Demographics of Bangladesh

Bangladesh is the eighth-most populated country in the world with almost 2.2% of the world's population. As per the final results of the 2022 Census of Bangladesh, the country's population is 169,828,911.^[11]

Demographics of Bangladesh
Bangladesh population pyramid in 2020
Population	169,356,251 (2021 est.)^[1]^[2]
Growth rate	0.98% (2021 est.)^[3]
Birth rate	17.71 births/1,000 population (2020 est.)^[3]
Death rate	5.54 deaths/1,000 population (2020 est.)^[3]
Life expectancy	72.72 years (2020)^[3]
• male	71.1 years
• female	74.4 years
Fertility rate	2.30 children born/woman (2022) ^[4]
Infant mortality rate	24.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2020 est.)^[3]
Age structure
0–14 years	27.21% (2019 est.)^[5]
15–64 years	67.61% (2019 est.)^[5]
65 and over	5.18% (2019 est.)^[5]
Sex ratio
Total	0.97 male(s)/female (2017 est.)^[6]
At birth	104 male(s)/ 100 female (2021)^[7]
Under 15	103 male(s)/ 100 female (2021)^[7]
65 and over	97 male(s)/ 100 female (2021)^[7]
Nationality
Nationality	Bangladeshi
Major ethnic	Bengali
Minor ethnic	Chakma, Tripuri, Marma, Mundas, Garos (Achiks), Oraons, Santhals, Mro, Meitei people (Manipuri people^[8]^[9]^[10]), Zomi, Bihari Khasi
Language
Official	Bangla,
Spoken	Chittagonian language, Sylheti, English, etc.

Bangladesh (previously East Pakistan between 1947 and 1971 and East Bengal before 1947) is largely ethnically homogeneous, and its name derives from the Bengali ethno-linguistic group which comprises 99% of the population. The Chittagong Hill Tracts, Sylhet, Mymensingh, Barisal and North Bengal regions are home to diverse tribal peoples. There are many dialects of Bengali spoken throughout the region. The dialect spoken by those in Chittagong and Sylhet are particularly distinctive. About (91.04%) of Bangladeshis are Muslims, followed by Hindus (largest-minority) at (7.95%), Buddhists (0.61%) and Christians (0.30%) and others (0.12%) as per 2022 census.

Bangladesh has one of the highest population densities in the world. The total fertility rate (TFR) has been reduced by more than two thirds since Independence. The current TFR in Bangladesh is 1.930 per woman,^[12] globally considered to be below the benchmark for replacement level fertility.

At this TFR, and without migration, Bangladesh's population is expected to soon reach a stage where it neither grows nor shrinks, once the top of its age pyramid fills in.^[13]

Population

The April 2023 total population was 169,532,362 which makes Bangladesh the eighth-most populous country in the world.

Census

 

Age-sex pyramid for Bangladesh, 2005

The latest decennial census was conducted by the Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics in 2022.^[11]

 

Demographic evolution of the territory of Bangladesh (1900–2010).

Population of Bangladesh^[14]

Census date	Census population (millions)	Adjusted population (millions)
1801	14.5
1851	20.3
1901	28.928
1911	31.555
1921	33.255
1931	35.602
1941	41.997
1951	41.932
1961	50.840
1974	71.479	76.398
1981	87.120	89.912
1991	106.313	111.455
2001	124.355	130.523
2011	142.319	152.518
2022	165.159	169.829

UN estimates

^[15]	Total population (millions)	Population aged 0–14 (%)	Population aged 15–64 (%)	Population aged 65+ (%)
1950	37.895	41.2	54.8	3.9
1955	43.444	42.4	54.1	3.5
1960	50.102	43.6	53.1	3.3
1965	57.792	44.7	52.0	3.3
1970	66.881	44.7	51.8	3.4
1975	70.582	45.8	50.7	3.5
1980	80.624	45.0	51.4	3.6
1985	92.284	43.9	52.5	3.6
1990	105.256	42.5	53.8	3.7
1995	117.487	40.3	55.9	3.8
2000	127.658	37.0	59.2	3.9
2005	139.036	34.4	61.3	4.3
2010	147.575	32.0	63.2	4.8
2015	156.256	29.3	65.6	5.1
2020	164.689	26.8	68.0	5.2

Population by sex and age group

^[16][17]

Population by sex and age group (Census 15.III.2011):

