Bangladesh lost more apparel market share in the European Union (EU) than any other major supplier in the first eight months of 2026, as falling prices and lower shipment volumes wiped €1.58 billion off export earnings.
Exports to the 27-nation bloc plunged 11.67 per cent to €11.93 billion during January–August from €13.50 billion a year earlier, nearly three times the 3.83 per cent contraction in the EU’s overall apparel imports.
The figures, compiled by Bangladesh Apparel Voice (BAV) from Eurostat data, show Bangladesh’s market share falling 1.76 percentage points to 19.78 per cent from 21.54 per cent, while China and Vietnam increased their shares despite weaker European demand.
The bigger blow for Bangladesh came from prices as it suffered the worst decline in unit prices, after Pakistan.
Exports fell 4.58 per cent by weight to 866.76 million kilograms from 908.37 million kilograms, while the average unit price declined a sharper 7.43 per cent to €13.76 per kilogram from €14.87.
By comparison, the EU’s total apparel import volume contracted 2.57 per cent and its average unit price slipped just 1.29 per cent, from €19.91 to €19.65 per kilogram.
BAV Founder and CEO Mohiuddin Rubel identified falling prices as the greater concern for Bangladesh’s exporters.
“For Bangladesh, the numbers point to falling prices more than lost orders. We are shipping slightly less and getting paid noticeably less for each kilo,” Rubel said.
The EU imported €60.29 billion worth of apparel during the eight months, down €2.40 billion from €62.69 billion a year earlier.
Bangladesh’s €1.58 billion loss was equivalent to nearly 66 per cent of that net decline, although the country accounted for less than a quarter of the bloc’s apparel imports in the previous year.
China, the EU’s largest apparel supplier, moved in the opposite direction, increasing exports 2.38 per cent to €19.71 billion from €19.26 billion.
Shipment volumes rose 3.45 per cent to 994.46 million kilograms, more than offsetting a 1.04 per cent decline in average unit prices to €19.82 per kilogram.
China’s market share climbed from 30.71 per cent to 32.70 per cent, a gain of almost two percentage points.
Vietnam expanded its earnings through higher prices rather than greater volumes.
Exports rose 4.46 per cent to €3.00 billion, despite a 5.13 per cent decline in shipment volumes to 104.10 million kilograms.
Its average unit price jumped 10.11 per cent to €28.82 per kilogram from €26.17, lifting its market share to 4.98 per cent from 4.58 per cent.
China was the only major supplier in the comparison to record growth in both export value and volume. Vietnam earned more despite shipping less, while Bangladesh suffered declines in both.
Other major suppliers also struggled, although none recorded a steeper percentage decline in export value than Bangladesh among the countries surveyed.
Sri Lanka’s exports fell 11.12 per cent to €827.64 million, Indonesia’s 11.03 per cent to €606.88 million and Turkey’s 11.02 per cent to €5.10 billion.
India recorded a 10.84 per cent decline to €3.08 billion, followed by Pakistan at 9.63 per cent to €2.30 billion, Morocco at 6.10 per cent to €1.76 billion and Cambodia at 4.51 per cent to €2.81 billion.
But the volume and price movements revealed sharply different pressures across suppliers.
Pakistan increased shipments by 3.82 per cent to 211.02 million kilograms, yet its average unit price plunged 12.96 per cent to €10.88 per kilogram, the steepest decline among the countries listed.
Cambodia faced the opposite situation. Its shipment volumes fell 11.63 per cent to 151.61 million kilograms, but an 8.05 per cent increase in average prices to €18.55 per kilogram helped cushion the loss in earnings.
Turkey also secured a 1.37 per cent rise in unit prices to €28.13 despite a 12.22 per cent decline in shipment volumes. Morocco’s average price slipped just 0.07 per cent to €32.42, while India’s fell 1.58 per cent to €20.37.
Sri Lanka recorded a 0.73 per cent decline in unit prices to €25.96, whereas Indonesia’s rose 3.73 per cent to €24.71 despite a 14.23 per cent fall in shipment volumes.
Bangladesh’s average export value of €13.76 per kilogram remained substantially below China’s €19.82 and Vietnam’s €28.82.
However, average unit values are influenced by product categories, materials and shipment composition, meaning they do not necessarily represent prices for identical garments.
The wider European market nevertheless showed signs of improvement in August.
Compared with August 2025, EU apparel imports increased 0.72 per cent in value, even as volumes declined 0.57 per cent. Average unit prices rose 1.29 per cent, reversing the downward price trend recorded over the full eight-month period.
Rubel highlighted the narrowing decline in recent months, although the August figures relate to the EU’s overall imports rather than Bangladesh’s individual performance.
Earlier figures also showed Bangladesh’s cumulative export contraction easing.
During January–July, Bangladesh’s knitwear exports to the EU fell 13.29 per cent to €6.98 billion, while total apparel exports dropped 13.65 per cent to €10.37 billion.
By August, the cumulative decline in overall apparel exports had narrowed to 11.67 per cent, although earnings remained €1.58 billion below the previous year’s level.
The figures expose a twofold challenge for Bangladesh – recovering shipment volumes while preventing further erosion in export prices.
