Form of Government: Republic
Area: 147 570 sq km
Population: 164 689 383 inhab. (estimate 2020)
Density: 1 116.01 inhab./sq km
Coordinates: lat. 27° - 21° N; long. 88° - 93° E
Capital: Dhaka (capital) 11 086 309 inhab. (2011); Dhaka 19 578 000 inhab. (2018), urban agglomeration
Currency: taka (100 poisha)
Human development index: 0.632 (rank: 133)
President: Abdul Hamid (Awami League), in office since 24 April 2013
Prime Minister: Sheikh Wajed Hasina (Awami League), since 6 January 2009
National Assembly: seats based on the elections of 30 December 2018: AL (Awami League, social democratic), 258; JP (National Party), 22; BNP (Bangladesh Nationalist Party), 6; independents, 3; others, 11
Internet: www.bbs.gov.bd (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics)
Member of Commonwealth, OIC, SAARC, UN, WTO
Bangladesh

International license plate code BD
International dialling code 0088
Travel vaccinations requirement yellow fever (required only if traveling from a country with risk of transmission); malaria prophylaxis (recommended for some areas)
Electricity (Voltage) 220
Driving side left
Internet code .bd
GMT +6
DST not applied
Annual average temperature (°C) Dacca 33.3
Average temperature in January/July (°C) Dacca 19/28.5
Daily sunshine hours in June/December (average) Dacca 5/9
Annual average precipitation (mm) Dacca 2009
Days of rainfall (annual average) Dacca 96
Geography.
Bangladesh is bordered by India to the west, north and north-east and by Myanmar (Burma) to the south-east. It lies on the Bay of Bengal to the south, and occupies a vast plain comprising the floodplains of the Rivers Ganges, Brahmaputra-Jamuna, Tista and Surma-Meghna.
Regularly affected by monsoons, the climate has high temperatures and a marked difference between a dry season and a wet season when torrential rains are frequent.
Government
Bangladesh is an independent republic and member of the Commonwealth. It is the result of a split from Pakistan (of which it was the Eastern Region) that was proclaimed on 26 March 1971 (effective since 16 December 1971). On 15 August 1975, the army took over power in a coup d’état. It stayed in power (except for a short interval from 30 May 1981 to 24 March 1982) until 1990.
The elections of 1991 ratified the return to constitutional legality. Nevertheless, contrasts between the conservatives (led by the Nationalist Party BNP) and the opposition parties (the socialist-inspired pro-Indian Awami League) have been very bitter, taking the country to the brink of civil war. Since the elections of 1996, the Awami League and the BNP have alternated in power, except during the political crisis of 2006-08, with a caretaker government supported by the army. In 1997, the government reached a peace agreement with the Shanti Bahini rebels who had been struggling for the autonomy of the Chittagong Hill Tracts since 1973 (three districts in the south-eastern part of the country inhabited mostly by Buddhists). The area is rife with violence tied to Islamic fundamentalism, fostered by intolerance towards religious minorities.
According to the 1972 Constitution, amended several times, the President of the Republic is elected by Parliament which is made up of 300 members elected for five years by direct suffrage, with 50 seats reserved for women. Islam is the state religion, although religious freedom is guaranteed. The legal system is based on British Common Law.
Administrative division
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Dhaka | 11 086 309 | inhab. | 2011 |
Chittagong | 3 669 170 | inhab. | 2011 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Dhaka | 19 578 000 | inhab. | 2018 |
Chittagong | 4 539 000 | inhab. | 2014 |
Population
Population by age and gender (% - 2020) | ||||||||
| ||||||||
MALE | AGE | FEMALE |
Bangladesh is one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The birth-rate is falling; the law that sets the minimum age for marriage is largely disregarded, above all in country areas. In the country live about 850 000 refugees of Rohingya ethnicity, fleeing from Myanmar.
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Birth rate | 17.868 | ‰ | 2019 |
Death rate | 5.526 | ‰ | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Bengali | 98$ | % | 2011 |
other | 2$ | % | 2011 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Muslim | 89.1 | % | 2013 |
Hindu | 10$ | % | 2013 |
DESCRIPTION |
---|
Bengali (official) |
English |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
0-14 years | 26.4 | % | 2020 |
15-29 years | 27.1 | % | 2020 |
Economy
Economic situation.
