Bangladeshi apparel exports were worth $35.8 billion in 2021 (€33.05 billion). This was equivalent to a 30% increase over fiscal 2020, a year that was severely affected by lockdowns and order cancellations. It was also an increase of 8.2% over 2019, marking the Bangladeshi industry’s long-awaited return to pre-crisis levels.

Notably, Bangladesh’s textile/apparel sector currently accounts for 81.16% of the country’s exports, up from 78.2% a decade earlier. The European Union (plus the UK) remains by far the first client for Bangladeshi garments, having placed orders worth €20 billion (up by 27.74%). 

Historically, the EU’s second largest supplier after China, Bangladesh’s main client countries in Europe are Germany (importing goods worth €5.7 billion), the UK (with €3.5 billion), Spain (€2.3 billion), and France (€1.8 billion).