Bangladesh

Broadcast media

state-owned Bangladesh Television (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 users

total: 11.4 million | percent of population: 6.9% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 42

Radio broadcast stations

AM 17, FM 19, shortwave 2 (2009)

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 67 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 (2011)

Telephones - fixed lines

total subscriptions: 1.09 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 1 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 74

Telephones - mobile cellular

total: 120.4 million | subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 72 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 12

Television broadcast stations

17 (2009)

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $18.09 billion | expenditures: $24.33 billion (2014 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-3.3% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 125

Central bank discount rate

5% (31 December 2010) | 5% (31 December 2009) | country comparison to the world: 76

Commercial bank prime lending rate

13% (31 December 2014 est.) | 13% (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 58

Current account balance

-$132 million (2014 est.) | $2.366 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 46

Debt - external

$33.2 billion (30 June 2014 est.) | $28.26 billion (30 June 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 70

Distribution of family income - Gini index

32.1 (2010) | 33.6 (1996) | country comparison to the world: 107

Economy - overview

Bangladesh's economy has grown roughly 6% per year since 1996 despite political instability, poor infrastructure, corruption, insufficient power supplies, slow implementation of economic reforms, and the 2008-09 global financial crisis and recession. Although more than half of GDP is generated through the service sector, almost half of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector with rice as the single-most-important product. Garment exports, the backbone of Bangladesh’s industrial sector, accounted for more than 80% of total exports and surpassed $18 billion in 2014. The sector has remained resilient in recent years amidst a series of factory accidents that have killed over 1,000 workers and crippling strikes that shut down virtually all economic activity. Steady garment export growth combined with remittances from overseas Bangladeshis - which totaled $14 billion and 8% of GDP in 2014 - are the largest contributors to Bangladesh’s current account surplus and rising foreign exchange holdings.

Exchange rates

taka (BDT) per US dollar - | 77.57 (2014 est.) | 78.103 (2013 est.) | 81.86 (2012 est.) | 74.152 (2011 est.) | 69.649 (2010 est.)

Exports

$31.2 billion (2014 est.) | $28.62 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 65

Exports - commodities

garments, knitwear, agricultural products, frozen food (fish and seafood), jute and jute goods, leather

Exports - partners

US 14.3%, Germany 13.6%, UK 7.9%, France 5.2%, Spain 4.3%, Italy 4.1% (2014)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP (official exchange rate)

$185.4 billion (2014 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$533.7 billion (2014 est.) | $503 billion (2013 est.) | $474.2 billion (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 36

GDP - composition, by end use

household consumption: 74.1% | government consumption: 5.5% | investment in fixed capital: 26.3% | investment in inventories: 0.4% | exports of goods and services: 22.6% | imports of goods and services: -28.9% | (2014 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin

agriculture: 15.1% | industry: 26.5% | services: 58.3% (2014 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$3,400 (2014 est.) | $3,200 (2013 est.) | $3,000 (2012 est.) | note: data are in 2014 US dollars | country comparison to the world: 180

GDP - real growth rate

6.1% (2014 est.) | 6.1% (2013 est.) | 6.3% (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 29

Gross national saving

30% of GDP (2014 est.) | 30.4% of GDP (2013 est.) | 30.1% of GDP (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 30

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 4% | highest 10%: 27% (2010 est.)

Imports

$38.5 billion (2014 est.) | $35 billion (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 64

Imports - commodities

cotton, machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, foodstuffs

Imports - partners

China 18.8%, India 14.8%, Singapore 5.8%, Malaysia 4.2% (2014)

Industrial production growth rate

8.4% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 19

Industries

jute, cotton, garments, paper, leather, fertilizer, iron and steel, cement, petroleum products, tobacco, pharmaceuticals, ceramics, tea, salt, sugar, edible oils, soap and detergent, fabricated metal products, electricity, natural gas

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

7% (2014 est.) | 7.5% (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 194

Labor force

80.27 million | note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances were $10.9 billion in FY09/10 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 7

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 47% | industry: 13% | services: 40% (2010 est.)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$41.73 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $17.48 billion (31 December 2012) | $23.55 billion (31 December 2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56

Population below poverty line

31.5% (2010 est.)