Due to the fall in exports caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic, sustained by the production of textiles for large multinationals and emigrant remittances, underwent a sizeable slowdown in 2020, followed by a partial recovery in 2021. The increase in unemployment had serious social repercussions, adding to low wages and hard working conditions that already led to protest and disorder in the past. Overpopulation, widespread corruption, natural disasters and lack of infrastructure hinder development.
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Agricultural prod. index (2004-06=100) | 144.35 | index | 2016 |
Agricultural prod. index (2014-16=100) | 108.91 | index | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Active population | 67 225 427 | units | 2020 |
Active population, Females | 30.5 | % | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Unemployment rate | 5.3 | % | 2020 |
Unemployment rate, Females | 45.1 | % | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Expenses | 4 554 766 | M LCU | 2020 |
Revenues | 5 045 070 | M LCU | 2020 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
agriculture | 38.6 | % | 2019 |
industry | 21.3 | % | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
agriculture | 13.323 | % | 2019 |
industry | 31.151 | % | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Currency in circulation | 2 015.26 | BN LCU | 2020 |
International reserves | 43 171.735 | M US$ | 2020 |
Agriculture
Primary sector.
Despite heightened fragmentation of land ownership, the loss of arable terrain and the irregular water regime (an alternation between torrential downpours and droughts), agricultural production is rapidly growing.
Food crops, cereals in particular (rice), are mostly destined for domestic consumption. The main commercial crop is jute (in the areas of Mymensingh, Rangpur, Comilla and Dhaka). Cattle are very common, but most are used to work in the fields. Fishing and aquaculture play a major role; their products (cyprinids, herrings, crustaceans) are mainly exported.
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
arable land | 66.085 | % | 2018 |
forests | 14.469 | % | 2018 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
barley | 0.157 | 1000 t | 2019 |
cereals, total | 59 181.92 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
potatoes | 9 655.082 | 1000 t | 2019 |
roots and tubers, total | 9 890.963 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cabbages | 331.02 | 1000 t | 2019 |
cauliflowers | 284.327 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
beans, dry | 76.224 | 1000 t | 2019 |
beans, green | 144.05 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
castor oil seed | 0.254 | 1000 t | 2019 |
groundnuts | 62.832 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
coconuts | 431.596 | 1000 t | 2019 |
copra | 14.9 | 1000 t | 2006 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
ginger | 80.234 | 1000 t | 2019 |
pepper | 138 | 1000 t | 2005 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
sugar cane | 3 141.923 | 1000 t | 2019 |
tobacco | 128.597 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
seed cotton | 81$ | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
linseed | 3.641 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
jute | 1 600.474 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
fruits, total | 4 896.712 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
citrus fruits | 165.327 | 1000 t | 2019 |
grapefruits | 72.11 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
bananas | 833.309 | 1000 t | 2019 |
mangoes | 1 456.331 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
barley | 0.191 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
maize | 445.099 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
potatoes | 468.395 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
sweet potatoes | 23.014 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cabbages | 19.182 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
cauliflowers | 20.181 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
beans, dry | 87.38 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
beans, green | 20.873 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
castor oil seed | 0.364 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
groundnuts | 35.26 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
coconuts | 36.483 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
ginger | 9.61 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
pepper | 162.3 | 1000 ha | 2005 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
sugar cane | 81.062 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
tobacco | 59.64 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
seed cotton | 23.928 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
linseed | 5.284 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
jute | 749.658 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
citrus fruits | 38.06 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
grapefruits | 12.658 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
bananas | 48.85 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
mangoes | 134.354 | 1000 ha | 2019 |
Forests-Livestock-Fishing
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
natural rubber | 22 800 | t | 2019 |
timber | 25 913 708 | m³ | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cattle | 24 187 | 1000 heads | 2019 |
cattle and buffaloes | 25 677 | 1000 heads | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
buffaloes | 1 490 | 1000 heads | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
sheep | 2 332.094 | 1000 heads | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
goats | 61 107.425 | 1000 heads | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
birds | 344 022 | 1000 heads | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
butter | 30.382 | 1000 t | 2018 |
cheese | 1.147 | 1000 t | 2018 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
crustaceans and molluscs | 251 938 | t | 2019 |
freshwater fishes | 3 139 711 | t | 2019 |
Minerals
Secondary and tertiary sector.
