Bangladesh trade deficit hits three-year high of $27.28 billion

Bangladesh’s trade deficit reached a three-year high of $27.28 billion in the 2025-26 fiscal year, representing a 34 percent increase from the previous year. While export earnings remained stagnant at $43.85 billion, imports rose by 10.5 percent to $71.14 billion, the largest annual increase since FY22.

Economists attribute the widening imbalance to global economic volatility, including rising petroleum prices, Western inflation, and supply chain disruptions caused by conflict. Experts from the Centre for Policy Dialogue and RAPID noted that while imports of essential goods have increased, imports of capital machinery remain weak, suggesting that the current import growth is not yet driving a broad-based revival in productive investment.

In the agricultural sector, vegetable exports through the Chattogram seaport fell by nearly 38 percent during the same fiscal year. This decline was driven largely by a significant drop in potato shipments. Exporters cited rising domestic prices, high freight and container costs, and intense competition from India, China, and Pakistan as primary obstacles to maintaining price competitiveness in international markets.