Bangladesh

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 and Sheikh HASINA Wajed was elected 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
country comparison to the world: 95 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

50,500 sq km (2008)

Total renewable water resources

1,210.6 cu km (1999)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 79.4cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%)
per capita:560cu 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 and Society

Nationality

noun: Bangladeshi(s)
adjective:Bangladeshi

Ethnic groups

Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) (1998)

Languages

Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English

Religions

Muslim 89.5%, Hindu 9.6%, other 0.9% (2004)

Population

158,570,535 (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 7

Age structure

0-14 years: 34.3% (male 27,551,594/female 26,776,647)
15-64 years:61.1% (male 45,956,431/female 50,891,519)
65 years and over:4.7% (male 3,616,225/female 3,778,119) (2011 est.)

Median age

total: 23.3 years
male:22.7 years
female:23.7 years (2011 est.)

Population growth rate

1.566% (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76

Birth rate

22.98 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 72

Death rate

5.75 deaths/1,000 population (July 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 171

Net migration rate

-1.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 158

Urbanization

urban population: 28% of total population (2010)
rate of urbanization:3.1% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)

Major cities – population

DHAKA (capital) 14.251 million

Chittagong 4.816 million

Khulna 1.636 million

Rajshahi 853,000 (2009)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years:1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years:0.89 male(s)/female
65 years and over:0.93 male(s)/female
total population:0.93 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Maternal mortality rate

340 deaths/100,000 live births (2008)
country comparison to the world: 42

Infant mortality rate

total: 50.73 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 48 male:53.23 deaths/1,000 live births
female:48.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2011 est.)

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 69.75 years
country comparison to the world: 148 male:67.93 years
female:71.65 years (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.6 children born/woman (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81

Health expenditures

3.4% of GDP (2009)
country comparison to the world: 172

Physicians density

0.295 physicians/1,000 population (2007)
country comparison to the world: 139

Hospital bed density

0.4 beds/1,000 population (2005)
country comparison to the world: 172

Drinking water source

improved:
urban: 85% of population
rural: 78% of population
total: 80% of population
unimproved:
urban: 15% of population
rural: 22% of population
total: 20% of population (2008)

Sanitation facility access

improved:
urban: 56% of population
rural: 52% of population
total: 53% of population
unimproved:
urban: 44% of population
rural: 48% of population
total: 47% of population (2008)

HIV/AIDS – adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 117

HIV/AIDS – people living with HIV/AIDS

6,300 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116

HIV/AIDS – deaths

fewer than 200 (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 101

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)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

41.3% (2007)
country comparison to the world: 3

Education expenditures

2.4% of GDP (2008)
country comparison to the world: 148

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 (2007)

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 9.3%
country comparison to the world: 106 male:8%
female:13.6% (2006)

Government

Country name

conventional long form: People’s Republic of Bangladesh
conventional short form:Bangladesh
local long form:Gana Prajatantri Bangladesh
local short form:
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)

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

mixed legal system of mostly English common law and Islamic law

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration

accepts ICCt 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
(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 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 (45 reserved for women) elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies

members serve five-year terms
elections:last held on 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]

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)
other:environmentalists

Islamist groups

religious leaders

teachers

union leaders

International organization participation

ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CICA (observer), CP, D-8, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURSO, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, 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 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

National symbol(s)

Bengal tiger

National anthem

name: “Amar Shonar Bangla” (My Golden Bengal)
lyrics/music:Rabindranath TAGORE
note:adopted 1971

Rabindranath TAGORE, a Nobel laureate, also wrote India’s national anthem

Economy

Economy – overview

The economy has grown 5-6% 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 25% of GDP.

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$258.6 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45 $243.9 billion (2009 est.)
$230.6 billion (2008 est.)
note:data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP (official exchange rate)

$104.9 billion (2010 est.)

GDP – real growth rate

6% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 55 5.8% (2009 est.)
6% (2008 est.)

GDP – per capita (PPP)

$1,700 (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 196 $1,600 (2009 est.)
$1,500 (2008 est.)
note:data are in 2010 US dollars

GDP – composition by sector

agriculture: 18.6%
industry:28.5%
services:53% (2010 est.)

Labor force

73.86 million
country comparison to the world: 8 note:extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia

workers’ remittances were $10.9 billion in FY09/10 (2010 est.)

Labor force – by occupation

agriculture: 45%
industry:30%
services:25% (2008)

Unemployment rate

5.1% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 45 5.1% (2009 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

40% (2010 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%:26.6% (2008 est.)

Distribution of family income – Gini index

33.2 (2005)
country comparison to the world: 100 33.6 (1996)

Investment (gross fixed)

23.8% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71

Budget

revenues: $11.41 billion
expenditures:$15.87 billion (2010 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

10.9% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-4.2% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127

Public debt

35.4% of GDP (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79 35.4% of GDP (2009 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

8.1% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 190 5.4% (2009 est.)