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	72 109 796	71 933 901	144 043 697	100
0–4	7 638 523	7 423 447	15 061 970	10.46
5–9	9 322 514	8 850 715	18 173 229	12.62
10–14	8 614 889	8 031 726	16 646 615	11.56
15–19	6 509 492	6 352 398	12 861 890	8.93
20–24	5 777 370	7 522 419	13 299 789	9.23
25–29	6 225 252	7 254 256	13 479 508	9.36
30–34	5 079 106	5 420 659	10 499 765	7.29
35–39	4 697 349	4 859 079	9 556 428	6.63
40–44	4 280 923	3 980 739	8 261 662	5.74
45–49	3 363 273	3 016 800	6 380 073	4.43
50–54	2 952 596	2 599 675	5 552 271	3.85
55–59	1 923 534	1 577 463	3 500 997	2.43
60–64	2 081 306	1 852 708	3 934 014	2.73
65–69	1 149 569	963 921	2 113 490	1.47
70–74	1 206 398	1 025 314	2 231 712	1.55
75–79	488 338	386 389	874 727	0.61
80–84	443 239	436 840	880 079	0.61
85–89	138 268	124 343	262 611	0.18
90–94	116 916	133 273	250 189	0.17
95+	100 941	121 737	222 678	0.15
Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
0–14	25 575 926	24 305 888	49 881 814	34.63
15–64	42 890 201	44 436 196	87 326 397	60.62
65+	3 643 669	3 191 817	6 835 486	4.75

Population census by sex and age group (2022 census):

Age group	Male	Female	Total	%
Total	84 077 203	85 653 120	169 828 909	100
0–4	7 940 000	7 630 000		9.44
5–9	7 920 000	7 400 000		9.28
10–14	8 510 000	7 820 000		9.89
15–19	8 060 000	8 490 000		10.03
20–24	6 710 000	8 270 000		9.08
25–29	6 460 000	7 910 000		8.71
30–34	5 650 000	6 460 000		7.34
35–39	6 040 000	6 680 000		7.7
40–44	5 120 000	4 920 000		6.08
45–49	4 130 000	4 130 000		5.01
50–54	4 000 000	3 780 000		4.72
55–59	2 950 000	2 770 000		3.48
60–64	3 010 000	2 590 000		3.39
65–69	2 150 000	1 770 000		2.38
70–74	1 570 000	1 260 000		1.71
75–79	670 000	550 000		0.74
80+	820 000	920 000		1.06
Age group	Male	Female	Total	Per cent
0–14	24 535 272	23 929 621	48 464 893	28.81
15–64	54 843 936	55 713 243	110 557 179	65.72
65+	4 810 792	4 387 136	9 197 928	5.47

Other sources

The following table lists various recent estimates of the population.

Source	Year	Population (millions)
US State Dept^[18]	2005	144
Population Reference Bureau^[19]	2020	170
World Bank^[20]	2020	165
CIA World FactBook^[21]	2021	164
World Population Reference^[22]	2010	164

According to the OECD/World Bank population in Bangladesh increased from 1990 to 2008 with 44 million and 38% growth in population compared to 34% growth in India and 54% growth in Pakistan. The annual population growth 2007–2008 was 1.4% compared to India 1.35%, Pakistan 2.2%, Dem. Rep. of Congo 2.9%, Tanzania 2.9%, Syria 3.5% or Yemen 4.0%. According to the OECD/World Bank population statistics between 1990 and 2008 the world population growth was 27% and 1,423 million persons.^[23]

Population growth rate

 

A view of Paltan and Segunbagicha areas in Dhaka in 2017

Bangladesh had high rates of population growth in the 1960s and 1970s. Since then however it has seen significant reduction in its total fertility rate. Over a period of three decades it dropped from almost 7 to 0.74 in 2005–2018.^[15]

Gender ratio

Age range (years)	Sex ratio (males/females) (2015 est.)^[24]
at birth	1.04
0–14	1.03
15–24	0.89
25–54	0.90
55–64	1.01
65 and over	0.97
total population	0.95

Urban and rural

The sprawling mega-city of Dhaka has a huge population, but the majority of the people nonetheless still live in villages in rural areas.

Urban population: 37.4% of total population (2019 est.)

Rate of urbanization: 3.13% annual rate of change (2019 est.)

