US apparel imports fall in Jan-Aug; Bangladesh does better than peers

US apparel imports declined in the first eight months of 2026, but Bangladesh weathered the slowdown better than several major suppliers and posted strong growth in August, according to data from the US Office of Textiles and Apparel (OTEXA).
The US imported $49.08 billion worth of apparel during January-August, down 7.42% year-on-year. Import volume fell 8.98% in square metre equivalent (SME), while the average unit price increased 1.71%.
Bangladesh’s apparel exports to the US declined 4.43% to $5.39 billion during the period, but shipments rose 11.15% year-on-year in August alone.
Among major suppliers, China and India recorded the steepest declines in import value, at 29.39% and 26.44%, respectively. Pakistan’s fell 3.83% and Vietnam’s 0.76%, while Indonesia and Cambodia posted growth of 2.58% and 6.91%, respectively.
In volume terms, Bangladesh’s shipments fell 2.75%. China and India saw sharp declines of 21.61% and 24.91%, respectively, while Vietnam and Pakistan were almost unchanged, falling 0.18% and 0.27%. Indonesia and Cambodia increased 8.53% and 7.18%, respectively.
Mohiuddin Rubel, founder and CEO of Bangladesh Apparel Voice (BAV), said that although the overall average unit price increased, prices fell for all the major Asian suppliers listed. Bangladesh’s unit price fell 1.73%, compared with 0.58% for Vietnam, 9.93% for China, 2.04% for India, 3.57% for Pakistan, 5.49% for Indonesia and 0.25% for Cambodia.
He highlighted China’s nearly 10% price decline and said Bangladesh’s comparatively favourable tariff position was supporting its performance in the US market.
“The tariff differential with competitors such as China could influence buyers’ sourcing decisions,” Rubel said. “Compared with our competitors, our tariff structure is better. Naturally, buyers will want to take advantage of that.”