Bangladesh Facts, Map, Population, GDP

Capital

Dhaka

Population

174,370,536 (2025 est.)

Area

148,460 sq km

Location

Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India

🧭 Background

The huge delta region at the confluence of the Ganges and Brahmaputra River systems -- now referred to as Bangladesh -- was a loosely incorporated outpost of various empires for much of the first millennium A.D. Muslim conversions and settlement in the region began in the 10th century, primarily from Arab and Persian traders and preachers. Europeans established trading posts in the area in the 16th century. Eventually the area known as Bengal, which is primarily Hindu in the western section and mostly Muslim in the eastern half, became part of British India. After the partition of India in 1947, the Muslim-majority area became East Pakistan. Calls for greater autonomy and animosity between the eastern and western areas of Pakistan led to a Bengali independence movement. That movement, led by the Awami League (AL) and supported by India, won the independence war for Bangladesh in 1971. The military overthrew the post-independence AL government in 1975, the first of a series of military coups that resulted in a military-backed government and the subsequent creation of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) that took power in 1979. That government also ended in a coup in 1981, followed by military-backed rule until democratic elections were held in 1991. The BNP and AL alternated in power from 1991 to 2008, with the exception of a military-backed, emergency caretaker regime in 2007. The country returned to fully democratic rule in 2008 with the election of the AL and Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA. With the help of international development assistance, Bangladesh is on track to graduate from the UN’s Least Developed Countries (LDC) list in 2026. The economy has grown at an annual average of about 6.25% for the last two decades. Poverty declined from 11.8 percent in 2010 to 5.0 percent in 2022, based on the international poverty line of $2.15 a day (using 2017 Purchasing Power Parity exchange rate). The country made a rapid recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, but still faces economic challenges.

🗺️ 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

148,460 sq km

Area — land

130,170 sq km

Area — water

18,290 sq km

Area - comparative

Slightly larger than Pennsylvania and New Jersey combined; slightly smaller than Iowa

Land boundaries — total

4,413 km

Land boundaries — border countries

Burma 271 km; India 4,142 km

Coastline

580 km

Maritime claims — territorial sea

12 nm

Maritime claims — contiguous zone

18 nm

Maritime claims — exclusive economic zone

200 nm

Maritime claims — continental shelf

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 — highest point

Mowdok Taung 1,060 m

Elevation — lowest point

Bay of Bengal 0 m

Elevation — mean elevation

85 m

Natural resources

Natural gas, arable land, timber, coal

Land use — agricultural land

72.3% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: arable land

Arable land: 60.6% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent crops

Permanent crops: 7.1% (2023 est.)

Land use — agricultural land: permanent pasture

Permanent pasture: 4.6% (2023 est.)

Land use — forest

14.4% (2023 est.)

Land use — other

13.3% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land

83,690 sq km (2022)

Major rivers (by length in km)

Brahmaputra river mouth (shared with China [s] and India) - 3,969 km; Ganges river mouth (shared with India [s]) - 2,704 km note: [s] after country name indicates river source; [m] after country name indicates river mouth

Major watersheds (area sq km) — Indian Ocean drainage

Brahmaputra (651,335 sq km), Ganges (1,016,124 sq km)

Major aquifers

Indus-Ganges-Brahmaputra Basin

Natural hazards

Droughts; cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season

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⬆️ Top

Population — total

174,370,536 (2025 est.)

Population — male

83,908,720

Population — female

90,461,816

Nationality — noun

Bangladeshi(s)

Nationality — adjective

Bangladeshi

Ethnic groups

Bengali at least 99%, other indigenous ethnic groups 1% (2022 est.)

Languages — Languages

Bangla 98.8% (official, also known as Bengali), other 1.2% (2011 est.)

Languages — major-language sample(s)

বিশ্ব ফ্যাক্টবুক, মৌলিক তথ্যের অপরিহার্য উৎস (Bangla) The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Muslim 91%, Hindu 8%, other 1% (2022 est.)

Age structure — 0-14 years

25.1% (male 21,540,493/female 20,800,712)

Age structure — 15-64 years

67.1% (male 55,071,592/female 58,180,322)

Age structure — 65 years and over

7.8% (2024 est.) (male 6,096,167/female 7,007,898)

Dependency ratios — total dependency ratio

54.6 (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios — youth dependency ratio

43.5 (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios — elderly dependency ratio

11.1 (2025 est.)

Dependency ratios — potential support ratio

9 (2025 est.)

Median age — total

27.8 years (2025 est.)

Median age — male

28.7 years

Median age — female

30.4 years

Population growth rate

0.91% (2025 est.)

Birth rate

19.45 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Death rate

6.05 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Net migration rate

-4.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

Urbanization — urban population

40.5% of total population (2023)

Urbanization — rate of urbanization

2.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Major urban areas - population

23.210 million DHAKA (capital), 5.380 million Chittagong, 955,000 Khulna, 962,000 Rajshahi, 964,000 Sylhet, 906,000 Bogra (2023)

Sex ratio — at birth

1.04 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — 0-14 years

1.04 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — 15-64 years

0.95 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — 65 years and over

0.87 male(s)/female

Sex ratio — total population

0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Mother's mean age at first birth

18.6 years (2017/18 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio

115 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate — total

22 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

Infant mortality rate — male

31.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Infant mortality rate — female

26.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth — total population

75.2 years (2024 est.)

Life expectancy at birth — male

73.1 years

Life expectancy at birth — female

77.5 years

Total fertility rate

2.25 children born/woman (2025 est.)

Gross reproduction rate

1.1 (2025 est.)

Drinking water source — improved: urban

Urban: 98.3% of population (2022 est.)

Drinking water source — improved: rural

Rural: 98.5% of population (2022 est.)

Drinking water source — improved: total

Total: 98.4% of population (2022 est.)

Drinking water source — unimproved: urban

Urban: 1.7% of population (2022 est.)

Drinking water source — unimproved: rural

Rural: 1.5% of population (2022 est.)

Drinking water source — unimproved: total

Total: 1.6% of population (2022 est.)

Health expenditure — Health expenditure (as % of GDP)

2.4% of GDP (2021)

Health expenditure — Health expenditure (as % of national budget)

1.2% of national budget (2022 est.)

Physician density

0.72 physicians/1,000 population (2023)

Hospital bed density

0.9 beds/1,000 population (2019 est.)

Sanitation facility access — improved: urban

Urban: 90.3% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access — improved: rural

Rural: 81.4% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access — improved: total

Total: 84.9% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access — unimproved: urban

Urban: 9.7% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access — unimproved: rural

Rural: 18.6% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access — unimproved: total

Total: 15.1% of population (2022 est.)

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

3.6% (2016)

Alcohol consumption per capita — total