Bangladesh is considered an urban country based on their population density^{[citation needed]}

Population density

Based on United Nations Data 2020 figures for population (164,689,383) and land area (130,170 km²), Bangladesh has the highest population density among large countries, 1265 persons per square kilometer, and 10th overall, when small countries and city-states are included.^[25]

Vital statistics

Births and deaths

Notable events in Bangladesh demography:

• 1971 Bangladesh genocide

The Population Department of the United Nations prepared the following estimates. Population estimates account for under numeration in population censuses.^[26]

	Mid-year population (thousands)	Live births (thousands)	Deaths (thousands)	Natural change (thousands)	Crude birth rate (per 1000)	Crude death rate (per 1000)	Natural change (per 1000)	Total fertility rate (TFR)	Infant mortality (per 1000 live births)	Life expectancy (in years)
1950	39729	1848	1072	776	46.5	27.0	19.5	6.30	219.2	38.18
1951	40549	1907	1066	842	47.0	26.3	20.8	6.34	213.6	38.86
1952	41427	1960	1056	904	47.3	25.5	21.8	6.35	208.1	39.69
1953	42329	2016	1067	949	47.6	25.2	22.4	6.38	203.1	39.94
1954	43282	2079	1047	1032	48.0	24.2	23.8	6.44	197.6	41.16
1955	44316	2140	1044	1096	48.3	23.5	24.7	6.49	192.8	41.89
1956	45408	2198	1048	1150	48.4	23.1	25.3	6.53	188.4	42.42
1957	46561	2262	1037	1225	48.6	22.3	26.3	6.57	183.5	43.41
1958	47743	2329	1043	1286	48.7	21.8	26.9	6.62	179.5	43.93
1959	49005	2405	1045	1360	49.0	21.3	27.7	6.71	175.4	44.60
1960	50396	2493	1070	1423	49.5	21.2	28.2	6.78	173.4	44.74
1961	51883	2574	1064	1510	49.6	20.5	29.1	6.83	168.3	45.66
1962	53462	2650	1055	1595	49.6	19.7	29.8	6.87	164.3	46.70
1963	55094	2704	1084	1620	49.1	19.7	29.4	6.84	162.6	46.66
1964	56774	2760	1068	1692	48.6	18.8	29.8	6.84	158.7	47.74
1965	58500	2816	1130	1686	48.2	19.3	28.8	6.83	159.0	46.86
1966	60265	2881	1088	1792	47.8	18.1	29.7	6.82	154.7	48.58
1967	62104	2966	1107	1859	47.8	17.8	29.9	6.85	153.3	48.87
1968	63996	3046	1130	1916	47.6	17.6	29.9	6.85	152.5	49.09
1969	65867	3134	1159	1975	47.5	17.6	29.9	6.86	152.0	49.17
1970	67542	3209	1509	1701	47.4	22.3	25.1	6.88	165.3	42.59
1971	68376	3262	2811	451	47.6	41.0	6.6	6.87	199.4	26.00
1972	69347	3300	1189	2112	47.5	17.1	30.4	6.85	151.3	49.59
1973	71145	3349	1211	2137	47.0	17.0	30.0	6.82	151.1	49.83
1974	72948	3414	1275	2139	46.7	17.4	29.2	6.79	153.6	49.16
1975	74700	3461	1246	2215	46.2	16.6	29.5	6.74	149.3	50.29
1976	76380	3540	1260	2280	46.2	16.4	29.7	6.67	147.9	50.65
1977	78138	3610	1266	2344	46.1	16.1	29.9	6.59	146.1	51.20
1978	80008	3661	1289	2372	45.6	16.1	29.5	6.52	143.9	51.25
1979	81908	3735	1306	2429	45.5	15.9	29.6	6.42	141.3	51.46
1980	83930	3793	1313	2479	45.1	15.6	29.5	6.32	138.6	51.85
1981	86155	3859	1324	2535	44.7	15.4	29.4	6.24	135.7	52.17
1982	88555	3922	1332	2590	44.3	15.0	29.2	6.12	132.6	52.54
1983	91045	3899	1327	2572	42.8	14.6	28.2	5.89	129.2	53.01
1984	93534	3914	1318	2596	41.8	14.1	27.7	5.73	125.8	53.54
1985	95959	3913	1317	2597	40.7	13.7	27.0	5.54	122.6	53.90
1986	98272	3880	1301	2579	39.4	13.2	26.2	5.30	118.4	54.42
1987	100490	3858	1286	2572	38.3	12.8	25.6	5.07	114.7	54.93
1988	102689	3803	1290	2513	37.0	12.5	24.4	4.84	110.9	55.03
1989	104894	3801	1299	2501	36.2	12.4	23.8	4.68	106.9	55.09
1990	107148	3750	1257	2492	35.0	11.7	23.2	4.48	103.0	55.99
1991	109243	3660	1375	2285	33.4	12.6	20.9	4.24	103.6	54.15
1992	111272	3604	1178	2426	32.4	10.6	21.8	4.03	95.2	57.64
1993	113419	3579	1174	2404	31.5	10.3	21.2	3.85	91.3	57.93
1994	115615	3627	1153	2474	31.3	10.0	21.4	3.77	87.3	58.62
1995	117793	3593	1120	2472	30.5	9.5	21.0	3.61	83.4	59.47
1996	119877	3597	1138	2458	30.0	9.5	20.5	3.50	79.5	59.49
1997	122039	3692	1047	2646	30.2	8.6	21.6	3.49	75.5	61.43
1998	124350	3711	936	2775	29.8	7.5	22.3	3.39	71.8	63.92
1999	126755	3723	846	2877	29.3	6.7	22.7	3.30	68.1	66.23
2000	129193	3747	887	2860	29.0	6.9	22.1	3.22	64.6	65.78
2001	131670	3756	890	2866	28.5	6.8	21.7	3.15	61.3	66.14
2002	134140	3758	886	2872	28.0	6.6	21.4	3.08	58.2	66.61
2003	136503	3736	896	2841	27.3	6.5	20.8	3.00	55.3	66.82
2004	138790	3697	896	2801	26.6	6.4	20.1	2.91	52.6	67.19
2005	140913	3603	908	2696	25.5	6.4	19.1	2.81	50.0	67.30
2006	142629	3529	930	2600	24.6	6.5	18.2	2.71	47.5	67.24
2007	144136	3467	982	2485	24.0	6.8	17.2	2.63	45.4	66.71
2008	145421	3379	979	2400	23.1	6.7	16.4	2.54	43.0	67.05
2009	146707	3275	972	2302	22.3	6.6	15.7	2.44	41.0	67.40
2010	148391	3177	907	2269	21.4	6.1	15.3	2.34	39.0	68.64
2011	150211	3093	919	2174	20.6	6.1	14.5	2.26	37.2	68.81
2012	152091	3062	893	2169	20.1	5.9	14.2	2.21	35.6	69.55
2013	154030	3067	921	2146	19.9	6.0	13.9	2.18	33.9	69.57
2014	155961	3049	919	2130	19.5	5.9	13.6	2.15	32.4	69.99
2015	157 830	3026	912	2114	19.2	5.8	13.4	2.11	30.9	70.49
2016	159785	3037	900	2137	19.0	5.6	13.4	2.10	29.4	71.09
2017	161794	2994	881	2113	18.5	5.4	13.1	2.04	28.0	71.79
2018	163684	3025	859	2166	18.5	5.2	13.2	2.04	26.6	72.57
2019	165516	3041	875	2166	18.4	5.3	13.1	2.03	25.2	72.81
2020	167421	3023	974	2049	18.1	5.8	12.2	2.00	24.0	71.97
2021	169356	3020	962	2057	17.8	5.7	12.1	1.98	22.9	72.38

