Background Note: Bangladesh

May 2009

BUREAU OF SOUTH AND CENTRAL ASIAN AFFAIRS

Bangladeshi tribal dancers participate in independence day celebrations in Dhaka, Bangladesh. December 16, 2006. [© AP Images]

PROFILE

OFFICIAL NAME:
People's Republic of Bangladesh

Geography
Area: 147, 570 sq. km. (55,813 sq. mi.); about the size of Wisconsin.
Cities: Capital--Dhaka (pop. 10 million). Other cities--Chittagong (2.8 million), Khulna (1.8 million), Rajshahi (1 million).
Terrain: Mainly flat alluvial plain, with hills in the northeast and southeast.
Climate: Semitropical, monsoonal.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Bangladeshi(s).
Population (July 2007 CIA est.): 150 million.
Annual growth rate (July 2009 CIA est.): 1.29%.
Ethnic groups: Bengali 98%, tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims.
Religions: Muslim 88.3%; Hindu 10.5%; Christian 0.3%, Buddhist 0.6%, others 0.3%.
Languages: Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English.
Education: Attendance--61%. Adult literacy rate--47.5%. (UNDP Human Development Index 2007/2008)
Health: Infant mortality rate (below 1)--54/1,000. Life expectancy--63.1%. (Both figures from UNDP Human Development Index 2007/2008)
Work force (60.3 million): Agriculture, forestry, and fisheries--48.1% (Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics 2005/2006); manufacturing--11%; mining and quarrying--0.2%; others--36%.