Bangladesh’s trade deficit widened to US$16.91 billion in the first eight months (July–February) of the current 2025–26 fiscal year, reflecting an increase of $3.2 billion compared with the same period of the previous year.

The latest Balance of Payments (BoP) data released on Thursday by Bangladesh Bank indicate that while imports have risen, a decline in exports has contributed to the growing deficit. Remittance inflows, however, increased by nearly 21 per cent during the period, helping to cushion the overall imbalance.

According to the central bank, export earnings stood at $29.26 billion between July and February, marking a 2.6 per cent decline year-on-year.