Sample vital registration system^[16][27]

Year	Population	Live births	Deaths	Natural change	Crude birth rate (per 1000): national (urban/rural)	Crude death rate (per 1000): national (urban/rural)	Natural change (per 1000): national (urban/rural)	Fertility rates: national (urban/rural)
1981	87,119,965^[28]	3,098,000	1,038,000	2,060,000	34.6 (24.8/35.7)	11.5 (7.2/12.2)	23.1 (17.6/23.5)	5.04 (3.20/5.28)
1982	92,300,000	3,189,000	1,107,000	2,082,000	34.8 (22.9/36.9)	12.2 (6.9/12.8)	22.6 (16.0/24.1)	5.21 (3.01/5.50)
1983	94,300,000	3,280,000	1,163,000	2,117,000	35.0 (27.1/36.4)	12.3 (7.5/13.2)	22.7 (19.6/23.2)	5.07 (3.45/5.36)
1984	96,300,000	3,335,000	1,182,000	2,153,000	34.8 (25.0/36.1)	12.3 (8.5/12.9)	22.5 (16.5/23.2)	4.83 (3.10/5.08)
1985	98,400,000	3,392,000	1,183,000	2,209,000	34.6 (28.0/35.3)	12.0 (8.3/12.9)	22.6 (19.7/22.4)	4.71 (3.52/4.91)
1986	100,500,000	3,448,000	1,183,000	2,265,000	34.4 (25.9/35.4)	12.1 (8.1/12.3)	22.3 (17.8/23.1)	4.70 (3.26/4.89)
1987	102,800,000	3,414,000	1,173,000	2,241,000	33.3 (24.8/34.6)	11.5 (7.6/11.8)	21.8 (17.2/22.8)	4.42 (3.05/4.64)
1988	105,000,000	3,477,000	1,179,000	2,298,000	33.2 (24.9/34.6)	11.3 (7.5/11.9)	21.9 (17.4/22.7)	4.45 (3.08/4.70)
1989	107,400,000	3,531,000	1,196,000	2,335,000	33.0 (24.4/34.5)	11.3 (7.3/11.9)	21.7 (17.1/22.6)	4.35 (2.90/4.59)
1990	109,800,000	3,559,000	1,106,000	2,453,000	32.8 (24.6/34.3)	11.4 (7.8/11.8)	21.4 (16.8/22.5)	4.33 (2.90/4.57)
1991	106,314,992^[28]	3,561,000	1,110,000	2,451,000	31.6 (23.9/32.9)	11.2 (7.8/11.5)	20.4 (16.1/21.4)	4.24 (2.89/4.51)
1992	114,400,000	3,455,000	1,139,000	2,316,000	30.8 (23.7/32.2)	11.0 (7.5/11.3)	19.8 (16.2/20.9)	4.18 (2.88/4.33)
1993	116,500,000	3,350,000	1,100,000	2,250,000	28.8 (21.0/30.0)	10.0 (7.2/10.4)	18.8 (13.8/19.6)	3.84 (2.62/4.00)
1994	118,400,000	3,289,000	1,067,000	2,222,000	27.0 (20.2/29.1)	9.3 (7.1/9.3)	17.7 (13.1/19.8)	3.58 (2.58/3.79)
1995	120,200,000	3,228,000	1,007,000	2,221,000	26.5 (19.4/28.5)	8.7 (6.7/9.0)	17.8 (12.7/19.5)	3.45 (2.50/3.78)
1996	122,100,000	3,143,000	989,000	2,154,000	25.6 (19.0/27.8)	8.2 (6.5/8.8)	17.4 (12.5/19.0)	3.41 (2.48/3.76)
1997	123,900,000	2,746,000	719,000	2,027,000	21.0 (16.2/24.5)	5.5 (4.2/6.5)	15.5 (12.0/18.0)	3.10 (2.28/3.32)
1998	125,700,000	2,608,000	652,000	1,956,000	19.9 (14.0/21.0)	5.1 (3.7/5.4)	14.8 (10.3/15.6)	2.98 (2.24/3.00)