Central bank discount rate

5% (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74 5% (31 December 2009 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

13% (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60 14.6% (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$14.12 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68 $10.88 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of broad money

$56.44 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65 $47.38 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$64.71 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60 $53.59 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$47 billion (31 December 2010)
country comparison to the world: 74 $7.068 billion (31 December 2009)
$6.671 billion (31 December 2008)

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

7% (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57

Electricity – production

25.62 billion kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65

Electricity – consumption

23.94 billion kWh (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65

Electricity – exports

0 kWh (2009 est.)

Electricity – imports

0 kWh (2009 est.)

Oil – production

5,724 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 93

Oil – consumption

98,000 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76

Oil – exports

2,770 bbl/day (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 111

Oil – imports

77,340 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79

Oil – proved reserves

28 million bbl (1 January 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83

Natural gas – production

19.75 billion cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 31

Natural gas – consumption

20.1 billion cu m (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34

Natural gas – exports

0 cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60

Natural gas – imports

0 cu m (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 87

Natural gas – proved reserves

195.4 billion cu m (1 January 2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 46

Current account balance

$3.734 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40 $3.556 billion (2009 est.)

Exports

$19.24 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71 $15.07 billion (2009 est.)

Exports – commodities

garments, frozen fish and seafood, jute and jute goods, leather

Exports – partners

US 22.1%, Germany 14.1%, UK 8.5%, France 6.8%, Netherlands 6.1% (2010)

Imports

$24.72 billion (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 65 $19.68 billion (2009 est.)

Imports – commodities

machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement

Imports – partners

China 18.9%, India 12.7%, Singapore 6%, Malaysia 4.7%, Japan 4% (2010)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$11.18 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 69 $10.34 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Debt – external

$24.6 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 71 $23.82 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment – at home

$6.107 billion (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 85 $5.139 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment – abroad

$91.2 million (31 December 2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 81 $91 million (31 December 2009 est.)

Exchange rates

taka (BDT) per US dollar -
70.59 (2010)
69.04 (2009)
68.554 (2008)
69.893 (2007)
69.031 (2006)

Transportation

Airports

17 (2010)
country comparison to the world:141

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 (2010)

Airports – with unpaved runways

total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m:1
under 914 m:1 (2010)

Pipelines

gas 2,714 km (2010)

Railways

total: 2,622 km
country comparison to the world: 63 broad gauge:946 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge:1,676 km 1.000-m gauge (2010)

Roadways

total: 239,226 km
country comparison to the world: 21 paved:22,726 km
unpaved:216,500 km (2003)

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) (2007)
country comparison to the world: 17

Merchant marine

total: 50
country comparison to the world: 70 by type:bulk carrier 16, cargo 25, container 5, petroleum tanker 4
foreign-owned:4 (China 1, Singapore 3)
registered in other countries:9 (Comoros 1, Malta 1, Panama 3, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 2) (2010)

Ports and terminals

Chittagong, Mongla Port

Transportation – note

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of Bangladesh remain a high risk for armed robbery against ships

attacks against vessels increased in 2010 for the second consecutive year

23 commercial vessels were attacked both at anchor and while underway

crews were 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) (2010)

Military service age and obligation

16 years of age for voluntary enlisted military service (Air Force)

17 years of age (Army and Navy)

conscription is by law possible in times of emergency, but has never been implemented (2010)

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.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually

male: 1,606,963
female:1,689,442 (2010 est.)

Military expenditures

1.3% of GDP (2009)
country comparison to the world: 116

Transnational Issues

Disputes – international

Bangladesh referred its maritime boundary claims with Burma and India to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea

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 agreed to fully demarcate the Bangladesh-India boundary in the Dhubri-Kruigram sector

the Naf river on the border with Burma serves as a smuggling and illegal transit route

Bangladesh struggles to accommodate 29,000 Rohingya, Burmese Muslim minority from Arakan State, living as refugees in Cox’s Bazar

Burmese border authorities are constructing a 200 km (124 mi) wire fence designed to deter illegal cross-border transit and tensions from the military build-up along border

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin): 26,268 (Burma)
IDPs:65,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2007)

Trafficking in persons

current situation: Bangladesh is a source and transit country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of forced labor and commercial sexual exploitation

a significant share of Bangladesh’s trafficking victims are men recruited for work overseas with fraudulent employment offers who are subsequently exploited under conditions of forced labor or debt bondage

children are trafficked within Bangladesh for commercial sexual exploitation, bonded labor, and forced labor

women and children from Bangladesh are also trafficked to India and Pakistan for sexual exploitation
tier rating:Tier 2 Watch List – Bangladesh does not fully comply with the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking

however, it is making significant efforts to do so, including some progress in addressing sex trafficking

the government did not demonstrate sufficient progress in criminally prosecuting and convicting labor trafficking offenders, particularly those responsible for the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers for the purpose of labor trafficking (2011)

Illicit drugs

transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries