The most valuable Bangladeshi imports also include food items wheat, rice, soya-bean oil and dried shelled vegetables. Refined petroleum oils, cars and mobile phones are other areas where Bangladesh shows strong demand for imports.
The following list shows on which product categories Bangladeshi importers spent the most. Unlike most information currently available on the web, the items below are detailed at the 4-digit tariff code level.
This level of granularity can help entrepreneurs identify more precisely which products in which Bangladesh has strong demand perhaps competitive disadvantages compared with other nations. Innovation satisfying that demand can transform these disadvantages into lucrative business opportunities.
For the most recent year’s data, please see the link to Bangladesh’s Top 10 Imports article in the See also paragraph above Research Sources below.
Highest Value Bangladeshi Import Products
Below are the 20 highest value import products delivered to Bangladeshi importers in 2017. Shown within brackets is the change in value for each imported product since 2013.
- Processed petroleum oils: US$2.6 billion (Up 11.2% from 2013 to 2017)
- Cotton (uncarded, uncombed): $1.3 billion (Down -39%)
- Woven fabrics (85%+ cotton): $1.2 billion (Up 8.7%)
- Wheat: $1.2 billion (Up 68.2%)
- Sugar (cane or beet): $1.1 billion (Up 67.7%)
- Palm oil: $998.9 million (Down -49.6%)
- Phone system devices: $949.4 million (Up 54.4%)
- Woven cotton fabrics: $938.5 million (Down -36.8%)
- Rice: $734.3 million (Up 1,639%)
- Yarn (85%+ cotton): $729.4 million (Down -7.3%)
- Woven fabrics (mixed): $722.1 million (Up 495%)
- Synthetic yarn woven fabrics: $651.7 million (Up 92.1%)
- Soya-bean oil: $595.4 million (Down -14.1%)
- Other than warp-knit fabrics: $576.5 million (Up 359.1%)
- Iron or steel scrap: $572 million (Up 393.8%)
- Cars: $488.8 million (Up 79.8%)
- Hot-rolled iron or non-alloy steel products: $431.4 million (Down -18%)
- Dried shelled vegetables: $422.2 million (Down -8.9%)
- Synthetic staple fibres yarn: $419.5 million (Up 31.2%)
- Soya beans: $402.1 million (Up 41.3%)
Among these product categories, rice posted the greatest increase in Bangladeshi import purchases via its 1,639% gain from 2013 to 2017.
In second place were imported woven mixed fabrics which appreciated 495%.
Bangladeshi imports of iron or steel scrap showed a 393.8% gain since 2013.
Among the highest value imports, the two greatest decliners in value from 2013 to 2017 were palm oil (down -49.6%) and raw cotton (down -39%).
The average change for all Bangladeshi import purchases over the 5-year period was 1.1%.
See also Bangladesh’s Top 10 Imports, Bangladesh’s Top 10 Exports and Top Asian Export Countries
Research Sources:
International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database (GDP based on Purchasing Power Parity). Accessed on May 15, 2018
The World Factbook, Field Listing: Imports and World Population, Central Intelligence Agency. Accessed on May 15, 2018
Trade Map, International Trade Centre, www.intracen.org/marketanalysis. Accessed on May 15, 2018