Bangladesh Population: 163,654,860
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| Background | |
| Muslim conversions and settlement in the region now referred to as Bangladesh began in the 10th century, primarily from Arab and Persian traders and preachers. Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area in the 16th century. Eventually the area known as Bengal, primarily Hindu in the western section and mostly Muslim in the eastern half, became part of British India. Partition in 1947 resulted in an eastern wing of Pakistan in the Muslim-majority area, which became East Pakistan. Calls for greater autonomy and animosity between the eastern and western wings of Pakistan led to a Bengali independence movement. That movement, led by the Awami League (AL) and supported by India, won independence for Bangladesh in 1971, although at least 300,000 civilians died in the process. The post-independence, AL government faced daunting challenges and in 1975 was overthrown by the military, triggering a series of military coups that resulted in a military-backed government and subsequent creation of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). That government also ended in a coup in 1981, followed by military-backed rule until democratic elections in 1991. The BNP and AL have alternately held power since then, with the exception of a military-backed, emergency caretaker regime that suspended parliamentary elections planned for January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system and root out corruption. That government returned the country to fully democratic rule in December 2008 with the election of the AL and Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA. With the help of international development assistance, Bangladesh has made great progress in food security since independence, and the economy has grown at an average of about 6 percent over the last two decades. |
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| Geography | |
| 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 | |
| Location: | Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India |
| Geographic coordinates: | 24 00 N, 90 00 E |
| Area: | total: 143,998 sq km land: 130,168 sq km water: 13,830 sq km Size comparison: 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: | 50,500 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | droughts; cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season |
| Current Environment 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 |
| International Environment 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 |
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| People | |
| Population: | 163,654,860 (July 2013 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 33% (male 27,393,912/female 26,601,199) 15-24 years: 18.8% (male 14,337,930/female 16,377,785) 25-54 years: 37.6% (male 29,091,046/female 32,455,670) 55-64 years: 5.7% (male 4,775,062/female 4,625,192) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 3,918,341/female 4,078,723) (2013 est.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: | total: 23.6 years male: 23.1 years female: 24.1 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.579% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 22.53 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: | 5.71 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -1.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 48.99 deaths/1,000 live births male: 51.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 46.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 70.06 years male: 68.21 years female: 71.98 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.5 children born/woman (2013 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | less than 0.1% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | 6,300 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | fewer than 200 (2009 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Bangladeshi(s) adjective: Bangladeshi |
| Ethnic groups: | Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) (1998) |
| Religions: | Muslim 89.5%, Hindu 9.6%, other 0.9% (2004) |
| Languages: | Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English |
| Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 56.8% male: 61.3% female: 52.2% (2010 est.) |
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| Government | |
| Country name: | conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh conventional short form: Bangladesh local long form: Gana Prajatantri Bangladesh local short form: Bangladesh 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: | 7 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Sylhet |
| Independence: | 16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 26 March (1971); Victory Day; note - March 1971 is the date of the Awami League's declaration of an independent Bangladesh, and 16 December, known as Victory Day, memorializes the military victory over Pakistan and the official creation of the state of Bangladesh |
| Constitution: | enacted 4 November 1972; effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982; restored 10 November 1986; amended many times |
| Legal system: | mixed legal system of mostly English common law and Islamic law |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: Acting President Abdul HAMID (since 14 March 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 (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); last election held on 11 February 2009 (next must be held by 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 |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats (45 reserved for women) elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies; members serve five-year terms elections: last held on 29 December 2008; note - general elections must be held within 90 days of the expiration of the Parliament or by 24 January 2014 or earlier if Parliament is dissolved before its term expires 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]; Communist Party of Bangladesh or CPB [Manjurul A. KHAN]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA]; Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh or BDB [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [multiple leaders]; Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Matiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Oli AHMED] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Advocacy to End Gender-based Violence through the MoWCA (Ministry of Women's and Children's Affairs); Ain o Salish Kendro (Law and Order Center); Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee or BRAC; Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity; Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry; Odikhar (Human Rights) other: associations of madrassa teachers; business associations, including those intended to promote international trade; development and advocacy NGOs associated with the Grameen Bank; environmentalists; Islamist groups; labor rights advocacy groups; nongovernmental organizations focused on poverty, alleviation, and socioeconomic international trade; religious leaders; tribal groups and advocacy organizations; union leaders |
