Garment slowdown drags exports down 7% in May after April surge

Not only monthly earnings but overall exports in the first 11 months of the fiscal year also register a decline

Bangladesh’s export earnings have slipped back into negative territory after a brief recovery, with May recording a 7.07 percent year-on-year decline.

The country earned $4.40 billion in May, down from $4.73 billion in the same month last year, according to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), which released the updated figures on Wednesday.

The setback comes just a month after exports posted a sharp rebound in April, when earnings surged 33 percent to $4.01 billion following eight consecutive months of decline.

However, the improvement proved short-lived.

EPB data shows that overall export earnings for the first 11 months (July–May) of the 2025–26 fiscal year also declined by 2.58 percent compared with the previous year.

Total earnings stood at $43.80 billion, down from $44.95 billion in the corresponding period last year.

The garment sector, which remains the backbone of Bangladesh’s export economy, was the main driver of the downturn.

Ready-made garment exports fell 8.29 percent in May to $3.59 billion compared with the same month a year earlier.

Exporters attributed the slowdown to production disruptions during the month, saying factories remained closed for around eight to 10 days due to the Eid-ul-Azha holidays, affecting output and shipments.

In the previous 2024–25 fiscal year, Bangladesh’s total export earnings stood at $48.28 billion, underscoring the sector’s continued vulnerability to seasonal disruptions and global demand fluctuations.