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| 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 caretaker regime suspended planned parliamentary elections in January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system and root out corruption; the regime has pledged new democratic elections by the end of 2008. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development. |
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| Area |
total: 144,000 sq km
land: 133,910 sq km
water: 10,090 sq km |
| Area - comparative |
slightly smaller than Iowa |
| Climate |
tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October) |
| Coastline |
580 km |
| Elevation extremes |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m |
| 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 |
| Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural) |
total: 79.4 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%)
per capita: 560 cu m/yr (2000) |
| Geographic coordinates |
24 00 N, 90 00 E |
| 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 |
| Irrigated land |
47,250 sq km (2003) |
| Land boundaries |
total: 4,246 km
border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km |
| Land use |
arable land: 55.39%
permanent crops: 3.08%
other: 41.53% (2005) |
| Location |
Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India |
| Map references |
Asia |
| 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 |
| Natural hazards |
droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season |
| Natural resources |
natural gas, arable land, timber, coal |
| Terrain |
mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast |
| Total renewable water resources |
1,210.6 cu km (1999) |
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| Age structure |
0-14 years: 33.4% (male 26,364,370/female 24,859,792)
15-64 years: 63.1% (male 49,412,903/female 47,468,013)
65 years and over: 3.5% (male 2,912,321/female 2,529,502) (2008 est.) |
| Birth rate |
28.86 births/1,000 population (2008 est.) |
| Death rate |
8 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.) |
| Education expenditures |
2.7% of GDP (2005) |
| Ethnic groups |
Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) (1998) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate |
less than 0.1% (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths |
650 (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS |
13,000 (2001 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate |
total: 57.45 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 58.44 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 56.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.) |
| Languages |
Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English |
| Life expectancy at birth |
total population: 63.21 years
male: 63.14 years
female: 63.28 years (2008 est.) |
| Literacy |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 43.1%
male: 53.9%
female: 31.8% (2003 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 (2008) |
| Median age |
total: 22.8 years
male: 22.8 years
female: 22.9 years (2008 est.) |
| Nationality |
noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective: Bangladeshi |
| Net migration rate |
-0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.) |
| Population |
153,546,896 (July 2008 est.) |
| Population below poverty line |
45% (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate |
2.022% (2008 est.) |
| Religions |
Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998) |
| School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) |
total: 8 years
male: 8 years
female: 8 years (2004) |
| Sex ratio |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.15 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.) |
| Total fertility rate |
3.08 children born/woman (2008 est.) |
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Transportation |
Bangladesh |
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| Airports |
16 (2007) |
| Airports - with paved runways |
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 5 (2007) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (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) |
| Pipelines |
gas 2,644 km (2007) |
| Ports and terminals |
Chittagong, Mongla Port |
| Railways |
total: 2,768 km
broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2006) |
| Roadways |
total: 239,226 km
paved: 22,726 km
unpaved: 216,500 km (2003) |
| 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 |
| Waterways |
8,370 km
note: includes up to 3,060 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2007) |
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| Administrative divisions |
6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet |
| Capital |
name: Dhaka
geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E
time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
| Constitution |
4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended many times |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US |
chief of mission: Ambassador M. Humayun KABIR
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 |
| Executive branch |
chief of state: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002)
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); election scheduled for 16 September 2002 was not held since Iajuddin AHMED was the only presidential candidate; he was sworn in on 6 September 2002 (next election NA); following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president
election results: Iajuddin AHMED declared president-elect by the Election Commission; he ran unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA |
| 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 |
| Government type |
parliamentary democracy |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Judicial branch |
Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president) |
| Legal system |
based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age; universal |
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| Budget |
revenues: $8.831 billion
expenditures: $12.54 billion (2008 est.) |
| Central bank discount rate |
5% (31 December 2007) |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate |
16% (31 December 2007) |
| Currency (code) |
taka (BDT) |
| Current account balance |
-$55 million (2008 est.) |
| Debt - external |
$21.72 billion (31 December 2008 est.) |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index |
33.2 (2005) |
| Economic aid - recipient |
$1.321 billion (2005) |
| 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. |
| Electricity - consumption |
21.37 billion kWh (2006 est.) |
| Electricity - exports |
0 kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - imports |
0 kWh (2007 est.) |
| Electricity - production |
22.78 billion kWh (2007 est.) |
| Exchange rates |
taka (BDT) per US dollar - 68.554 (2008 est.), 69.893 (2007), 69.031 (2006), 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004) |
| Exports |
$13.97 billion (2008 est.) |
| Exports - commodities |
garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood |
| Exports - partners |
US 23%, Germany 13%, UK 9.1%, France 5.5%, Belgium 4% (2007) |
| Fiscal year |
1 July - 30 June |
| GDP - composition by sector |
agriculture: 19.1%
industry: 28.6%
services: 52.3% (2008 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) |
$1,500 (2008 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate |
5.9% (2008 est.) |
| GDP (official exchange rate) |
$83.04 billion (2008 est.) |
| GDP (purchasing power parity) |
$228.4 billion (2008 est.) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share |
lowest 10%: 3.7%
highest 10%: 27.9% (2000) |
| Imports |
$20.17 billion (2008 est.) |
| Imports - commodities |
machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement |
| Imports - partners |
China 15%, India 14.3%, Kuwait 8.3%, Singapore 6.2%, Hong Kong 4.2% (2007) |
| Industries |
cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) |
9.4% (2008 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed) |
24.3% of GDP (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) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares |
$6.793 billion (31 December 2007) |
| Natural gas - consumption |
15.7 billion cu m (2007 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports |
0 cu m (2007 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports |
0 cu m (2007 est.) |
| Natural gas - production |
15.7 billion cu m (2007 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves |
141.6 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.) |
| Oil - consumption |
89,940 bbl/day (2006 est.) |
| Oil - exports |
1,351 bbl/day (2005) |
| Oil - imports |
83,220 bbl/day (2005) |
| Oil - production |
6,746 bbl/day (2007 est.) |
| Oil - proved reserves |
28 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.) |
| Public debt |
34.6% of GDP (2008 est.) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold |
$5.934 billion (31 December 2008 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad |
$104 million (2008 est.) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home |
$5.618 billion (2008 est.) |
| Stock of domestic credit |
$40.15 billion (31 December 2007) |
| Stock of money |
$8.444 billion (31 December 2007) |
| Stock of quasi money |
$32.4 billion (31 December 2007) |
| Unemployment rate |
2.5% (includes underemployment) (2008 est.) |
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Communications |
Bangladesh |
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| Internet country code |
.bd |
| Internet hosts |
1,440 (2008) |
| Internet users |
500,000 (2007) |
| Radio broadcast stations |
AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006) |
| 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 is approaching 25 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 (2007) |
| Telephones - main lines in use |
1.187 million (2007) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular |
34.37 million (2007) |
| Television broadcast stations |
15 (1999) |
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| Manpower available for military service |
males age 16-49: 41,199,340 (2008 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service |
males age 16-49: 31,968,168 (2008 est.) |
| Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually |
male: 1,311,850
female: 1,246,012 (2008 est.) |
| Military branches |
Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF) (2008) |
| Military expenditures |
1.5% of GDP (2006) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure |
$1.01 billion (2005 est.) |
| 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) |
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Transnational Issues |
Bangladesh |
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| 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 |
| Illicit drugs |
transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries |
| Refugees and internally displaced persons |
refugees (country of origin): 26,268 (Burma)
IDPs: 65,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2007) |
