Bangladesh Facts

by countryaah · Published June 3, 2019 · Updated April 25, 2020

Bangladesh, State of South Asia; 147 570 km², 161.4 million residents (2019).Bangladesh is located at the Ganga outlet in the Bay of Bengal. The country is surrounded by India, except in the south-east, where it borders Burma. The capital is Dhaka (7 million residents, 2012).

Country facts

Ghana Prajātantrī Bangladesh / People’s Republic of Bangladesh
Country abbreviation: BD
Area: 147 570 km²
Population (2019): 161.4 million residents
Capital: Dhaka
Main language: Bengali
State: Republic
Head of State: Abdul Hamid (President)
Head of Government: Shejk Hasina
Per capita GDP (2018): US $ 1 693
GNI per capita (2018): US $ 1 750
Currency unit: 1 taka = 100 paisas
Currency code: BDT
Country number (telephony): 880
Internet domain name: bd
Time difference compared to Sweden: +5
National Day: March 26 (Independence Day, 1971)

Nature

Land use: forest (14%), agricultural land (51%), other (35%)
Highest mountain: Keokradong (1 230 m above sea level)
Longest rivers: Brahmaputra (2,700 km) and Ganges (2,506 km)

Population

Population density (2019): 1,094 residents per km²
Natural population growth (2019): 1.3%; birthrate 18 ‰, death count 5 ‰
Age structure (2019): 0-14 years (29%), 15-64 (66%), 65- (5%)
Life expectancy (2019): men 71 years, women 74 years
Infant mortality (2019): 22 per 1,000 live births
Population forecast 2050: 193 million residents
HDI (2017): 0.608 (place 136 of 189)
Urbanization rate (2019): 37%
Most populous cities (2012): Dhaka (7 million residents), Chittagong (2.6 million), Khulna (663,000)

Business

Industry’s contribution to GDP (2017): agriculture (14%), industry (29%), service (57%)
Exports (2017): US $ 35,300 million
Main export products: clothing, jute
Main exporting countries: Germany, USA, UK
Imports (2017): US $ 47,560 million
Main import products: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, iron and steel
Main importing countries: China, India, Singapore
Railway network (2014): 2 460 km

Large parts of Bangladesh are characterized by the many water-rich rivers. Ganges and Brahmaputra, with dense river arms and huge delta formations. However, the completely different nature has the wooded Chittagong’s hill region, which is spreading in the southeast. Bangladesh has a monsoon tropical rainforest climate with great, seasonal rainfall. Tropical cyclones often hit the area in early summer.

Bangladesh is a parliamentary democracy where parliamentary elections are held every five years. The president, who mainly has representative functions, is elected by Parliament for five years. By a constitutional amendment in 1991, 16 years of presidential termination ceased, and the prime minister regained executive power. The country became independent in 1971.

The country is one of the world’s most densely populated and is severely affected by natural disasters, mainly floods. Business is dominated by agriculture and the clothing industry; the latter accounts for about 70% of export revenue. Bangladesh has few mineral resources, and the industry outside the clothing industry is poorly developed. Gas deposits were found in the 1990s, and if the political will exists, the country is deemed to have the opportunity to become a major gas exporter.