1999	127,500,000	2,542,000	649,000	1,893,000	19.2 (13.8/20.9)	5.1 (3.5/5.4)	14.1 (10.3/15.5)	2.64 (1.76/2.91)
2000	129,300,000	2,454,000	640,000	1,814,000	19.0 (13.7/20.8)	4.9 (3.5/5.3)	14.1 (10.2/15.5)	2.59 (1.68/2.89)
2001	124,355,263^[28]	2,439,000	638,000	1,801,000	18.9 (13.6/20.7)	4.8 (4.3/5.2)	14.1 (9.3/15.5)	2.56 (1.73/2.84)
2002	132,900,000	2,674,000	679,000	1,995,000	20.1 (16.6/21.0)	5.1 (3.8/5.4)	15.0 (12.8/15.6)	2.55 (1.94/2.69)
2003	134,800,000	2,814,000	783,000	2,031,000	20.9 (17.9/21.7)	5.9 (4.7/6.2)	15.0 (13.2/15.5)	2.57 (1.91/2.70)
2004	136,700,000	2,830,000	794,000	2,036,000	20.8 (17.8/21.6)	5.8 (4.4/6.1)	15.0 (13.4/15.5)	2.51 (1.91/2.67)
2005	138,600,000	2,879,000	823,000	2,056,000	20.7 (17.8/21.7)	5.8 (4.9/6.1)	14.9 (12.9/15.6)	2.46 (1.87/2.65)
2006	140,600,000	2,901,000	789,000	2,112,000	20.6 (17.5/21.7)	5.6 (4.4/6.0)	15.0 (13.1/15.7)	2.41 (1.81/2.63)
2007	142,600,000	2,986,000	792,000	2,194,000	20.9 (17.4/22.1)	6.2 (5.1/6.6)	14.7 (12.3/15.5)	2.39 (1.79/2.61)
2008	144,700,000	3,022,000	885,000	2,137,000	20.5 (17.2/22.4)	6.0 (5.1/6.5)	14.5 (12.1/15.9)	2.30 (1.79/2.60)
2009	146,700,000	2,832,000	842,000	1,990,000	19.4 (16.8/20.4)	5.8 (4.7/6.1)	13.6 (12.1/14.3)	2.15 (1.65/2.28)
2010	148,600,000	2,868,494	842,095	2,026,399	19.2 (17.1/20.1)	5.6 (4.9/5.9)	13.6 (12.2/14.2)	2.12 (1.72/2.26)
2011	150,600,000	2,891,000	828,000	2,063,000	19.2 (17.4/20.2)	5.5 (4.8/5.8)	13.7 (12.6/14.4)	2.11 (1.71/2.25)
2012	152,700,000	2,933,000	826,000	2,107,000	18.9 (17.1/20.0)	5.3 (4.6/5.7)	13.6 (12.5/14.3)	2.12 (1.84/2.30)
2013	154,700,000				19.0 (18.2/19.3)	5.3 (4.6/5.6)	13.7 (13.6/13.7)	2.11 (1.84/2.19)
2014	156,800,000				18.9 (17.2/19.4)	5.2 (4.1/5.6)	13.7 (13.1/13.8)	2.11 (1.77/2.22)
2015	158,900,000				18.8 (16.5/20.3)	5.1 (4.6/5.5)	13.7 (11.9/14.8)	2.10 (1.72/2.30)
2016	160,800,000				18.7 (16.1/20.9)	5.1 (4.2/5.7)	13.6 (11.9/15.2)	2.10 (1.68/2.38)
2017	163,780,000	3,009,950	829,770	2,180,180	18.5 (16.1/20.4)	5.1 (4.2/5.7)	13.4 (11.9/14.7)	2.05 (1.68/2.37)
2018	164,600,000				18.3 (16.1/20.1)	5.0 (4.4/5.4)	13.3 (11.7/14.7)	2.05 (1.68/2.38)
2019	166,500,000				18.1 (15.9/20.0)	4.9 (4.4/5.4)	13.2 (11.5/14.6)	2.04 (1.67/2.37)
2020	168,220,000	3,040,667	852,254	2,188,413	18.1 (15.3/20.4)	5.1 (4.9/5.2)	13.0 (10.4/15.2)	2.04 (1.66/2.37)
2021	170,260,000				18.8 (16.4/19.5)	5.7 (4.8/6.0)	13.1 (11.6/13.5)	2.05 (1.66/2.18)
2022	169,828,911^[29] (C)