Public debt

28.6% of GDP (2014 est.) | 30.3% of GDP (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 131

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$21.46 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $18.09 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56

Stock of broad money

$98.43 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $84.11 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 54

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$166.9 million (31 December 2014 est.) | $162.9 million (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 89

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$8.625 billion (30 June 2014 est.) | $8.593 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 90

Stock of domestic credit

$99.59 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $89.32 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 54

Stock of narrow money

$19.69 billion (31 December 2014 est.) | $16.54 billion (31 December 2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 68

Taxes and other revenues

9.7% of GDP (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 206

Unemployment rate

5% (2014 est.) | 5% (2013 est.) | note: about 40% of the population is underemployed; many persons counted as employed work only a few hours a week and at low wages | country comparison to the world: 48

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

63.5 million Mt (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 54

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 83

Crude oil - imports

23,620 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 67

Crude oil - production

4,200 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 90

Crude oil - proved reserves

28 million bbl (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 83

Electricity - consumption

37.88 billion kWh (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 108

Electricity - from fossil fuels

97.7% of total installed capacity (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 57

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

2.3% of total installed capacity (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 137

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 49

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 159

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 121

Electricity - installed generating capacity

10.26 million kW (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 56

Electricity - production

42.41 billion kWh (2011 est.) | country comparison to the world: 57

Natural gas - consumption

21.86 billion cu m (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 35

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 62

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 160

Natural gas - production

21.86 billion cu m (2012 est.) | country comparison to the world: 31

Natural gas - proved reserves

264.6 billion cu m (1 January 2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 42

Refined petroleum products - consumption

118,700 bbl/day (2013 est.) | country comparison to the world: 73

Refined petroleum products - exports

3,288 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 97

Refined petroleum products - imports

84,490 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 55

Refined petroleum products - production

22,710 bbl/day (2010 est.) | country comparison to the world: 91

Area

total: 148,460 sq km | land: 130,170 sq km | water: 18,290 sq km | country comparison to the world: 95

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: 35.87 cu km/yr (10%/2%/88%) | per capita: 238.3 cu m/yr (2008)

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: 4,413 km | border countries (2): Burma 271 km, India 4,142 km

Land use

agricultural land: 70.1% | arable land 59%; permanent crops 6.5%; permanent pasture 4.6% | forest: 11.1% | other: 18.8% (2011 est.)

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: 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

1,227 cu km (2011)

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

previous 1935, 1956, 1962 (preindependence); latest enacted 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended March 1982, restored November 1986; amended many times, last in 2011 (2011)

Country name

conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh | conventional short form: Bangladesh | local long form: Gana Prajatantri Bangladesh | local short form: Bangladesh | former: East Bengal, East Pakistan | note: the name - a compound of the Bengali words "Bangla" (Bengal) and "desh" (country) - means Country of Bengal

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Marcia BERNICAT (since 12 January 2015) | embassy: Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka 1212 | mailing address: G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1000 | telephone: [880] (2) 5566-2000 | FAX: [880] (2) 5566-2915

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Mohammad ZIAUDDIN (since 18 September 2014) | chancery: 3510 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 | telephone: [1] (202) 244-0183 | FAX: [1] (202) 244-2771 | consulate(s) general: Los Angeles, New York

Executive branch

chief of state: President Abdul HAMID (since 24 April 2013); note - Abdul HAMID served as acting president following the death of Zillur RAHMAN in March 2013; HAMID was subsequently indirectly elected by the National Parliament and sworn in 24 April 2013 | head of government: Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA (since 6 January 2009; reappointed 5 January 2014) | cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister, appointed by the president | elections/appointments: president indirectly elected by the National Parliament for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 22 April 2013 (next must be held by 2018); the president appoints as prime minister the majority party leader in the National Parliament | election results: President Abdul HAMID (AL) elected by the National Parliament unopposed; Sheikh HASINA reappointed prime minister as leader of the majority AL party

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)

International law organization participation

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

International organization participation

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

Judicial branch

highest court(s): Supreme Court of Bangladesh (organized into the Appellate Division with 7 justices and the High Court Division with 99 justices) | judge selection and term of office: chief justice and justices appointed by the president; justices serve until retirement at age 67 | subordinate courts: civil courts include: Assistant Judge's Court; Joint District Judge's Court; Additional District Judge's Court; District Judge's Court; criminal courts include: Court of Sessions; Court of Metropolitan Sessions; special courts/tribunals; Metropolitan Magistrate Courts; Magistrate Court

