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Regional Data
Region
South Asia
Region Name
Bangladesh
Introduction
Background
Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of Bangladesh in the 16th century; eventually the British came to dominate the region and it became part of British India. In 1947, West Pakistan and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from India (largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955, but the awkward arrangement of a two-part country with its territorial units separated by 1,600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh.
A military-backed, emergency caretaker regime suspended parliamentary elections planned for January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system and root out corruption. In contrast to the strikes and violent street rallies that had marked Bangladeshi politics in previous years, the parliamentary elections finally held in late December 2008 were mostly peaceful. Sheikh HASINA Wajed was reappointed prime minister. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.
Geography
Location
Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India
Geographic coordinates
24 00 N, 90 00 E
Map references
Asia
Area
Total - 143,998 sq km
Land - 130,168 sq km
Water - 13,830 sq km
Area - comparative
Slightly smaller than Iowa
Land boundaries
Total - 4,246 km
Border countries - Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km
Coastline
580 km
Maritime claims
Territorial sea - 12 nm
Contiguous zone - 18 nm
Exclusive economic zone - 200 nm
Continental shelf - up to the outer limits of the continental margin
Climate
Tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)
Terrain
Mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Elevation extremes
Lowest point - Indian Ocean 0 m
Highest point - Keokradong 1,230 m
Natural resources
Natural gas, arable land, timber, coal
Land use
Arable land - 55.39%
Permanent crops - 3.08%
Other - 41.53% (2005)
Irrigated land
47,250 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources
1,210.6 cu km (1999)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
Total - 79.4 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%)
Per capita - 560 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards
Droughts; cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season
Environment - current issues
Many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate flood-prone land; waterborne diseases prevalent in surface water; water pollution, especially of fishing areas, results from the use of commercial pesticides; ground water contaminated by naturally occurring arsenic; intermittent water shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and central parts of the country; soil degradation and erosion; deforestation; severe overpopulation
Environment - international agreements
Party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
Signed, but not ratified - none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
Most of the country is situated on deltas of large rivers flowing from the Himalayas: the Ganges unites with the Jamuna (main channel of the Brahmaputra) and later joins the Meghna to eventually empty into the Bay of Bengal
People
Population
156,050,883 (July 2009 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years - 34.6% (male 27,065,625/female 26,913,961)
15-64 years - 61.4% (male 45,222,182/female 50,537,052)
65 years and over - 4% (male 3,057,255/female 3,254,808) (2009 est.)
Median age
Total - 23.3 years
Male - 22.9 years
Female - 23.5 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate
1.292% (2009 est.)
Birth rate
24.68 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Death rate
9.23 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
Net migration rate
-2.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
Urbanization
Urban population - 27% of total population (2008)
Rate of urbanization - 3.5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio
At birth - 1.04 male(s)/female
Under 15 years - 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years - 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over - 0.94 male(s)/female
Total population - 0.93 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate
Total - 59.02 deaths/1,000 live births
Male - 66.12 deaths/1,000 live births
Female - 51.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
Total population - 60.25 years
Male - 57.57 years
Female - 63.03 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate
2.74 children born/woman (2009 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
Less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
12,000 (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
Fewer than 500 (2007 est.)
