Bangladesh’s Export Zones Attract $7.5 Billion. What the Numbers Reveal

FTZ News: Bangladesh’s export-processing zones have attracted roughly $3 million in investment per acre and generated an annual return of about Tk 13.82 crore per acre, according to the Bangladesh Export Processing Zones Authority (BEPZA).

The authority released the figures at an investor meeting in Chattogram attended by more than 100 local and foreign companies from the Chattogram, Karnaphuli and Cumilla zones. In the fiscal year ended June 2026, BEPZA signed agreements with 36 enterprises. Exports from the zones rose 2.22% to $8.41 billion.

Total investment across the zones now stands at about $7.5 billion, while shipments account for roughly 20% of Bangladesh’s exports. BEPZA operates eight export-processing zones and two economic zones and has attracted investors from 38 countries since its establishment in 1980.

The figures offer a snapshot of the zones’ contribution to Bangladesh’s export economy. But they leave one question unanswered: how much of the reported investment came from new projects, and how much from companies expanding existing operations?