Legal system

mixed legal system of mostly English common law and Islamic law

Legislative branch

description: unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad (300 seats including 45 reserved for women; members directly elected in single territorial constituencies by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms) | elections: last held on 5 January 2014 (next to be held by January 2019); note - the 5 January 2014 poll was marred by widespread violence, boycotts, general strikes, and low voter turnout | election results: percent of vote by party - AL-led Alliance 79%, JP 34%; seats by party - AL 234, JP 34, other 32

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); Victory Day, 16 December (1971); note - March 1971 is the date of the Awami League's declaration of an independent Bangladesh, and 16 December, known as Victory Day, memorializes the military victory over Pakistan and the official creation of the state of Bangladesh

National symbol(s)

Bengal tiger, water lily; national colors: green, red

Political parties and leaders

Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA] | Communist Party of Bangladesh or CPB [Manjurul A. KHAN] | Bangladesh Nationalist Front or BNF [Abdul Kalam AZADI] | Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA] | Bikalpa Dhara Bangladesh or BDB [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY] | Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [multiple leaders] | Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD] | Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Oli AHMED] | National Socialist Party or JSD [KHALEQUZZAMAN] | Tarikat Foundation [Syed Nozibul Bashar MAIZBHANDARI] | Workers Party or WP [Rashed Khan MENON]

Political pressure groups and leaders

Ain o Salish Kendro (Centre for Law and Mediation) or ASK (legal aid and civil rights) | Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity | Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee or BRAC | Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry | Ministry of Women's and Children's Affairs or MoWCA (advocacy group to end gender-based violence) | Odikhar (human rights group) | other: associations of madrassa teachers; business associations, including those intended to promote international trade; development and advocacy NGOs associated with the Grameen Bank; environmentalists; Islamist groups; labor rights advocacy groups; NGOs focused on poverty, alleviation, and socioeconomic international trade; religious leaders; tribal groups and advocacy organizations; union leaders

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Muslim conversions and settlement in the region now referred to as Bangladesh began in the 10th century, primarily from Arab and Persian traders and preachers. Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area in the 16th century. Eventually the area known as Bengal, primarily Hindu in the western section and mostly Muslim in the eastern half, became part of British India. Partition in 1947 resulted in an eastern wing of Pakistan in the Muslim-majority area, which became East Pakistan. Calls for greater autonomy and animosity between the eastern and western wings of Pakistan led to a Bengali independence movement. That movement, led by the Awami League (AL) and supported by India, won independence for Bangladesh in a brief war in 1971, during which at least 300,000 civilians died. | The post-independence, AL government faced daunting challenges and in 1975 was overthrown by the military, triggering a series of military coups that resulted in a military-backed government and subsequent creation of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP). That government also ended in a coup in 1981, followed by military-backed rule until democratic elections in 1991. The BNP and AL alternated in power between 1991 and 2013, with the exception of a military-backed, emergency caretaker regime that suspended parliamentary elections planned for January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system and root out corruption. That government returned the country to fully democratic rule in December 2008 with the election of the AL and Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA. In January 2014, the incumbent AL won the national election by an overwhelming majority after the BNP boycotted, extending HASINA's term as prime minister. With the help of international development assistance, Bangladesh has made great progress in food security since independence, and the economy has grown at an annual average of about 6% over the last two decades.

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) (2013)

Military expenditures

1.15% of GDP (2013) | 1.35% of GDP (2012) | 1.44% of GDP (2011) | 1.35% of GDP (2010) | country comparison to the world: 86

Military service age and obligation

16-19 years of age for voluntary military service; Bangladeshi birth and 10th grade education required; initial obligation 15 years (2012)

Age structure

0-14 years: 31.62% (male 27,115,731/female 26,311,130) | 15-24 years: 18.86% (male 14,976,910/female 16,880,807) | 25-54 years: 38.27% (male 30,608,224/female 34,053,744) | 55-64 years: 6.12% (male 5,196,932/female 5,150,199) | 65 years and over: 5.13% (male 4,258,664/female 4,405,404) (2015 est.)

Birth rate

21.14 births/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 76

Child labor - children ages 5-14

total number: 4,485,497 | percentage: 13% (2006 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

35.1% (2013) | country comparison to the world: 5

Contraceptive prevalence rate

61.2% (2011)

Death rate

5.61 deaths/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 174

Dependency ratios

total dependency ratio: 52.2% | youth dependency ratio: 44.9% | elderly dependency ratio: 7.6% | potential support ratio: 13.2% (2015 est.)