Major infectious diseases
Degree of risk - high
Food or waterborne diseases - bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever
Vectorborne diseases - dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations
Water contact disease - leptospirosis
Animal contact disease - rabies
Note - highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza has been identified in this country; it poses a negligible risk with extremely rare cases possible among US citizens who have close contact with birds (2009)
Nationality
Noun - Bangladeshi(s)
Adjective - Bangladeshi
Ethnic groups
Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) (1998)
Religions
Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)
Languages
Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English
Literacy
Definition - age 15 and over can read and write
Total population - 47.9%
Male - 54%
Female - 41.4% (2001 Census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)
Total - 8 years
Male - 8 years
Female - 8 years (2004)
Education expenditures
2.7% of GDP (2005)
Government
Country name
Conventional long form - People's Republic of Bangladesh
Conventional short form - Bangladesh
Local long form - Gana Prajatantri Banladesh
Local short form - Banladesh
Former - East Bengal, East Pakistan
Government type
Parliamentary democracy
Capital
Name - Dhaka
Geographic coordinates - 23 43 N, 90 24 E
Time difference - UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions
6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet
Independence
16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh
National holiday
Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh
Constitution
4 November 1972; effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982; restored 10 November 1986; amended many times
Legal system
Based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
Chief of state - President Zillur RAHMAN (since 12 February 2009)
Head of government - Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wajed (since 6 January 2009)
Cabinet - Cabinet selected by the prime minister and appointed by the president
Elections - president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); last election held on 11 February 2009 (next scheduled election to be held in 2014)
Election results - Zillur RAHMAN declared president-elect by the Election Commission on 11 February 2009 (sworn in on 12 February); he ran unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA
Legislative branch
Unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies; members serve five-year terms
Elections - last held 29 December 2008 (next to be held in 2013)
Election results - percent of vote by party - AL 49%, BNP 33.2%, JP 7%, JIB 4.6%, other 6.2%; seats by party - AL 230, BNP 30, JP 27, JIB 2, other 11
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders
Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Manjurul A. KHAN]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI]; Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Matiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party (Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY and Oli AHMED]
Political pressure groups and leaders
Advocacy to End Gender-based Violence through the MoWCA (Ministry of Women's and Children's Affairs)
Other - environmentalists; Islamist groups; religious leaders; teachers; union leaders
International organization participation
ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
Chief of mission - Ambassador (vacant)
Chancery - 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
Telephone - [1] (202) 244-0183
FAX - [1] (202) 244-7830/2771
Consulate(s) general - Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US
Chief of mission - Ambassador James F. MORIARTY
Embassy - Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212
Mailing address - G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000
Telephone - [880] (2) 885-5500
FAX - [880] (2) 882-3744
Flag description
Green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the hoist side of center; the red disk represents the rising sun and the sacrifice to achieve independence; the green field symbolizes the lush vegetation of Bangladesh
Economy
Economy - overview
The economy has grown 5-6% per year since 1996 despite inefficient state-owned enterprises, delays in exploiting natural gas resources, insufficient power supplies, and slow implementation of economic reforms. Bangladesh remains a poor, overpopulated, and inefficiently-governed nation. Although more than half of GDP is generated through the service sector, nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-important product. Garment exports and remittances from Bangladeshis working overseas, mainly in the Middle East and East Asia, fuel economic growth. In 2008 Bangladesh pursued a monetary policy aimed at maintaining high employment, but created higher inflation in the process.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$226.4 billion (2008 est.)
$214 billion (2007 est.)
$201.5 billion (2006 est.)
Note - data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate)
$84.2 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
5.8% (2008 est.)
6.2% (2007 est.)
6.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$1,500 (2008 est.)
$1,400 (2007 est.)
$1,300 (2006 est.)
Note - data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector
Agriculture - 19.1%
Industry - 28.6%
Services - 52.3% (2008 est.)
Labor force
70.86 million
Note - extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $4.8 billion in 2005-06. (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
Agriculture - 63%
Industry - 11%
Services - 26% (FY95/96)
Unemployment rate
2.5% (2008 est.)
2.5% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line
45% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10% - 4.3%
Highest 10% - 26.6% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
33.2 (2005)
33.6 (1996)
Investment (gross fixed)
24.3% of GDP (2008 est.)
Budget
Revenues - $8.825 billion
Expenditures - $12.54 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt
39.4% of GDP (2008 est.)
43% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
8.9% (2008 est.)
9.1% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate
5% (31 December 2008)
5% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate
16.38% (31 December 2008)
16% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money
$9.294 billion (31 December 2008)
$8.444 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money
$37.98 billion (31 December 2008)
$32.35 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit
$47.03 billion (31 December 2008)
$40.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares
$6.671 billion (31 December 2008)
$6.793 billion (31 December 2007)
$3.61 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products
Rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry
Industries
Cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar
Industrial production growth rate
6.9% (2008 est.)
