The following export product groups represent the highest dollar value in Bangladeshi global shipments during 2019. Also shown is the percentage share each export category represents in terms of overall exports from Bangladesh.

1. Knit or crochet clothing, accessories: US$20.3 billion (44.5% of total exports)
2. Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $19.4 billion (42.4%)
3. Footwear: $1.1 billion (2.4%)
4. Miscellaneous textiles, worn clothing: $1 billion (2.2%)
5. Paper yarn, woven fabric: $603.3 million (1.3%)
6. Fish: $532.9 million (1.2%)
7. Leather/animal gut articles: $368.3 million (0.8%)
8. Headgear: $332.6 million (0.7%)
9. Raw hides, skins not furskins, leather: $139.8 million (0.3%)
10. Plastics, plastic articles: $113.2 million (0.2%)

Bangladesh’s top 10 exports are highly concentrated accounting for 96.1% of the overall value of its global shipments.

Articles made from leather or animal gut represents the fastest grower among the top 10 export categories, up by 19.1% from 2018 to 2019. In second place for improving export sales was footwear via a 9.1% gain. Bangladesh’s shipments of headgear posted the third-fastest gain in value up by 6.9%.

The leading decliner among Bangladesh’s top 10 export categories was raw hides, skins not furskins and leather due to a -20.4% drop year over year

At the more granular four-digit Harmonized Tariff System code level, non-knitted and uncrocheted men’s suits and trousers represent Bangladesh ’s most valuable exported product at 15% of the country’s total. In second place were knitted or crocheted T-shirts and vests (14.6%) trailed by knitted or crocheted jerseys and pullovers (12.2%), non-knitted and uncrocheted women’s clothing (11.6%), non-knitted and uncrocheted men’s shirts (5.3%), knitted or crocheted women’s clothing (5.2%), knitted or crocheted men’s shirts (2.4%), knitted or crocheted women’s underwear and pajamas (2.2%), non-knitted and uncrocheted men’s coats and jackets (2.1%) then knitted or crocheted infant clothing (1.9%).

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$20.3 billion (Up by 1.2% since 2018)
2. Clothing, accessories (not knit or crochet): $19.2 billion (Up by 2.8%)
3. Miscellaneous textiles, worn clothing: $933.7 million (Down by -9.1%)
4. Footwear: $878.7 million (Up by 9.9%)
5. Fish: $464 million (Down by -7%)
6. Paper yarn, woven fabric: $345.1 million (Down by -30.3%)
7. Leather/animal gut articles: $317.2 million (Up by 30.1%)
8. Headgear: $311.8 million (Up by 6.4%)
9. Tobacco, manufactured substitutes: $87.3 million (Down by -16.8%)
10. Feathers, artificial flowers, hair: $69.8 million (Up by 84.5%)

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 -$4.7 billion trade deficit during 2019, decreasing by -61.6% from -$12.1 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. Machinery including computers: -US$5.8 billion (Down by -15% since 2018)
2. Cotton: -$5.4 billion (Down by -21.9%)
3. Mineral fuels including oil: -$4.4 billion (Down by -14.6%)
4. Electrical machinery, equipment: -$3.2 billion (Down by -20.8%)
5. Iron, steel: -$2.9 billion (Up by 4.9%)
6. Plastics, plastic articles: -$2.1 billion (Down by -10.8%)
7. Vehicles: -$1.7 billion (Down by -17.1%)
8. Manmade staple fibers: -$1.6 billion (Down by -17%)
9. Manmade filaments: -$1.4 billion (Up by 2.1%)
10. Knit or crochet fabric: -$1.3 billion (Down by -2.8%)

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)