Bangladesh has emerged as the top exporter of T-shirts to the United States during the first six months of 2025, marking a historic milestone for the country by surpassing traditional leaders such as Nicaragua, Honduras, and China.
According to data from the United States International Trade Commission (USITC), the US imported T-shirts worth US $ 3.52 billion from 117 countries in the first half of this year. Of this total, Bangladesh contributed US $ 373.2 million, edging past Nicaragua, which exported US $ 361.2 million.
This is the first time Bangladesh has topped the US T-shirt market. From 1989 to 2024, the market was dominated by countries including Honduras, Nicaragua, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Mexico, and China. Except for China and Hong Kong, many of these countries benefitted from trade agreements that provided tariff advantages.
USITC data also highlights the average export price per T-shirt. In the first six months of 2025, Bangladesh exported each T-shirt at an average price of US $ 1.76, higher than Nicaragua’s US $ 1.65 during the same period last year. Comparatively, Honduras exported T-shirts at US $ 2.10 each, Vietnam at US $ 2.68, India at US $ 1.81, China at US $ 1.63, and Pakistan at US $ 1.50 per piece. This shows that while Bangladesh’s prices are above China, Nicaragua, and Pakistan, they remain lower than those of Vietnam, Honduras, and India.
Globally, US $ 56.82 billion worth of T-shirts were exported in 2024, with Bangladesh ranking second only to China. Last fiscal year, Bangladesh exported US $ 7.45 billion worth of T-shirts to 158 countries, with the United States ranking as the third-largest destination after Germany and Spain.
Bangladesh’s T-shirt exports have already been leading in several other markets, including Germany, Spain, France, the United Kingdom, Poland, Italy, Denmark, Canada, and even neighboring India. With its recent surge in the US market, Bangladesh has added another significant achievement to its growing global presence in T-shirt exports.
