Bangladesh鈥檚 apparel exports to the European Union in January鈥揂pril of 2025 increased by 25.3 per cent to 7.54 billion euros from the same period in 2024, putting it ahead of traditional rivals like China, India, and Turkey in year-on-year growth.
China, which maintained its lead with 7.88 billion euros in apparel exports to the EU in the first four months of 2025, posted a growth of 23.5 per cent, over the same period, according to the Eurostat data released on Friday.
Cambodia, Pakistan, India, and Vietnam also recorded double-digit growth, while Turkey was the only major country to register a decline.
The month-wise breakdown for Bangladesh highlighted an especially strong start to the year.
In January, Bangladesh鈥檚 readymade garment exports to the EU surged by 60.9 per cent year-on-year to 1.91 billion euros, up from 1.19 billion euros in 2024.
The growth rate slowed slightly in the following months but remained robust鈥�28.0 per cent in February, 18.6 per cent in March, and 6.0 per cent in April.
Exporters attributed the strong status in January to order spillovers since late 2024, early-season buying by European retailers, and efforts to front-load shipments ahead of anticipated logistical or market uncertainties.
Overall, EU apparel imports grew by 15.7 per cent in the January鈥揂pril 2025 period, reaching 30.42 billion euros compared with 26.29 billion euros a year earlier.
Bangladesh and China together contributed more than 70 per cent of the total increase in EU apparel imports.
EU apparel imports from China rose 23.5 per cent in January鈥揂pril 2025 to 7.88 billion euros, up from 6.38 billion euros in the same period of 2024.
In contrast, Turkey鈥檚 apparel exports to the EU declined by 4.0 per cent, falling from 3.03 billion euros in the first four months of 2024 to 2.91 billion euros in the same period of 2025.聽
India鈥檚 apparel exports to the EU grew 21.5 per cent in January鈥揂pril 2025, reaching 1.87 billion euros compared with 1.54 billion euros in 2024.
Vietnam saw a 17.3 per cent rise in apparel exports to the EU during the same period, increasing to 1.38 billion euros from 1.18 billion euros the previous year.
Pakistan鈥檚 apparel exports to the EU grew strongly by 25.1 per cent in the first four months of 2025, rising from 1.07 billion euros to 1.33 billion euros.
Cambodia recorded the fastest growth among major exporters, with a 33.5 per cent increase from 1.09 billion euros to 1.46 billion euros.