Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh’s economy registered a slight expansion in September, with the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) rising by 0.8 points from August 2025 to reach 59.1.
According to the latest data released on Tuesday, the overall improvement was led by a faster expansion in the manufacturing sector, while growth in the services sector moderated. Both the agriculture and construction sectors returned to expansion territory after several months of subdued performance.
The agriculture sector recorded expansion in the indexes for new business, business activity, and input costs, while the employment and order backlog indexes showed slower rates of contraction.
The manufacturing sector achieved its 13th straight month of expansion, and at a stronger pace.
It registered expansion across all key indexes – new orders, new exports, factory output, input purchases, finished goods, imports, input prices, and supplier deliveries. The employment index returned to expansion, and the order backlog index showed a slower contraction.
The construction sector also reverted to expansion, with growth in new business, construction activity, and input cost indexes. The employment index returned to expansion after four consecutive months of contraction, while order backlogs contracted at a slower pace.
The services sector maintained its 12th consecutive month of growth, albeit at a slower rate. It recorded expansion in new business, business activity, employment, and input cost indexes, while order backlogs contracted more slowly.
For the future business index, faster expansion was observed in the manufacturing, construction, and services sectors, whereas agriculture posted a more modest increase.
“The latest PMI readings show that Bangladesh’s economy continued to expand at a slightly quicker pace in September. The return of agriculture and construction to growth reflects improved weather conditions and the gradual implementation of the new fiscal year’s budget. Meanwhile, the services sector expanded more slowly, likely due to persistent inflation – still the highest in South Asia,” said M Masrur Reaz, chairman and CEO of the Policy Exchange Bangladesh.
The PMI is jointly developed by the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MCCI), Dhaka, and the Policy Exchange Bangladesh (PEB), with support from the UK government and technical assistance from the Singapore Institute of Purchasing & Materials Management.
