Bangladesh’s export earnings posted negative growth even as import costs rose. With imports outpacing exports, the trade deficit for the first 11 months of the last fiscal year (July-May) stood at $23.98 billion. That deficit is 24.77% higher than the same period of the previous fiscal year, when it stood at $19.37 billion.
Bangladesh Bank released balance of payments (BoP) data covering the 11-month period (July-May). According to the central bank, the country exported goods worth $40.873 billion in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2024-25. In the same period of fiscal year 2025-26, exports totaled $30.039 billion, marking a negative growth rate of 2%.
According to the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), Bangladesh’s exports in May fell 7% year-on-year to $4.40 billion.
While exports fell in the first 11 months of the last fiscal year, imports rose 6.30%. Import costs stood at $60.25 billion in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2024-25, rising to $64.023 billion in the same period of the last fiscal year.
Despite the negative export growth, remittances saw significant growth. Remittance inflows stood at $27.506 billion in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2024-25, rising to $32.77 billion in the same period of the last fiscal year — a 19.10% increase year-on-year.
Despite the strong growth in remittances, the current account deficit persisted due to negative export earnings growth. According to the report, the current account deficit stood at $300 million in the first 11 months of the last fiscal year, compared with $70 million in the same period of the previous fiscal year.
Meanwhile, despite the widening trade deficit, the overall balance of payments recorded a surplus of $4.01 billion in the first 11 months. In the same period of fiscal year 2024-25, there had been a deficit of $1.15 billion. The financial account also showed notable progress: while it recorded a deficit of $570 million in the first 11 months of fiscal year 2024-25, it posted a surplus of $4.16 billion in the same period of the last fiscal year. This surplus was driven mainly by foreign direct investment (FDI), foreign grants and loans.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report