Bangladesh narrows gap with China in apparel exports to EU
Published At: June 24, 2025China has long been the leader in ready-made garment exports to the European Union (EU) market. However, Bangladesh is now close to the country in apparel exports. In the first four months of this year (January-April), Bangladesh's apparel exports were only $320 million less than China's.
According to data from the EU's statistical office (Eurostat), European Union (EU) companies imported $32.9 billion worth of apparel from countries around the world in the first four months of this year. This import is 14 percent higher than the same period last year.
In the four months under discussion, China exported apparel worth $8.39 billion to the EU market, a 21 percent increase over the same period last year. On the other hand, Bangladesh exported apparel worth $8.07 billion to the EU market during the same period, a 24 percent increase over the same period last year.
A review of Eurostat statistics shows that Bangladesh's apparel exports lagged behind China's in apparel exports to the EU market in 2023 and 2024. Although last year, Bangladesh's apparel exports grew faster than China's.
The top apparel exporters in the EU market after China and Bangladesh are Turkey, India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Pakistan, Morocco, Sri Lanka and Indonesia. Of these, Turkey exported $3.1 billion worth of apparel in the first four months of this year. The country's exports have decreased by 5.41 percent compared to the same period last year.
During January-April of this year, India exported $2.01 billion worth of apparel to the EU market, which is 20.5 percent more than the same period last year. At the same time, Cambodia exported $1.56 billion worth of apparel. Their growth was 31.77 percent.
Pakistan's exports grew by 23.42 percent to $1.42 billion. Vietnam's total exports, with a growth of 15.62 percent and a unit value increase of 5.68 percent, reached $1.48 billion.
Export to EU Apparel Export