Total fertility rate by divisions in 2020

Division	TFR (total fertility rate)	Crude birth rate	Death rate
Mymensingh	2.69	21.8	5.0
Barishal	2.07	17.7	5.2
Chittagong	2.36	21.6	5.3
Dhaka	1.71	15.8	4.5
Rajshahi	1.99	16.8	5.4
Rangpur	2.11	18.2	5.2
Sylhet	1.94	17.7	5.3
Khulna	1.98	17.1	5.0

Fertility rate (Demographic and Health Surveys)

Crude birth rate (CBR), total fertility rate (TFR) and wanted fertility rate (WFR):^[30]

Year	CBR (total)	CBR (urban)	CBR (rural)	TFR (total)	TFR (urban)	TFR (rural)	WFR (total)	WFR (urban)	WFR (rural)
1993–1994	29.1	25.3	29.5	3.44	2.69	3.54	2.1	1.7	2.2
1996–1997	29.4	22.6	30.2	3.27	2.10	3.43	2.1	1.5	2.2
1999–2000	30.2	25.3	31.3	3.31	2.45	3.54	2.2	1.7	2.4
2001	28.4	26.0	28.9	3.22	2.69	3.36
2004	28.7	25.8	29.5	3.0	2.5	3.2	2.0	1.6	2.1
2007	26.1	24.7	26.5	2.7	2.4	2.8	1.9	1.7	1.9
2011	22.6	20.6	23.3	2.3	2.0	2.5	1.6	1.5	1.6
2014	22.2	20.8	22.8	2.3	2.0	2.4	1.6	1.5	1.7
2017–18	21.9	21.1	22.3	2.3	2.0	2.3	1.7	1.6	1.8
2022	21.9	20.8	22.4	2.3	2.1	2.4

