Bangladesh Trade Balance

Bangladesh recorded a trade balance of -$27.95 billion in 2025, ranking 171st globally, reflecting a persistent deficit driven by higher import volumes relative to exports. This contrasts sharply with the country’s all-time peak of $29.47 million in 1960, the earliest recorded year, when the economy was less integrated into global trade networks. The deficit widened notably to a historic trough of -$36.88 billion in 2022, amid rising energy and raw material costs and post-pandemic import demand. In 2025, Bangladesh’s trade imbalance was comparable to that of peer economies such as Pakistan, which reported a deficit of $28.89 billion, and France, with a deficit of $27.90 billion, suggesting similar external pressures among mid-ranking trade economies. Over the 66-year coverage period, structural factors including reliance on imported machinery and intermediate goods for the garment industry, coupled with relatively concentrated export baskets, have shaped this trajectory. Sustained improvement would require diversification of exports, enhanced domestic production capacity, and strategic trade policies to reduce import dependency, particularly in energy and capital goods. Without such shifts, the deficit is likely to persist at elevated levels.