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Exports Rise 6% to $17.04 Billion in July-October as Costs Cloud the Picture

Bangladeshi Talents · 1 November 2026 · 2 min read

Bangladesh's merchandise exports reached $17.04 billion in July-October of FY2026-27, up about 6 percent from $16.08 billion a year earlier, according to Bangladesh Bank figures released on 1 November. October alone brought in $3.99 billion, up 4.39 percent from a year earlier and the third straight month of growth, The Business Standard reported.

Where the growth came from

Ready-made garments remain the bulk of the total. The Business Standard's breakdown for the four months, which differs slightly from other outlets' figures, shows:

  • RMG: $13.75 billion, up 5.82 percent, with knitwear at $7.73 billion and woven garments at $6.02 billion
  • Pharmaceuticals: up 36.44 percent
  • Jute: up 24.88 percent
  • Leather and leather products: up 12.47 percent
  • Declines: agricultural products and frozen and live fish both fell

By market, the US led at $3.35 billion, up 11.51 percent, followed by the UK at $1.74 billion, Germany at $1.57 billion and Spain at $1.52 billion. Exports to Türkiye rose 82.69 percent to $292.15 million. New Age, citing the Export Promotion Bureau, reported a slightly different four-month total of $17.09 billion.

Why exporters are cautious

Not everyone reads the numbers as good news. Md Fazlee Shamim Ehsan, vice-president of the BKMEA, told The Business Standard that the growth does not reflect reality, pointing to raw-material import costs up 15 to 20 percent and wages up 9 percent. In his view, those increases amount to negative growth.

Why it matters for professionals

For people in RMG, the figures point to steady orders but tighter economics. The more interesting signal may be outside garments: pharmaceuticals, jute and leather all grew faster than RMG, the kind of diversification economists have urged as Bangladesh prepares for LDC graduation.

What to watch next

  • Whether the garment unrest of early November shows up in the next monthly numbers
  • Whether pharmaceutical exports hold their pace
  • The Export Promotion Bureau's own figures, since this release came from Bangladesh Bank rather than the bureau that usually publishes them

Sources

Cover photo: T-shirt quality checking in an RMG factory by Fahad Faisal / Wikimedia Commons, cropped (CC BY-SA 4.0)