Health

Life expectancy at birth

 

Life expectancy in Bangladesh since 1876

 

Life expectancy in Bangladesh since 1960 by gender

Total population: 72.7 years (2018)^[31]

Male: 71.1 years

Female: 74.4 years

Period	Life expectancy in Years	Period	Life expectancy in Years
1950–1955	40.7	1985–1990	57.0
1955–1960	44.2	1990–1995	60.0
1960–1965	47.2	1995–2000	63.7
1965–1970	49.3	2000–2005	66.7
1970–1975	46.3	2005–2010	69.1
1975–1980	52.2	2010–2015	71.2
1980–1985	54.3

Source: UN World Population Prospects^[32]

HIV/AIDS

Prevalence rate: less than 0.1% (adults, 102nd in world, 2001 est.); 0.01% (2014 est.)

People living with HIV/AIDS: 12,000 (85th in world, 2007 est.)

Deaths: fewer than 500 (87th in world, 2007 est.); about 700 (2014 est.).

Major infectious diseases

Degree of risk: high

Food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea, hepatitis A and E, and typhoid fever

Vector-borne diseases: dengue fever and malaria are high risks in some locations

Water contact disease: leptospirosis

Animal contact disease: rabies (2005)

Ethnic group

The vast majority (about 98%) of Bangladeshis are of the Bangla ethno-linguistic group. This group also spans the neighboring Indian province of West Bengal. Minority ethnic groups include Meitei, Tripuri, Marma, Tanchangya, Barua, Khasi, Santhals, Chakma, Rakhine people, Garo, Biharis, Oraons, Mundas.

Biharis are Urdu-speaking, non-Bengalis who emigrated from the state of Bihar and other parts of northern India during the 1947 partition. They are concentrated in the Dhaka and Rangpur areas and number some 300,000.^[33][34] In the 1971 independence war many of them sided with Pakistan, as they stood to lose their positions in the upper levels of society.^[35] Hundreds of thousands went to Pakistan and those that remained were interned in refugee camps. Their population declined from about 1 million in 1971 to 600,000 in the late 1980s.^[35] Refugees International has called them a "neglected and stateless" people as they are denied citizenship by the governments of Bangladesh and Pakistan.^[36] As nearly 40 years has passed, two generations of Biharis have been born in these camps. Biharis were granted Bangladeshi citizenship and voting rights in 2008.^[37]

Bangladesh's tribal population was enumerated at 897,828 in the 1981 census.^[35] These tribes are concentrated in the Chittagong Hill Tracts and around Mymensingh, Sylhet, and Rajshahi. They are of Sino-Tibetan descent and differ markedly in their social customs, religion, language and level of development. They speak Tibeto-Burman languages and most are Buddhist or Hindu.^[35] The four largest tribes are Chakmas, Marmas, Tipperas, Tanchangya, and Mros. Smaller groups include the Santals in Rajshahi and Dinajpur, and Khasis, Garos, and Khajons in Mymensingh and Sylhet regions.^[35]

There are small communities of Meitei people in the Sylhet district, which is close to the Meitei homeland across the border in Manipur, India.

There is a large population of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar near the border in the southeast. There are 28,000 living in two UN refugee camps in Cox's Bazar as well as some 200,000 "unregistered people of concern" living outside of the camps.^[38] The refugee crisis originated in the early 1990s when the first wave numbering some 250,000 of the predominantly Muslim ethnic group fled persecution from their home in Rakhaine—Myanmar's westernmost state. Bangladesh seeks to repatriate the refugees back to Myanmar.^[39] Since 2017, there are approximately 1.1 million Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh.

