Bangladesh’s leather exports reach $98.81m in July to April; up by 5.15%

Bangladesh’s leather and leather goods sector continues to grow steadily. According to statistics released by the Country’s Export Promotion Bureau, its earnings from leather exports reached $98.81 million in the July to April period of FY 2025-26, registering a 5.15 percent year-on-year increase.

As per the country’s Trade Policy Analysis 2026, the country’s leather exporters are bracing up for tariff levy of around 10 to 12 per cent in the European Union market and up to 17 per cent in the United Kingdom’s market.

The increased tariff will directly impact pricing of leather exports, bringing Bangladesh in direct competition with Vietnam and India, the countries which offers better efficiency, compliance, and scale already provide strong export advantages.

Leather together with footwear is one of the key export segments of the country.

More than 70 percent of Bangladesh’s total leather export earnings now come from finished products, according to the Export Promotion Bureau trend analysis 2026. This indicates a clear shift away from raw leather dependency toward higher-value manufacturing.

Going ahead, the Bangladesh government has set a $1.25 billion export target for the leather and leather goods sector for FY 2025 -2026. In percentage terms, this would be around 10 per cent year-on-year growth, as per the Ministry of Commerce projections for 2026.

Even as Bangladesh’s leather and footwear industry continues to maintain a healthy and steady growth, the country continues to face environmental compliance, hindering the fast growth of the sector. As per the country’s Export Promotion Bureau, The European Union and the United States are the two key export markets.