Bangladesh

Broadcast media

state-owned broadcaster (BTV) operates 1 terrestrial TV station, 3 radio networks, and about 10 local stations; 8 private satellite TV stations and 3 private radio stations also broadcasting; foreign satellite TV stations are gaining audience share in the large cities; several international radio broadcasters are available (2007)

Internet country code

.bd

Internet hosts

68,224 (2010) country comparison to the world: 81

Internet users

617,300 (2009) country comparison to the world: 112

Telephone system

general assessment: inadequate for a modern country; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities domestic: fixed-line teledensity remains only about 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and now exceeds 40 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 880; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 fiber-optic submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, the Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 6; international radiotelephone communications and landline service to neighboring countries (2009)

Telephones - main lines in use

900,000 (2010) country comparison to the world: 83

Telephones - mobile cellular

68.65 million (2010) country comparison to the world: 18

Agriculture - products

rice, jute, tea, wheat, sugarcane, potatoes, tobacco, pulses, oilseeds, spices, fruit; beef, milk, poultry

Budget

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

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

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

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.)

Current account balance

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

Debt - external

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

Distribution of family income - Gini index

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

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.

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.)

Electricity - production

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

Exchange rates

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

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)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$104.9 billion (2010 est.)

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 - composition by sector

agriculture: 18.6% industry: 28.5% services: 53% (2010 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 - real growth rate

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

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

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)

Industrial production growth rate

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

Industries

cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

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

Investment (gross fixed)

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

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)

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)

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 - production

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

Natural gas - proved reserves

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

Oil - consumption

98,000 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 75

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 - production

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

Oil - proved reserves

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

Population below poverty line

40% (2010 est.)

Public debt

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

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.)

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 direct foreign investment - abroad

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

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

Taxes and other revenues

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

Unemployment rate

5.1% (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 46 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

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

Climate

tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)

Coastline

580 km

Elevation extremes

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m

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

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 79.4 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%) per capita: 560 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates

24 00 N, 90 00 E

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

Irrigated land

50,500 sq km (2008)

Land boundaries

total: 4,246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km

Land use

arable land: 55.39% permanent crops: 3.08% other: 41.53% (2005)

Location

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

Map references

Asia

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

Natural hazards

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

Natural resources

natural gas, arable land, timber, coal

Terrain

mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast

Total renewable water resources

1,210.6 cu km (1999)

Administrative divisions

7 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Sylhet

Capital

name: Dhaka geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution

enacted 4 November 1972; effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982; restored 10 November 1986; amended many times

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Dan W. MOZENA 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

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

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 theWorld 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

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

Government type

parliamentary democracy

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

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

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

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president)

Legal system

mixed legal system of mostly English common law and Islamic law

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

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

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

National symbol(s)

Bengal tiger

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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.

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 branches

Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army (Sena Bahini), Bangladesh Navy (Noh Bahini, BN), Bangladesh Air Force (Biman Bahini, BAF) (2010)

Military expenditures

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

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)

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.)

Birth rate

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

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

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

Death rate

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

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)

Education expenditures

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

Ethnic groups

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 113

HIV/AIDS - deaths

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

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

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

Health expenditures

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

Hospital bed density

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

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.)

Languages

Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English

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.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 47.9% male: 54% female: 41.4% (2001 Census)

Major cities - population

DHAKA (capital) 14.251 million; Chittagong 4.816 million; Khulna 1.636 million; Rajshahi 853,000 (2009)

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)

Maternal mortality rate

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

Median age

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

Nationality

noun: Bangladeshi(s) adjective: Bangladeshi

Net migration rate

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

Physicians density

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

Population

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

Population growth rate

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

Religions

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

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)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 8 years male: 8 years female: 8 years (2007)

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.)

Total fertility rate

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

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

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

Urbanization

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

Disputes - international

Bangladesh referred its maritime boundary claims with Burma and India to the International Tribunal on the Law of the Sea; Prime Minister Singh's September 2011 visit to Bangladesh resulted in the signing of a Protocol to the 1974 Land Boundary Agreement between India and Bangladesh, which had called for the settlement of longstanding boundary disputes over undemarcated areas and the exchange of territorial enclaves, but which had never been implemented; 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

Illicit drugs

transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries

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)

Airports

17 (2010) country comparison to the world: 142

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)

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)

Pipelines

gas 2,714 km (2010)

Ports and terminals

Chittagong, Mongla Port

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)

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

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