Bangladesh's merchandise exports grew by 8.54 percent year on year in September 2026, according to figures released by the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) on 1 October. Earnings for the month came to about $3.94 billion, compared with $3.63 billion in September 2025.

It was the second month in a row of growth. In August, exports had risen by about 13 percent from a year earlier, helped by a rebound in garments and gains in several smaller sectors.

Garments lead

Ready-made garments, the country's largest export, earned $3.08 billion in September, up 8.56 percent from the same month last year. That means garments made up close to four-fifths of all goods exported during the month.

For the first quarter of the 2026-27 fiscal year, from July to September, total exports reached $13.09 billion. This was 6.34 percent higher than in the same three months a year earlier.

After a flat year

The recovery follows a difficult 2025-26 fiscal year, when total goods exports came to about $48 billion, slightly lower than the year before despite a strong June. Exporters have been dealing with high borrowing costs, gas and power shortages, and higher freight and fuel costs linked to the conflict in the Middle East.

The quarter's numbers come as the country prepares for a change in trade status. Bangladesh is scheduled to graduate from the United Nations list of Least Developed Countries on 24 November 2026, and the government has asked the UN to delay this by three years. Graduation would eventually end some duty-free access for garments in markets such as the European Union, the United Kingdom and Canada, which is why the export trend is followed closely by factory owners and workers alike.

Why it matters locally

Munshiganj sits between Dhaka and Narayanganj, two of the country's main garment and textile hubs, and jobs, wages and local trade across the region move with the export trend. A steadier picture supports work in those factories. Monthly export data from the EPB is published at the start of each month, and the October figures are due in early November.

Sources: epb.gov.bd, bgmea.com.bd