Bangladesh expanded its footprint in the United States apparel market to 10.53 percent in 2025, up from 9.26 percent a year earlier, as American buyers shifted orders away from China, according to official data.
US retailers and brands imported garments worth $77.88 billion from across the world last year, according to the Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA) under the US Department of Commerce.
Of that total, Bangladesh supplied $8.20 billion, strengthening its position as the third-largest apparel exporter to the US market.
In 2025, Vietnam emerged as the largest garment exporter to the American market, overtaking China. It shipped readymade garment items worth $16.74 billion, capturing a 21.50 percent market share.
China, which led the market in 2024 with a 20.83 percent share, saw its position weaken abruptly. Its share fell to 13.66 percent in 2025, with exports totalling $10.64 billion, according to OTEXA data.
China’s decline is largely linked to punishing tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump last year.
The United States is the largest single-nation export market for Bangladeshi apparel items. Bangladesh’s performance in the American market marks a steady recovery and gradual expansion over the past few years.
Its market share stood at 9.37 percent in 2023 and 9.74 percent in 2022. The figure dropped to 8.76 percent in 2021 as exports were hit by the severe fallout from the Covid-19 pandemic.
The latest gain signals growing demand for Bangladeshi garments in the US market at a time of shifting sourcing strategies among global brands.
Industry leaders expect further growth if trade conditions remain favourable. The Trump administration has lowered the reciprocal tariff to 10 percent after a US court ruling, a move that could ease cost pressures in the US market.
“The lowering of the tariff will reduce the prices of commodities in the American markets, and the buyers will purchase more commodities such as garment items and ultimately the supply of locally made garments to the American market will grow in future,” said Mahmud Hasan Khan, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA).
https://www.thedailystar.net/business/economy/news/bangladeshs-share-us-apparel-market-rises-1053-4115086