Although poorly exploited, mineral resources include coal, oil (at Sylhet and Feni), natural gas (at Gopalganj and Bakhrabad) and salt; to meet the needs of the country, natural gas is also imported by sea and regasified. Industrial activity is tied first and foremost to the textile industry, fostered by influxes of foreign revenue and aimed at exports; there are also agricultural products (tobacco, sugar, tea and leather) and chemical, petro-chemical and iron and steel plants (Ghorasal, Fenchuganj and Chittagong), as well as car, shipbuilding, cement, rubber and glass plants.
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
coal | 1 020 | 1000 t | 2019 |
coal, total | 1 020 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
salt | 1 513 | 1000 t | 2018 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
granite | 759.3 | 1000 t | 2018 |
kaolin | 8.5 | 1000 t | 2011 |
Energy
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
- thermal | 72 596.2 | M kWh | 2018 |
- hydro | 820 | M kWh | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
- thermal | 14 760 | 1000 kW | 2018 |
- other renew. | 292.1 | 1000 kW | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
total net generation | 73 971.22 | M kWh | 2018 |
total installed capacity | 15 199.1 | 1000 kW | 2018 |
Industry
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
steel, crude | 5 100 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
bikes | 368 | no. | 2019 |
cars | 580 | no. | 2017 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
radios | 34 700 | no. | 2010 |
telephones | 499 676 | no. | 2017 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
bitumen | 58.2 | 1000 t | 2018 |
petrol | 69.9 | 1000 t | 2014 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
ammonia | 600 | 1000 t | 2018 |
artificial yarn | 5.3 | 1000 t | 2001 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cotton fabrics - m | 43.4 | M m | 2018 |
cotton yarn | 20.47 | 1000 t | 2018 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
footwear | 28 538 000 | pairs | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
coconut oil | 62.699 | 1000 t | 2018 |
cottonseed oil | 5.578 | 1000 t | 2018 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cigarettes | 16 186 | M units | 2019 |
tobacco | 38 000 | t | 2005 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
chemical pulp | 11$ | 1000 t | 2019 |
chemi-mechanical pulp | 47$ | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
cement | 17 951.3 | 1000 t | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
chemicals production | 965.7 | M US$ | 2012 |
food, beverages and tobacco production | 2 873.2 | M US$ | 2012 |
Trade
Main exports (M US$ - 2017)
apparel and accessories 34 842, household linens 1 063, footwear 956, raw and processed jute 755, fish and crustaceans 632, leather goods 277, hats 300, hides and skins 146, tobacco 96, plastics 93
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
manufactures | 95.807 | % of goods exports | 2015 |
food products | 2.706 | % of goods exports | 2015 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
United States | 3 374 | M US$ | 2007 |
Germany | 2 002 | M US$ | 2007 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
China | 2 750 | M US$ | 2007 |
India | 2 334 | M US$ | 2007 |
Tourism
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Expenditures | 1 388 | M US$ | 2019 |
Number of arrivals | 323 000 | units | 2019 |
Communications
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Civil aviation, km flown | 30 100 000 | km flown | 2004 |
Civil aviation, passengers carried | 5 959.1 | 1000 units | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Broadband subscribers | 49.59 | per 1000 pop. | 2019 |
Computers | 23$ | per 1000 pop. | 2008 |
Social and welfare
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Expected years of schooling | 12.036 | years | 2018 |
Gradautes, percentage | 27.2 | % | 2016 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Students, primary level | 17 338 100 | units | 2018 |
Students, secondary level | 15 869 820 | units | 2018 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Social protection spending | 6.8 | % of total expenses | 2013 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Hospital beds | 0.9 | per 1000 pop. | 2019 |
Physicians | 0.7 | per 1000 pop. | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
HIV | -0.1 | % of adults | 2018 |
Malaria | 17 225 | cases | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
Access to clean fuels and technologies for cooking | 23$ | % | 2019 |
Access to electricity | 92.2 | % | 2019 |
DESCRIPTION | VALUE | UNITS | YEAR |
---|---|---|---|
clothing, footwear | 5.9 | % | 2008 |
food, non-alcoholic beverages | 51.1 | % | 2008 |