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.

Area
Total: 148,460 km²
Land: 130,170 km²
Water: 18,290 km²
Comparative: slightly larger than Pennsylvania and New Jersey combined; slightly smaller than Iowa

Land boundaries
Total: 4,413 km
Border countries (2): (2) Burma 271 km; India 4,142 km

Coastline: 580 km

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

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
Lowest point: Bay of Bengal 0 m
Mean elevation: 85 m

Land use
Agricultural land: 72.3% (2023 est.)
Arable land: 60.6% (2023 est.)
Permanent crops: 7.1% (2023 est.)
Permanent pasture: 4.6% (2023 est.)
Forest: 14.4% (2023 est.)
Other: 13.3% (2023 est.)

Irrigated land: 83,690 km² (2022)

Major rivers: 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

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

Population
Total: 168,697,184 (2024 est.)
Male: 82,708,252
Female: 85,988,932
Growth rate: 0.89% (2024 est.)

Languages: Bangla 98.8% (official, also known as Bengali), other 1.2% (2011 est.)
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)
15-64 years: 67.1% (male 55,071,592/female 58,180,322)
65 years and over: 7.8% (2024 est.) (male 6,096,167/female 7,007,898)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 49 (2024 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 37.4 (2024 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 11.6 (2024 est.)
Potential support ratio: 8.6 (2024 est.)

Median age
Total: 29.6 years (2024 est.)
Male: 28.7 years
Female: 30.4 years

Population growth rate: 0.89% (2024 est.)

Birth rate: 17.3 births/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Death rate: 5.5 deaths/1,000 population (2024 est.)

Urbanization
Urban population: 40.5% of total population (2023)
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
0-14 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

Maternal mortality ratio: 115 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 28.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)
Male: 31.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Female: 26.3 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 75.2 years (2024 est.)
Male: 73.1 years
Female: 77.5 years

Total fertility rate: 2.07 children born/woman (2024 est.)

Drinking water source
Urban: 1.7% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 1.5% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 1.6% of population (2022 est.)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 9.7% of population (2022 est.)
Rural: 18.6% of population (2022 est.)
Total: 15.1% of population (2022 est.)

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 21.7% (2022 est.)

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 4.7% (2024 est.); 4.5% (2023 est.); 4.6% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Capital
Name: Dhaka
Geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E
Time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
Etymology: the origins of the name are unclear, but it may be derived from either the dhak tree or Dhakeshwari, a goddess with a shrine in the city

Administrative divisions: 8 divisions; Barishal, Chattogram, Dhaka, Khulna, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Sylhet

Legal system: common law, incorporating elements of English common law; since independence, statutory law has been the primary form of legislation; Islamic law applies to Muslims in family and inheritance laws, with Hindu personal law applying to Hindus and Buddhists

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Mohammad SHAHABUDDIN Chuppi (since 24 April 2023)
Head of government: Interim Prime Minister Muhammad YUNUS (since 8 August 2024)
Cabinet: Cabinet selected by the prime minister, appointed by the president
Election/appointment process: president indirectly elected by the National Parliament for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term); the president appoints as prime minister the majority party leader in the National Parliament
Most recent election date: 13 February 2023
Election results: President Mohammad SHAHABUDDIN Chuppi (AL) elected unopposed by the National Parliament; Sheikh HASINA reappointed prime minister for a fifth term following the 7 January 2024 parliamentary election; note - Sheikh HASINA resigned and fled the country on 5 August 2024 following mass protests against her government in July and August 2024, and Mohammad YUNIS was appointed as interim Prime Minister on 8 August 2024
Expected date of next election: 2,028

Legislative branch
Expected date of next election: February 2026
Note: the Parliament (House of the Nation) was dissolved on 6 August 2024 by President Mohammad SHAHABUDDIN Chuppi following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh HASINA Wazed on 5 August 2024; new national elections will be held in February 2026

Flag description: green field with a large red disk shifted slightly to the left

National anthem
Title: 'Amar Shonar Bangla' (My Golden Bengal)
Lyrics/music: Rabindranath TAGORE
History: adopted 1971; Rabindranath TAGORE, a Nobel laureate, also wrote India's national anthem

