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 hosts

71,164 (2012) country comparison to the world: 87

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 50 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 - main lines in use

977,700 (2011) country comparison to the world: 79

Telephones - mobile cellular

84.369 million (2011) country comparison to the world: 15

Agriculture - products

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

Budget

revenues: $13.98 billion expenditures: $19.62 billion (2012 est.)

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-)

-4.8% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 151

Central bank discount rate

5% (31 December 2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 70 5% (31 December 2009 est.)

Commercial bank prime lending rate

13.3% (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 64 13.25% (31 December 2011 est.)

Current account balance

-$941.9 million (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 109 $243.6 million (2011 est.)

Debt - external

$36.21 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 65 $33.84 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

33.2 (2005) country comparison to the world: 97 33.6 (1996)

Economy - overview

In real terms Bangladesh's economy has grown 5.8% 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 12% of GDP.

Exchange rates

taka (BDT) per US dollar - 82.17 (2012 est.) 74.152 (2011 est.) 69.649 (2010 est.) 69.04 (2009) 68.554 (2008)

Exports

$25.79 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 70 $24.56 billion (2011 est.)

Exports - commodities

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

Exports - partners

US 19.4%, Germany 16.5%, UK 10%, France 7.3%, Italy 4.4%, Spain 4.2%, Netherlands 4.2% (2011)

Fiscal year

1 July - 30 June

GDP (official exchange rate)

$118.7 billion (2012 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$305.5 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 44 $288.1 billion (2011 est.) $270.5 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 17.3% industry: 28.6% services: 54.1% (2012 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$2,000 (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 191 $1,900 (2011 est.) $1,800 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars

GDP - real growth rate

6.1% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 39 6.5% (2011 est.) 6.4% (2010 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

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

Imports

$35.06 billion (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 63 $32.58 billion (2011 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, chemicals, iron and steel, textiles, foodstuffs, petroleum products, cement

Imports - partners

China 18.2%, India 13.5%, Malaysia 4.9% (2011)

Industrial production growth rate

7.4% (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 37

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

8.8% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 189 10.7% (2011 est.)

Investment (gross fixed)

25.1% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 48

Labor force

77 million country comparison to the world: 7 note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances were $10.9 billion in FY09/10 (2012 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture: 45% industry: 30% services: 25% (2008)

Market value of publicly traded shares

$23.55 billion (31 December 2011) country comparison to the world: 65 $15.68 billion (31 December 2010) $7.068 billion (31 December 2009)

Population below poverty line

31.51% (2010 est.)

Public debt

32% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 109 33.9% of GDP (2011 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$10.19 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 72 $9.192 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of broad money

$66.84 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 64 $66.14 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad

$93.9 million (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 83 $92.9 million (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home

$7.849 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 85 $6.85 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of domestic credit

$80.81 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 57 $68.57 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Stock of narrow money

$14.1 billion (31 December 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 69 $13.19 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

11.8% of GDP (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 202

Unemployment rate

5% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 49 5% (2011 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

Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy

56.74 million Mt (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 58

Crude oil - exports

0 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 83

Crude oil - imports

26,460 bbl/day (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 66

Crude oil - production

5,200 bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 89

Crude oil - proved reserves

28 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 86

Electricity - consumption

34.83 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 58

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 164

Electricity - from fossil fuels

95.8% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 67

Electricity - from hydroelectric plants

4% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 126

Electricity - from nuclear fuels

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 49

Electricity - from other renewable sources

0.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 78

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 161

Electricity - installed generating capacity

5.819 million kW (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 70

Electricity - production

35.7 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 64

Natural gas - consumption

20.13 billion cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 37

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 160

Natural gas - imports

0 cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 161

Natural gas - production

20.13 billion cu m (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 33

Natural gas - proved reserves

183.7 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 47

Refined petroleum products - consumption

108,900 bbl/day (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 75

Refined petroleum products - exports

2,928 bbl/day (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 102

Refined petroleum products - imports

77,340 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 54

Refined petroleum products - production

24,790 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 93

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 (2003)

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: Bangladesh 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 must be held by 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

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, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNISFA, UNMIL, UNMISS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), 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; note - general elections must be held within 90 days of the expiration of the Parliament or by 24 January 2014 or earlier if Parliament is dissolved before its term expires 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); Victory Day; 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

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); Ain o Salish Kendro (Law and Order Center); Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee or BRAC; Bangladesh Center for Worker Solidarity; Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry; Odikhar (Human Rights) 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; nongovernmental organizations 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), won independence for Bangladesh in 1971, with India's assistance and after the death of at least 300,000 civilians. 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 have alternated in power since then, 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. With the help of international development assistance, Bangladesh has made great progress in food security since independence, and the economy has grown at an average of about 6 percent 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) (2010)

Military expenditures

1.3% of GDP (2009) country comparison to the world: 115

Military service age and obligation

17-19 years of age for voluntary enlisted military service; Bangladeshi birth and 10th grade education required; intial obligation 15 years (2012)

Age structure

0-14 years: 33.6% (male 27,489,425/ female 26,705,051) 15-64 years: 61.6% (male 47,035,450/ female 52,164,097) 65 years and over: 4.8% (male 3,763,528/ female 3,926,253) (2012 est.)

Birth rate

22.53 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 74

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

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

Death rate

5.71 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 172

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: 112

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)

Infant mortality rate

total: 48.99 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 45 male: 51.48 deaths/1,000 live births female: 46.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.)

Languages

Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 70.06 years country comparison to the world: 148 male: 68.21 years female: 71.98 years (2012 est.)

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 56.8% male: 61.3% female: 52.2% (2010 est.)

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

240 deaths/100,000 live births (2010) country comparison to the world: 45

Median age

total: 23.6 years male: 23.1 years female: 24.1 years (2012 est.)

Nationality

noun: Bangladeshi(s) adjective: Bangladeshi

Net migration rate

-1.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 152

Physicians density

0.295 physicians/1,000 population (2007)

Population

161,083,804 (July 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 8

Population growth rate

1.579% (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 75

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

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: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.55 children born/woman (2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 83

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): 229,644 (Burma) (2011) IDPs: undetermined (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2012)

Airports

18 (2012) country comparison to the world: 141

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: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2012)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2012)

Heliports

3 (2012)

Merchant marine

total: 62 country comparison to the world: 64 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)

Pipelines

gas 2,714 km (2010)

Ports and terminals

Chittagong, Mongla Port

Railways

total: 2,622 km country comparison to the world: 64 broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,676 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)

Roadways

total: 21,269 km country comparison to the world: 105 paved: 1,063 km unpaved: 20,206 km (2010)

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) (2011) country comparison to the world: 17