representing a 10.07 per cent decline from $5.44 billion in the same period of 2024, and capturing a market share of 19.64 per cent.
Followed by Bangladesh, India secured the fourth position in the US market by exporting RMG items worth $2.44 billion in January-May of 2025, registering a positive growth of 16.96 per cent compared with that of $2.08 billion in the same period of 2024, with a market share of 6.20 per cent in the US.
RMG exports from Indonesia and Cambodia were $1.87 billion and $1.51 billion in the January-May period of 2025, with a market share of 5.5 per cent and 4.95 per cent, respectively, which made them the fifth and sixth largest RMG suppliers.
According to the OTEXA data, Bangladesh鈥檚 apparel exports to the US in 2024 were $7.34 billion, and in 2023, they were $7.29 billion.
However, the country鈥檚 RMG manufacturers are concerned that the US has recently imposed a 35 per cent tariff on Bangladesh, which will be added to the existing 15 per cent to 22聽per cent tariff on August 1.聽
On July 11, Bangladesh concluded its second round of tariff talks with the US Trade Representative without any result.
However, commerce adviser Sk Bashir Uddin said on July 14 that the third round of negotiations with the US over tariff issues was likely to start this week, stating that they were expecting a schedule from their US counterpart.
Talking to 抖阴精品, Inamul Haq Khan, senior vice-president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, said on Sunday that they still聽have orders from the US.
鈥榃e have not lost the US market and we still getting orders from the US. We hope the government could conclude a fruitful discussion on the tariff issue,鈥� he added.
Mohiuddin Rubel, former director of the BGMEA and managing director of the Bangladesh Apparel Exchange, said that these insights shed light on the dynamic landscape of apparel imports, showcasing the evolving trends in the industry.
鈥榃ith a well-established sourcing base in Bangladesh, it鈥檚 essential to acknowledge the long-standing foundation that has been developed. Bangladesh needs to focus on reducing newly imposed tariffs and aligning them with competitors to boost competitiveness,鈥� he added.