National heritage
Total World Heritage Sites: 3 (2 cultural, 1 natural)
Selected World Heritage Site locales:

Real gdp growth rate: 4.2% (2024 est.); 5.8% (2023 est.); 7.1% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Real gdp per capita: 4.2% (2024 est.); 5.8% (2023 est.); 7.1% (2022 est.)
Note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 70.1% (2024 est.)
Government consumption: 5.9% (2024 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 30.7% (2024 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2024 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 10.5% (2024 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -16.3% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to rounding or gaps in data collection

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 11.2% (2024 est.)
Industry: 34.1% (2024 est.)
Services: 51.4% (2024 est.)
Note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

Industries: cotton, textiles and clothing, jute, tea, paper, cement, fertilizer, sugar, light engineering

Industrial production growth rate: 3.5% (2024 est.)
Note: annual % change in industrial value added based on constant local currency

Labor force: 77.355 million (2024 est.)
Note: number of people ages 15 or older who are employed or seeking work

Unemployment rate: 4.7% (2024 est.); 4.5% (2023 est.); 4.6% (2022 est.)
Note: % of labor force seeking employment

Youth unemployment
Rate (ages 15-24): 4.7% (2024 est.); 4.5% (2023 est.); 4.6% (2022 est.)
Rate (ages 15-24) note: % of labor force seeking employment

Budget
Revenues: $39.849 billion (2021 est.)
Expenditures: $51.558 billion (2021 est.)
Note: central government revenues and expenses (excluding grants/extrabudgetary units/social security funds) converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated

Taxes and other revenues: 7.6% (of GDP) (2021 est.)
Note: central government tax revenue as a % of GDP

Exports: $53.848 billion (2024 est.); $58.885 billion (2023 est.); $60.066 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - exports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: garments, footwear, fabric, textiles, trunks and cases (2023)
Commodities note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars

Imports: $74.96 billion (2024 est.); $73.172 billion (2023 est.); $93.635 billion (2022 est.)
Note: balance of payments - imports of goods and services in current dollars
Commodities: refined petroleum, cotton fabric, natural gas, cotton, fabric (2023)
Commodities note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars

Electricity
Installed generating capacity: 22.699 million kW (2023 est.)
Consumption: 107.285 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Imports: 9.407 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Transmission/distribution losses: 8.279 billion kWh (2023 est.)
Access electrification - total population: 99.4% (2022 est.)
Access electrification - urban areas: 100%
Access electrification - rural areas: 99.3%
Generation sources fossil fuels: 98.4% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources solar: 1% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0.6% of total installed capacity (2023 est.)

Coal
Production: 767,000 metric tons (2023 est.)
Consumption: 14.05 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Imports: 13.305 million metric tons (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 3.26 billion metric tons (2023 est.)

Petroleum
Total petroleum production: 13,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Refined petroleum consumption: 263,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)
Crude oil estimated reserves: 28 million barrels (2021 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 22.334 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Consumption: 29.119 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Imports: 6.785 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)
Proven reserves: 126.293 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

Carbon dioxide emissions: 125.956 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From coal and metallurgical coke: 26.967 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From petroleum and other liquids: 42.083 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)
From consumed natural gas: 56.906 million metric tonnes of CO&sub2; (2023 est.)

Energy consumption per capita: 11.472 million Btu/person (2023 est.)

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 302,000 (2023 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: (2023 est.) less than 1
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 191 million (2023 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 105 (2022 est.)

Internet
Users percent of population: 45% (2023 est.)

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 12.9 million (2023 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 8 (2023 est.)

Military expenditures: 0.9% of GDP (2024 est.); 1% of GDP (2023 est.); 1.1% of GDP (2022 est.); 1.2% of GDP (2021 est.); 1.3% of GDP (2020 est.)

Airports: 17 (2025)

Heliports: 36 (2025)

Railways
Total: 2,460 km (2014)
Narrow gauge: 1,801 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge
Broad gauge: 659 km (2014) 1.676-m gauge

Merchant marine
Total: 558 (2023)
By type: bulk carrier 68, container ship 10, general cargo 170, oil tanker 162, other 148