CHENNAI: India’s textile and apparel exports to the US contracted 28.7% year-on-year in February 2026 to $63 crore. Other major textile and apparel manufacturing countries such as China (45.2%) and Bangladesh (16.2%) also witnessed sharp declines in exports to the US during the period. Among key exporters, only Vietnam recorded a single-digit growth of 5% in shipments to the US.
For India, the US is the largest market for textile and apparel exports, accounting for nearly 30% of the country’s total exports of $38 billion in this segment. In 2025, India exported $9.68 billion worth of textile and apparel products to the US.
According to data from the Confederation of Indian Textile Industry, India’s exports to the US had already declined 18.2% in January to $0.71 billion, compared to $0.86 billion in the same period in 2025. The decline in exports has been ongoing since US President Donald Trump imposed reciprocal tariffs on several countries in April 2025.
Meanwhile, China, the largest textile and apparel exporter to the US, recorded a decline of 56% in January and 45% in February. Bangladesh, the second-largest exporter, saw exports fall 1% in January and 16% in February.
Vietnam remains the only country to register positive growth in textile and apparel exports to the US, with shipments of $1.64 billion and $1.35 billion in January and February, respectively.
Recently, tariffs on Indian exports to the US were reduced from 50–60% to 18% by the US administration. In comparison, tariffs on Bangladesh and Vietnam stand at 19% and 20%, respectively. However, the US has agreed to allow duty-free imports from Bangladesh if it sources raw materials such as cotton from the US.