Bangladesh earns over Tk 1,170 crore from hair and wig exports in four months, up 86 percent

The human hair and wig industry is creating new possibilities in Bangladesh's export sector. Domestic entrepreneurs are collecting discarded hair, processing it and making wigs from it to carve out a place in international markets. In the first four months of the current 2026-27 fiscal year, export earnings from this sector rose by 86.4 percent compared with the same period a year earlier.

According to data from the Export Promotion Bureau (EPB), from July to October Bangladesh earned $94 million from exports of human hair and wigs — more than Tk 1,170.30 crore in Bangladeshi currency. In the same period of the previous fiscal year, earnings were $50 million. That means earnings grew by $44 million within a year.

A large business network and employment have grown up around hair collection, sorting and wig making in different regions of the country. Traders collect hair by going from house to house, and from barber shops and local collectors.

The collected hair is later sorted by length and quality and processed. It is exported abroad as a raw material or used domestically to make wigs.

The most important step in the wig-making process is 'knotting'. In this special technique, individual hairs are set with great skill to create a complete wig. Skilled workers take two to three days to make one complete wig.

China is one of the biggest buyers of Bangladeshi human hair. Wigs and hair extensions made from this hair in China are sold in the markets of Europe, the United States, Africa and the Middle East. Alongside raw material exports, initiatives to make finished wigs at home are also increasing.

Besides Faydabad in Dhaka's Uttara, the business has spread to Dinajpur, Faridpur and Nilphamari. Wigs are also being made with foreign investment in the Japanese Economic Zone in Narayanganj, and these products are being exported to Japan and Singapore.

Mohammad Ashraf, proprietor of 'Wig Bangladesh', said they initially exported raw hair to China. Later they took the initiative to make wigs in the country and sell them directly in international markets. Their products now go to Brazil, the United States and various other markets in North America.

According to those involved in the sector, processing the hair at home into high-value products, instead of exporting raw material, could bring in even more earnings from this sector. That will require investment, skilled manpower, modern technology and policy support.