Readymade garment export earnings comprise 18 per cent of Bangladesh's GDP and 80 per cent of its total exports. More than 80 per cent of its export-oriented factories have been inspected and found with upgraded safety facilities. However, Bangladesh, the world's second largest garment producer after China, is likely to face new challenges from Myanmar and Ethiopia which entered the low-wage garment market last year drawing a growing number of export orders.

Another rival to Bangladesh in apparel exports, Vietnam is also expected to get additional benefits from lower production costs under the 12-country Trans-Pacific Partnership. Production capacity and price appear to trump safety and labor when it comes to choosing where to source clothes. Bangladesh has suffered more industrial disasters than any other garment-producing country. But its low minimum wage and high number of garment factories have made it a magnet for global retailers.

For now, China remains the world’s largest garment producer by far. But its minimum wage is four times the monthly base rate of Bangladesh. The country’s clothing industry has the advantage of scale: it has 5,000 factories, compared with 2,500 in Indonesia and 2,000 in Vietnam. Unlike clothes put together in China and Sri Lanka, those stitched in Bangladesh enjoy duty-free access to the European Union.