Bangladesh’s fuel oil import bill reached a record $10.63 billion in the 2025-26 fiscal year, more than doubling from $5.14 billion a year earlier, according to Bangladesh Bank data.
The 107% year-on-year increase means fuel oil accounted for 14.13% of the country’s total merchandise import bill of $75.24 billion in FY26.
Crude petroleum imports rose 92% to $1.20 billion, while imports of petroleum, oil and lubricants (POL) surged 109.1% to $9.44 billion.
Experts attributed the sharp rise mainly to higher global oil prices and growing domestic demand. Bangladesh’s fuel imports also increased, with 5.74 million tonnes imported during July-March of FY26, compared with 5.005 million tonnes in the same period a year earlier.
Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation estimates annual fuel demand at around 7.4 million tonnes.
