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Published : 09 Jun 2026, 01:10 AM
Bangladesh’s trade deficit has widened further in the first 10 months of the ongoing fiscal year as imports increased and export earnings declined, pushing the merchandise trade gap to $22.21 billion.
The deficit was nearly 22 percent higher than in the same period a year earlier.
The ousted Sheikh Hasina government had taken a series of measures to curb import spending amid a dollar shortage, helping reduce imports and narrow the trade deficit in FY2023-24.
The interim government led by Muhammad Yunus largely continued the same approach, keeping the deficit on a downward trend in FY2024-25.
However, a sharp fall in export earnings has since reversed that trend.
Bangladesh Bank on Monday published Balance of Payments (BoP) data for July-April, the first 10 months of FY2025-26.
The data showed the merchandise trade deficit stood at $22.21 billion during the period, up from $18.23 billion in the corresponding period of FY2024-25.
Imports rose 6.2 percent year-on-year to $58.22 billion, compared with $54.80 billion a year earlier. Export earnings, meanwhile, fell 1.5 percent to $36.02 billion from $36.57 billion.
The trade gap expanded steadily through the fiscal year, rising from $2.96 billion in July-August to $5.71 billion in July-September, $7.57 billion in July-October, $9.41 billion in July-November, $11.55 billion in July-December, $13.80 billion in July-January, $16.91 billion in July-February and $19.17 billion in July-March before reaching $22.21 billion in July-April.
Bangladesh Bank data show the trade deficit had fallen nearly 9 percent to $20.45 billion in FY2024-25 from $22.43 billion in FY2023-24. It stood at $27.38 billion in FY2022-23.
Current Account Deficit Tops $1 Billion
The current account deficit widened to $1.07 billion in July-April of FY2025-26, up from $586 million in July-March. It stood at $1 billion in July-February.
In contrast, the economy recorded a surplus of $245 million in July and $488 million in July-August.
During the same 10-month period of FY2024-25, the current account posted a deficit of $1.63 billion, although the fiscal year ended with a surplus of $149 million.
Financial Account Surplus Reaches $4.47 Billion
Despite the BoP pressures, the financial account maintained a strong surplus of $4.47 billion in July-April.
After starting FY2025-26 with a deficit of $916 million in July and $525 million in July-August, the financial account moved into surplus, reaching $1.66 billion in July-September, $2.17 billion in July-October, $4.08 billion in July-February and $3.55 billion in July-March before climbing to $4.47 billion in July-April.
Overall Balance Surplus Nears $3.8 Billion
The overall balance surplus rose to $3.74 billion in July-April, up from $3.67 billion in July-March.
The fiscal year began with a deficit of $545 million in July, but the gap narrowed to $53 million in July-August before turning into a surplus of $853 million in July-September and $1.09 billion in July-October.
By comparison, the overall balance recorded a deficit of $655 million during the same 10 months of FY2024-25, while FY2024-25 ended with a surplus of $3.29 billion after FY2023-24 closed with a deficit of $4.30 billion.