Drinking water source

urban: 86.5% of population | rural: 87% of population | total: 86.9% of population | urban: 13.5% of population | rural: 13% of population | total: 13.1% of population (2015 est.)

Education expenditures

2.2% of GDP (2009) | country comparison to the world: 161

Ethnic groups

Bengali at least 98%, ethnic groups 1.1% | note: Bangladesh's goverment recognizes 27 ethnic groups under the 2010 Cultural Institution for Small Anthropological Groups Act; other sources estimate there are about 75 ethnic groups; critics of the 2011 census claim that it underestimates the size of Bangladesh's ethnic population (2011 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.01% (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 130

HIV/AIDS - deaths

700 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 75

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

8,900 (2014 est.) | country comparison to the world: 96

Health expenditures

3.7% of GDP (2013) | country comparison to the world: 169

Hospital bed density

0.6 beds/1,000 population (2011)

Infant mortality rate

total: 44.09 deaths/1,000 live births | male: 46.56 deaths/1,000 live births | female: 41.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 46

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 70.94 years | male: 69.02 years | female: 72.94 years (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 151

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write | total population: 61.5% | male: 64.6% | female: 58.5% (2015 est.)

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 (2013)

Major urban areas - population

DHAKA (capital) 17.598 million; Chittagong 4.539 million; Khulna 1.022 million; Rajshahi 844,000 (2015)

Median age

total: 24.7 years | male: 24.2 years | female: 25.1 years (2015 est.)

Nationality

noun: Bangladeshi(s) | adjective: Bangladeshi

Net migration rate

0.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 72

Obesity - adult prevalence rate

3.3% (2014) | country comparison to the world: 190

Physicians density

0.36 physicians/1,000 population (2011)

Population

168,957,745 (July 2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 9

Population growth rate

1.6% (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 75

Religions

Muslim 89.5%, Hindu 9.6%, other 0.9% (includes Buddhist .5%, Christian .3%) (2004 est.)

Sanitation facility access

urban: 57.7% of population | rural: 62.1% of population | total: 60.6% of population | urban: 42.3% of population | rural: 37.9% of population | total: 39.4% of population (2015 est.)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education)

total: 10 years | male: 10 years | female: 10 years (2011)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female | 0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female | 15-24 years: 0.89 male(s)/female | 25-54 years: 0.9 male(s)/female | 55-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female | 65 years and over: 0.97 male(s)/female | total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.4 children born/woman (2015 est.) | country comparison to the world: 82

Unemployment, youth ages 15-24

total: 9.3% | male: 8% | female: 13.6% (2005 est.) | country comparison to the world: 105

Urbanization

urban population: 34.3% of total population (2015) | rate of urbanization: 3.55% 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; Indian 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): 232,462 (Burma) (2014) | IDPs: at least 431,000 (violence, human rights violations, religious persecution, natural disasters) (2015)

Airports

18 (2013) | country comparison to the world: 139

Airports - with paved runways

total: 16 | 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: 5 (2013)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 2 | 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 | 1 (2013)

Heliports

3 (2013)

Merchant marine

total: 62 | by type: bulk carrier 25, cargo 28, chemical tanker 1, container 5, petroleum tanker 3 | foreign-owned: 8 (China 1, Singapore 7) | registered in other countries: 10 (Comoros 1, Hong Kong 1, Panama 5, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, Sierra Leone 1, Singapore 1) (2010) | country comparison to the world: 64

Pipelines

gas 2,950 km (2013)

Ports and terminals

major seaport(s): Chittagong | river port(s): Mongla Port (Sela River) | container port(s): Chittagong (1,392,104) (2011)

Railways

total: 2,460 km | broad gauge: 659 km 1.676-m gauge | narrow gauge: 1,801 km 1.000-m gauge (2014) | country comparison to the world: 60

Roadways

total: 21,269 km | paved: 1,063 km | unpaved: 20,206 km (2010) | country comparison to the world: 106

Transportation - note

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of Bangladesh remain a risk for armed robbery against ships; attacks against vessels have decreased over the last few years in response to improved local security

Waterways

8,370 km (includes up to 3,060 km of main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in the dry season) (2011) | country comparison to the world: 16