| International organization participation: | ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CD, CICA (observer), CP, D-8, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Akramul QADER 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 Dan W. MOZENA 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 |
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| Economy | |
| In real terms Bangladesh's economy has grown 5.8% per year since 1996 despite political instability, poor infrastructure, corruption, 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, 45% of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector with rice as the single-most-important product. Bangladesh's growth was resilient during the 2008-09 global financial crisis and recession. Garment exports, totaling $12.3 billion in FY09 and remittances from overseas Bangladeshis, totaling $11 billion in FY10, accounted for almost 12% of GDP. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $305.5 billion (2012 est.) $288.1 billion (2011 est.) $270.5 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $118.7 billion (2012 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 6.1% (2012 est.) 6.5% (2011 est.) 6.4% (2010 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $2,000 (2012 est.) $1,900 (2011 est.) $1,800 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 17.3% industry: 28.6% services: 54.1% (2012 est.) |
| Labor force: | 77 million note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances were $10.9 billion in FY09/10 (2012 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 45% industry: 30% services: 25% (2008) |
| Unemployment rate: | 5% (2012 est.) 5% (2011 est.) note: about 40% of the population is underemployed; many participants in the labor force work only a few hours a week, at low wages |
| Population below poverty line: | 31.51% (2010 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: 4% highest 10%: 27% (2010 est.) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 33.2 (2005) 33.6 (1996) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.8% (2012 est.) 10.7% (2011 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 25.1% of GDP (2012 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $13.98 billion expenditures: $19.62 billion (2012 est.) |
| Public debt: | 32% of GDP (2012 est.) 33.9% of GDP (2011 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry |
| Industries: | jute, cotton, garments, paper, leather, fertilizer, iron and steel, cement, petroleum products, tobacco, drugs and pharmaceuticals, ceramic, tea, salt, sugar, edible oil, soap and detergent, fabricated metal products, electricity and natural gas |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 7.4% (2011 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 35.7 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 63 |
| Electricity - consumption: | 34.83 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 20.13 billion cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 20.13 billion cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 183.7 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$941.9 million (2012 est.) $243.6 million (2011 est.) |
| Exports: | $25.79 billion (2012 est.) $24.56 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | garments, knitwear, agricultural products, frozen food (fish and seafood), jute and jute goods, leather |
| Exports - partners: | US 19.4%, Germany 16.5%, UK 10%, France 7.3%, Italy 4.4%, Spain 4.2%, Netherlands 4.2% (2011) |
| Imports: | $35.06 billion (2012 est.) $32.58 billion (2011 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement |
| Imports - partners: | China 18.2%, India 13.5%, Malaysia 4.9% (2011) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $10.19 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $9.192 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $36.21 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $33.84 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $7.849 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $6.85 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $93.9 million (31 December 2012 est.) $92.9 million (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $23.55 billion (31 December 2011) $15.68 billion (31 December 2010) $7.068 billion (31 December 2009) |
| Exchange rates: | taka (BDT) per US dollar - 82.17 (2012 est.) 74.152 (2011 est.) 69.649 (2010 est.) 69.04 (2009) 68.554 (2008) |
| Fiscal year: | 1 July - 30 June |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 977,700 (2011) country comparison to the world: 79 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 84.369 million (2011) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: inadequate for a modern country; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities domestic: fixed-line teledensity remains only about 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and now exceeds 50 telephones per 100 persons 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 (2011) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .bd |
| Internet hosts: | 71,164 (2012) |
| Internet users: | 617,300 (2009) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 18 (2012) country comparison to the world: 138 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 16 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2012) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2012) |
| Heliports: | 3 (2012) |
| Pipelines: | gas 2,714 km (2010) |
| Railways: | total: 2,622 km broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,676 km 1.000-m gauge (2008) |
| Roadways: | total: 21,269 km paved: 1,063 km unpaved: 20,206 km (2010) |
| Waterways: | 8,370 km (includes up to 3,060 km of main cargo routes; the network is reduced to 5,200 km in the dry season) (2011) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 62 by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 28, chemical tanker 1, container 5, petroleum tanker 3 foreign-owned: 8 (China 1, Singapore 7) registered in other countries: 10 (Comoros 1, Hong Kong 1, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 1) (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: | Chittagong, Mongla Port |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army (Sena Bahini), Bangladesh Navy (Noh Bahini, BN), Bangladesh Air Force (Biman Bahini, BAF) (2010) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 17-19 years of age for voluntary enlisted military service; Bangladeshi birth and 10th grade education required; intial obligation 15 years (2012) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 36,520,491 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 30,486,086 females age 16-49: 35,616,093 (2010 est.) |
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