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Sunday | October 25, 2026 | Dhaka

BD remains top denim supplier to EU though volume declines

 Business Desk
 Published: 12:03 AM, 25 October 2026

Bangladesh retained its position as the largest supplier of denim garments to the European Union (EU) in the first eight months of 2026, despite a decline in export value, while stronger performance in August offered signs of improving demand.

According to Eurostat data compiled by Bangladesh Apparel Voice (BAV), the EU imported denim products worth €2.96 billion between January and August, down 4.40 percent from €3.09 billion during the same period last year.

However, imports rose 11.23 percent year-on-year in August to €430.16 million, indicating an improvement in the market after months of weaker performance.

Bangladesh remained the leading supplier, accounting for 29.40 percent of the EU’s denim imports during the eight-month period, with shipments valued at €869.13 million.

Pakistan ranked second with €525.49 million, followed by Turkey with €438.25 million. Despite maintaining its leading position, Bangladesh recorded a 5.85 percent decline in denim export value compared with the same period in 2025, exceeding the overall EU market contraction of 4.40 percent.

As a result, its share of the EU denim market slipped from 29.85 percent to 29.40 percent.

August, however, brought an improvement. EU denim imports from Bangladesh rose 12.71 percent year-on-year to €134.08 million, outpacing the overall market growth of 11.23 percent.

Bangladesh’s market share increased to 31.17 percent in August, compared with 30.76 percent in the same month last year. The stronger performance helped narrow the cumulative decline in Bangladesh’s denim exports from 8.59 percent during January-July to 5.85 percent during January-August.

The EU denim market also witnessed significant changes among major supplying countries.
Imports from Turkey fell 21.08 percent, or approximately €117 million, contributing substantially to the overall decline in the bloc’s denim imports.

Imports from Morocco declined 14.48 percent, followed by Pakistan at 7.88 percent, Cambodia at 6.47 percent and Tunisia at 6.44 percent.

In contrast, imports from Egypt increased 31.46 percent, China 17.70 percent and Vietnam 45.38 percent.

Although Bangladesh performed better than several traditional competitors, its overall market share declined slightly, while countries such as Egypt, China and Vietnam expanded their presence in the EU denim market.