Bangladesh’s merchandise exports rose by 8.58% in the fiscal year 2024–25, reaching $48 billion, according to the latest report by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) released on Wednesday.
This marks a notable increase from the $44 billion in exports recorded during the previous fiscal year, mainly driven by a modest growth in apparel shipment.
Out of the total $48.28 billion export earnings, RMG fetched $39.34 billion, marking 8.84 percent growth, according to EPB data.
Within the RMG segment, knitwear exports rose by 9.73 percent to $21.15 billion, while woven garments grew by 7.82 percent to $18.18 billion.
Home textiles marked a 2.42 per cent growth to $871.57 million during the July-June period of the last fiscal year.
Among key key sectors, agro-products saw a growth of 2.52% and plastic goods surged by 16.21%. However, jute products experienced a 4.10% decline, while glassware exports saw a sharp 38% decrease.
Despite the overall annual growth, exports in June 2025 fell by more than 7.5% compared to the same month last year.
Economic analysts attributed the decline to a prolonged Eid-ul-Azha holiday and a temporary shutdown of port operations for two days at the end of the month due to a National Board of Revenue (NBR) system upgrade.
In June 2025, the country earned $3.33 billion from exports, down from $3.61 billion in June 2024.
In contrast, May 2025 export earnings stood at $4.74 billion, up from $4.25 billion in the same month of the previous year. Export income in April 2025 totaled $3.92 billion.
The EPB report highlights that while short-term disruptions affected June’s performance, overall export momentum remained strong across the fiscal year, driven primarily by sustained growth in the garments and plastics sectors.