Bangladesh loses No. 2 spot in US apparel imports: 2026 data

Yes, by a narrow margin. US government data for January to August 2026 puts China back in second place among apparel (clothing) suppliers to the United States, with Bangladesh third. The gap is US$240 million on sales of more than US$5 billion each. Bangladesh’s exports to the US fell 4.43% over those eight months, while China’s fell 29.39%.¹

Did Bangladesh lose second place in US apparel imports?

The figures come from the Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA), part of the US Department of Commerce, which publishes how much clothing the United States imports from each country. Bangladeshi newspapers reported the January to August numbers on 7 and 8 October 2026.

Bangladesh first became the second-largest supplier of ready-made garments (RMG) to the US in February 2026, when its running total for the year passed China’s.¹¹ It was still second at the end of July, behind Vietnam and ahead of China. By the end of August, China had moved back into second place.² Vietnam stayed first by a wide margin.

US apparel imports by country, January to August 2026

The shares are our own calculation: each country’s value divided by the US$49.08 billion total. Everything else in the table is as reported.³

Is Bangladesh’s garment (RMG) industry losing ground in the US?

Less than the headline suggests. Three facts sit behind the ranking.

• The whole market shrank. The US bought 7.42% less clothing by value and 8.98% less by volume than in the same months of 2025.⁴
• Bangladesh fell less than the market. Its sales dropped 4.43%, so its share of US clothing imports went up, not down.
• China is second after losing almost a third of its sales. It was far ahead to begin with. A year earlier the gap between the two countries was much wider.

So Bangladesh lost a place in the table while gaining market share. Both statements are true, and the second one matters more to anyone choosing where to place an order.

How did China move back ahead in one month?

The ranking uses running totals for the year. Bangladesh was ahead at the end of July and US$240 million behind at the end of August, so China’s clothing arrivals in the US in August were larger than Bangladesh’s by more than that gap. The reports we read do not give a reason for the August swing, and we will not guess at one.

A margin this small can reverse. Bangladesh’s Export Promotion Bureau recorded US$817 million of garment exports to the US in August 2026, up 25.65% on August 2025.⁵ Those are goods leaving Bangladesh; OTEXA counts goods arriving in the US, which happens some weeks later. Strong August shipments may therefore show up in the US figures for September and October.

Why Bangladesh and China are not selling the same clothes

Price per unit shows that the two countries supply different parts of the market.

US customs data measures clothing in square metres of fabric so that different garments can be added together. On that measure Bangladesh’s average price is about twice China’s, and Bangladesh shipped 1.76 billion square metres, about 3% less than a year earlier.⁶ China’s average price fell almost 10%, which means it is holding its place with cheaper goods.

Our comparison of Bangladesh, Vietnam, China and India for clothing manufacturing sets out what each country makes well.

What US duty does clothing from Bangladesh pay compared with China and Vietnam?

Since 24 July 2026, clothing made in Bangladesh pays the normal US duty for its tariff line plus a 10% tariff under Section 301. Under the same action, goods from China and Vietnam pay 12.5%, and goods from India, Pakistan, Indonesia and Cambodia pay 10%.⁷ The normal duty depends on the garment, not the country, so on the same T-shirt Bangladesh pays 2.5 points less than Vietnam.

A former director of the garment exporters’ association told The Business Standard that this tariff position helps explain why Bangladesh has held up better than China.⁸ Our guide to US tariffs on clothing from Bangladesh gives the rate for each main garment and explains how it has changed since April 2025.

Where Bangladesh is weaker

The ranking is not the only signal. A World Bank report covered by The Daily Star on 7 October 2026 looked at January to June 2026: US clothing imports from Bangladesh fell 5.3%, while imports from Vietnam, Indonesia and Cambodia rose 3.0%, 3.6% and 11.6%. The report’s conclusion is that low cost is no longer enough, and that US buyers now weigh speed, flexibility, minimum order sizes and compliance as well.⁹

An exporter quoted by The Business Standard made the same point from the factory side: Bangladesh competes well with India and Pakistan, but trails Vietnam on lead times and on access to raw materials.¹⁰

What does this mean if you source apparel for the US market?

• Do not read the ranking as a quality or risk signal. It moved because of one month’s arrivals in a market that is down overall.
• Compare landed cost, not factory price. Duty differs by country and by fabric. Our landed cost calculator works it through for your garment.
• Ask about lead time early. It is the weakness the reports name. Bangladesh is strongest on cotton knits, denim and woven basics, where fabric is made locally.
• Plan for fewer, more accurate orders. US buyers are importing less. A supplier that will confirm quantities and dates in writing is worth more than a cheaper quote.

For the full process, see our guide to importing clothes from Bangladesh and the page for brands selling in the United States.

What to watch next

OTEXA publishes each month’s figures about five to six weeks after the month ends. The January to September numbers, due in November 2026, will show whether Bangladesh’s strong August shipments were enough to take second place back. We will update this page when they are published. Longer-run figures are in our Bangladesh garment export statistics.

CMB Sourcing Ltd. is a buying house in Narayanganj, Dhaka. We do not run sewing lines ourselves; we place each order in our sister factory or an audited partner factory and name the factory to you in writing before production starts.

Notes

1. Staff Correspondent, “Bangladesh Loses Second Place in Garment Exports to the US,” Prothom Alo English, October 8, 2026.
2. Staff Correspondent, “Bangladesh Loses Second Place.”
3. Staff Correspondent, “Bangladesh Loses Second Place”; Shoumik Ahmmed Anik, “Bangladesh Weathers US Apparel Import Downturn Better Than Peers,” The Business Standard, October 7, 2026.
4. Staff Correspondent, “Bangladesh Loses Second Place.”
5. Anik, “Bangladesh Weathers US Apparel Import Downturn,” citing Export Promotion Bureau data.
6. Staff Correspondent, “Bangladesh Loses Second Place.”
7. Office of the United States Trade Representative, “Notice of Actions in Section 301 Investigations of Acts, Policies, and Practices of Various Economies,” Federal Register, July 28, 2026.
8. Anik, “Bangladesh Weathers US Apparel Import Downturn.”
9. Star Business Report, “Low Costs No Longer Enough: Apparel Loses Ground in US,” The Daily Star, October 7, 2026.
10. Anik, “Bangladesh Weathers US Apparel Import Downturn.”
11. FE Report, “Bangladesh Beats China to Book Second Slot,” The Financial Express, May 11, 2026.