Electricity - production
22.99 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption
21.38 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - exports
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production
6,426 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Oil - consumption
95,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
Oil - exports
2,612 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - imports
87,660 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - proved reserves
28 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
Natural gas - production
17.9 billion cu m (2008 est.)
Natural gas - consumption
17.9 billion cu m (2008 est.)
Natural gas - exports
0 cu m (2008)
Natural gas - imports
0 cu m (2008 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves
141.6 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
Current account balance
$1.032 billion (2008 est.)
$856.8 million (2007 est.)
Exports
$15.44 billion (2008 est.)
$12.47 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities
Garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood
Exports - partners
US 21%, Germany 13.2%, UK 8.6%, France 6.3%, Netherlands 4.7% (2008)
Imports
$21.51 billion (2008 est.)
$16.67 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities
Machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement
Imports - partners
China 14.7%, India 14.7%, Kuwait 7.5%, Singapore 7.1%, Japan 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$5.789 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$5.278 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external
$22.83 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$21.23 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
$5.971 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
$5.261 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
$97 million (31 December 2008 est.)
Exchange rates
Taka (BDT) per US dollar - 68.554 (2008 est.), 69.893 (2007), 69.031 (2006), 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004)
Communications
Telephones - main lines in use
1.39 million (2009)
Telephones - mobile cellular
45.75 million (2009)
Telephone system
General assessment - inadequate for a modern country; fixed-line telephone density remains less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and has reached 30 per 100 persons
Domestic - modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities
International - country code - 880; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 6; international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2008)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006)
Television broadcast stations
15 (1999)
Internet country code
.bd
Internet hosts
4,209 (2009)
Internet users
556,000 (2008)
Transportation
Airports
17 (2009)
Airports - with paved runways
Total - 15
Over 3,047 m - 2
2,438 to 3,047 m - 2
1,524 to 2,437 m - 6
914 to 1,523 m - 1
Under 914 m - 4 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways
Total - 2
1,524 to 2,437 m - 1
Under 914 m - 1 (2009)
Pipelines
Gas 2,597 km (2008)
Railways
Total - 2,768 km
Broad gauge - 946 km 1.676-m gauge
Narrow gauge - 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways
Total - 239,226 km
Paved - 22,726 km
Unpaved - 216,500 km (2003)
Waterways
8,370 km
Note - includes up to 3,060 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2007)
Merchant marine
Total - 40
By type - bulk carrier 3, cargo 27, container 5, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4
Foreign-owned - 1 (China 1)
Registered in other countries - 10 (Comoros 2, Honduras 1, Malta 2, Panama 2, Singapore 2, Togo 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals
Chittagong, Mongla Port
Transportation - note
The International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of Bangladesh as high risk for armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen
Military
Military branches
Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army (Sena Bahini), Bangladesh Navy (Noh Bahini, BN), Bangladesh Air Force (Biman Bahini, BAF) (2009)
Military service age and obligation
16 years of age for voluntary military service; 17 years of age for officers (both with parental consent); conscription legally possible in emergency, but has never been implemented (2008)
Manpower available for military service
Males age 16-49 - 41,199,340 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
Males age 16-49 - 24,946,041
Females age 16-49 - 31,409,069 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
Male - 1,538,865
Female - 1,666,670 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures
1.5% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international
Discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange territory for 51 small Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111 small Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's fencing and walling off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint Bangladesh-India boundary commission resurveyed and reconstructed 92 missing pillars in 2007; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; after 21 years, Bangladesh resumes talks with Burma on delimiting a maritime boundary
Refugees and internally displaced persons
Refugees (country of origin) - 26,268 (Burma)
IDPs - 65,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2007)
Illicit drugs
Transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries
Data provided courtesy of the CIA Factbook. Current as of 2009.