Bangladesh’s apparel exports to the United States in the first two months of 2025 continued to show strong growth.

During January and February, Bangladesh earned $1.50 billion from garment exports, reflecting a 26.64 per cent increase compared to $1.18 billion during the same period in 2024, according to data from OTEXA, an affiliate of the US Department of Commerce.

The data released on Thursday, just a day after the US announcement of a 37 per cent tariff on Bangladeshi goods, raising concerns over the potential impact on future growth.

Bangladesh’s export growth in January- February outpaced all other major suppliers, including India that recorded a 25.70 per cent growth following by Pakistan 23.05 per cent, Vietnam 11.14 per cent and China 8.85 per cent respectively.

In January alone, Bangladesh’s RMG exports to the US surged by 45.9 per cent, reaching $799.65 million, up from $547.95 million in January 2024.

In quantity, Bangladesh shipped 488.27 million square meters of apparel to the US market in January-February period of 2025 marking 23.38 per cent growth from 395.74 million square meters in corresponding period of 2024, the OTEXA data showed

Industry experts have cautioned that the strong growth in apparel exports to the United States during January and February might not be sustainable.

They attribute the rise to the ‘unusual’ nature of these months, with many importers likely rushing to clear shipments before the higher tariffs imposed by the Trump administration take effect.

Despite global economic challenges, exporters said that Bangladesh’s competitive pricing, enhanced production capabilities, and commitment to sustainable and ethical manufacturing practices had contributed to a strong rebound in exports.

However, they observed that this competitiveness might have been eroded in the coming months due to the US tariff hike, especially since India and Pakistan faced lower tariff rates—26 per cent and 29 per cent—compared to Bangladesh’s 37 per cent.

According to OTEXA data, Bangladesh’s RMG export earnings from the US were $7.34 billion in 2024 and $7.28 billion in 2023, while in 2022, the country’s exports to the US hit an all-time high of $9.73 billion.

Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) former president Fazlul Hoque said importers might have made early shipments to have a good stock apprehending possible tariffs hike to immediately adjust for a crisis period.

He said that while the US market had shown signs of improvement after a long period of weakness, the new tariffs could lead to a decline in demand, as higher garment prices would result in reduced consumer purchases and a squeezed market, although Fazlu added that the tariffs might not be sustained.

According to OTEXA, India earned $955.50 million from apparel shipments, totalling 263.87 million square metres in the first two months of 2025.

In terms of quantity, India’s shipments were 31.91 per cent higher compared to the same period in 2024.

Vietnam’s apparel exports reached $2.62 billion, reflecting an 11.14 per cent growth over the last two months.

In terms of quantity, Vietnam recorded a 7.25 per cent increase, with the US importing 753.44 million square metres of garments from Vietnam in 2025.

Meanwhile, China saw an 8.85 per cent growth, earning $2.77 billion during the period. China shipped 1.52 billion square metres of apparel to the US, marking a 5.78 per cent increase in January and February 2025.

Overall, US apparel imports in the first two months of 2025 recorded an 11.21 per cent year-on-year growth, reaching $13.55 billion.