The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Bangladeshi global shipments during 2020. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Bangladesh.

1. Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: US$18.7 billion (45.2% of total exports)
2. Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $16.6 billion (40.2%)
3. Miscellaneous textiles, worn clothing: $1.2 billion (2.8%)
4. Footwear: $998.9 million (2.4%)
5. Paper yarn, woven fabric: $728.8 million (1.8%)
6. Fish: $461.8 million (1.1%)
7. Leather/animal gut articles: $305.4 million (0.7%)
8. Headgear: $288.6 million (0.7%)
9. Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: $139.7 million (0.3%)
10. Feathers, artificial flowers, hair: $133.9 million (0.3%)

Bangladesh’s top 10 exports are mostly focused on apparel products, accounting for 95.6% of the overall value of its global shipments.

Animal or vegetable fats, oils and waxes represent the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 37.2% from 2019 to 2020.

In second place for improving export sales was feathers, artificial flowers and hair via a 22.9% gain.

Bangladesh’s shipments of miscellaneous textiles including worn clothing posted the third-fastest gain in value up by 10% annually.

The leading decliner among Bangladesh’s top 10 export categories were articles of clothing made from leather or animal gut via a -19.1% drop year over year.

In 2020, Bangladesh’s most valuable exported products were knitted or crocheted t-shirts and vests (14%), unknitted and non-crocheted men’s suits including trousers (13.9%), knitted or crocheted jerseys or pullovers (12%), unknitted and non-crocheted women’s clothing (11.3%), knitted or crocheted women’s clothing (5.9%), unknitted and crocheted men’s shirts (4.5%), knitted or crocheted women’s underwear and pajamas (2.4%), knitted or crocheted infant clothing (2.2%), unknitted and non-crocheted men’s coats and jackets (also 2.2%), and knitted or crocheted men’s shirts (2.1%).

The following types of Bangladeshi product shipments represent positive net exports or a trade balance surplus. Investopedia defines net exports as the value of a country’s total exports minus the value of its total imports.

In a nutshell, net exports represent the amount by which foreign spending on a home country’s goods or services exceeds or lags the home country’s spending on foreign goods or services.

1. Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: US$18.7 billion (Down by -9.9% since 2019)
2. Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $16.5 billion (Down by -15.5%)
3. Miscellaneous textiles, worn clothing: $1.1 billion (Up by 8.3%)
4. Footwear: $780.6 million (Down by -16.8%)
5. Paper yarn, woven fabric: $540.2 million (Up by 17.1%)
6. Fish: $418.1 million (Down by -8.2%)
7. Headgear: $268.1 million (Down by -15.1%)
8. Leather/animal gut articles: $266.7 million (Down by -18.2%)
9. Feathers, artificial flowers, hair: $107.9 million (Up by 55.4%)
10. Tobacco, manufactured substitutes: $91.5 million (Down by -8.3%)

Bangladesh has highly positive net exports in the international trade of apparel. In turn, these cashflows indicate Bangladesh’s strong competitive advantages under the two leading product categories.

Overall Bangladesh incurred an estimated -$5.1 billion trade deficit during 2020, decreasing by -53.4% from -$10.9 billion one year earlier.

Below are exports from Bangladesh that result in negative net exports or product trade balance deficits. These negative net exports reveal product categories where foreign spending on home country Bangladesh’s goods trail Bangladeshi importer spending on foreign products.

1. Cotton: -US$4.8 billion (Down by -24.8% since 2019)
2. Machinery including computers: -$4.7 billion (Down by -19.1%)
3. Mineral fuels including oil: -$3.6 billion (Down by -41.1%)
4. Electrical machinery, equipment: -$3.3 billion (Down by -1.8%)
5. Iron, steel: -$2.4 billion (Down by -18.4%)
6. Plastics, plastic articles: -$1.9 billion (Down by -16%)
7. Cereals: -$1.7 billion (Up by 3%)
8. Knit or crochet fabric: -$1.32 billion (Down by -2.9%)
9. Manmade staple fibers: -$1.31 billion (Down by -24.8%)
10. Animal/vegetable fats, oils, waxes: -$1.2 billion (Up by 0.5%)

Bangladesh has highly negative net exports and therefore deep international trade deficits for machinery, notably computers and knitting including stitch-bonding machines.

Bangladeshi Export Companies

Not one Bangladeshi corporation ranks among Forbes Global 2000.

Wikipedia does list a number of exporters located in Bangladesh. Selected examples are shown below.

• Advanced Chemical Industries (pharmaceuticals, consumer brands, agribusiness)
• ASM Chemical Industries (industrial chemicals)
• Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (oil products)
• Beximco Pharma (pharmaceuticals)
• Dragon Group (clothing, notably sweaters)
• Kazi Farms Group (poultry)
• KDS Group (garments, textiles, steel)
• Petrobangla (oil, natural gas, minerals)
• Pragoti (automobiles)
• Walton (motorcycles)