Languages

Languages of Bangladesh (2011)^[40]
Bangla			98%
Other			2%

Main article: Languages of Bangladesh

• Official language: Bangla (also known as Bengali)
• Other languages that are variously considered as the dialects of Bengali: Chittagonian, Sylheti, and Rajbongshi.^[41]
• Bengali–Meitei creole language: Bishnupriya Manipuri^[42][43]
• Other Indic languages: Assamese, Rohingya, Chakma,Tanchangya and various Bihari languages
• Tibeto-Burman languages: A'Tong, Chak, Koch, Garo, Megam, Tripuri, Meitei language (Manipuri language^[44][45]), Mizo, Mru, Pangkhua, Rakhine/Marma, various Chin languages^[41]
• Austroasiatic languages: Khasi, Koda, Mundari, Pnar, Santali, War^[41]
• Dravidian languages: Kurukh^[41]
• Other languages: English (spoken and known widely in upper-class & politics), Arabic (sometimes spoken and known by many Muslims, due to Islam being the primary religion^{[citation needed]}), Hindi/Urdu (understood by some, and spoken by Biharis)

Bangladesh has 44 indigenous languages according to Professor Shameem Reza.^[46]

Religion

See also: Religion in Bangladesh, Islam in Bangladesh, Hinduism in Bangladesh, Buddhism in Bangladesh, and Christianity in Bangladesh

Population trends for major religious groups in Bangladesh (1951–2022)

Religious group	Population % 1951.^[47]	Population % 1961^[47]	Population % 1974^[47]	Population % 1981^[47]	Population % 1991^[47]	Population % 2001^[48]	Population % 2011^[49]	Population % 2022^[11]
Islam	76%	80.4%	85.4%	86.6%	88.3%	89.7%	90.4%	91.1%
Hinduism	22%	18.5%	13.5%	12.1 %	10.5 %	9.2%	8.5%	7.9%
Buddhism	0.7%	0.7%	0.6%	0.6%	0.6%	0.7%	0.6%	0.6%
Christianity	0.3%	0.3%	0.2%	0.3%	0.3%	0.3%	0.4%	0.3%
Other religions/No religion	0.1%	0.1%	0.2%	0.3%	0.3%	0.1%	0.1%	0.1%

Bangladesh religious diversity as per 2022 census^[11][50][51]

Religion	Population
Muslims ( )	150,360,404
Hindus ( )	13,130,109
Buddhists ( )	1,007,467
Christians ( )	495,475
Others	198,190
Total	165,158,616

Bangladesh has a population of 165,158,616 as per 2022 census.^[11]

Religions in Bangladesh (2022)^[52]

  Islam (91.04%)

  Hinduism (7.95%)

  Buddhism (0.61%)

  Christianity (0.30%)

  Others (0.12%)

Genetics

Bangladesh has the world's highest frequency of the M form of mitochondrial DNA. This genetic variant spans many continents, and is the single most common mtDNA haplogroup in Asia.^[53] In Bangladesh it represents about 83% of maternal lineages.^[54]

Education

 

Literacy rates in Bangladesh districts

Bangladesh has a literacy rate of 74.70 per cent as of 2019. 76.67 per cent for males and 71.95 per cent for females.^{[citation needed]}

Migrants

According to the United Nations, there were 1,500,921 international migrants in Bangladesh in 2017. Estimation shows that over 1 million Rohingya Muslim refugees live in Bangladesh have arrived during the ongoing Rohingya genocide in Myanmar.^[55] On 28 September 2018, at the 73rd United Nations General Assembly, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said there are 1.1-1.3 million Rohingya refugees now in Bangladesh.^[56][57]

Their most common countries of origin were as follows:

International migrants in Bangladesh in 2017
Myanmar	1,300,000 (Rohingya refugees)
Malaysia	208,406
China	166,646
Indonesia	156,500
Laos	90,253
United States	47,103
Nepal	39,988
India	35,250
Great Britain	34,266
Bahrain	30,877
Vietnam	28,176
Cambodia	20,109
Source: United Nations^[58]

The United Nations has estimated the Bangladesh diaspora as 4,499,919 people with the greatest migration to the following countries:

International migrants from Bangladesh in 2017
Saudi Arabia	1,377,072
United Arab Emirates	1,044,505
Kuwait	381,669
Malaysia	365,600
Oman	276,518
Great Britain	228,353
United States	279,021
Qatar	183,386
Italy	100,743
Singapore	83,279
Bahrain	80,457
Canada	65,698
Australia	48,888
Maldives	38,620
Source: United Nations^[58]

See also

• Bangladeshi society
• School of Human Genetic and Population Health

References

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External links

•   This article incorporates public domain material from The World Factbook (2023 ed.). CIA. (Archived 2011 edition) This is also viewable at "Bangladesh 2011". Retrieved 16 September 2014.
•   This article incorporates public domain material from U.S. Bilateral Relations Fact Sheets. United States Department of State.