Bangladesh

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Bangladesh is known for its many rivers as well as its flat and hilly terrain in its countryside. To its west North and East, it is almost fully enclosed by the Indian border with a small border to its southeast with Myanmar, also known as Burma.

Bangladesh, known for having the most densely populated city in the world, finds the origin of its name more than 3000 years ago. One of the earliest references to the region was by the old Kingdom called Vanga, or Banga which was a Buddhist kingdom. Throughout its history, this Buddhist region shifted towards the Hindu region. It became part of the Mogul Empire around the 16th century when the religion has shifted towards the Islamic faith. Halfway in the 18th century until second half of the 20th century, it was under the control of the British Empire when in 1947 it became a part of Pakistan, then known as East Pakistan. This almost immediately gave way to nationalistic movements for a sovereign state because Bangladesh was not connected to Pakistan and had large cultural and language differences with Pakistan. After fighting a war of independence in 1970, Bangladesh became an independent state in 1971.

Its land size is around 150,000 square kilometers or 57,600 square miles. This ranks Bangladesh as the 92nd largest state in the world with Nepal being slightly smaller and Tunisia being slightly larger.

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Its total water surface area is around 13,900 square kilometers or 5367 square miles which ranks it as the state with the 38th largest amount of water

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

Even though Bangladesh is a water rich state, its water consumption has been increasing in recent decades. This has led to farmers resorting to ground water because of dried up rivers. However, it has the 11th place globally by water to surface ratio. The share of water is around 9.6 percent of its surface.

The warmest period in Bangladesh is from March to June when it experiences a hot and humid summer. The average temperature in this period is around 29.8 degrees Celsius or 85.64 degrees Fahrenheit which ranks it as the 45th warmest state in the world.

Temperature

The average highest temperature of afghanistan is 22°C (71,6°F) which ranks Afghanistan as the 131th warmest state. This means that Afghanistan's highest temperature is 8,7°C (47.66°F) above the average temperature of Afghanistan. Below the average temperature is displayed.

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

The coldest period in Bangladesh is experienced during the winter season which spans from October until March. During this period, Bangladesh experiences the least amount of rain and has an average temperature of 20.7 degrees Celsius or 69 degrees Fahrenheit.

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Due to its high precipitation, Bangladesh is ranked as the 20th rainiest state in the world with an average precipitation of 234 centimeters or 92 inches of rainfall per year. The amount of rainfall varies with the northern part receiving up to three times more rainfall compared to the southern region.

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

The capital of Bangladesh, Dhaka, is a home to more than 5 million people with more than 12 million living within its metropolitan area. This makes Dhaka one of the most densely populated cities in the world. The capital that is closest to Dhaka is Thimphu, Bhutan with a distance of just under 400 kilometers or 250 miles. The capital that is furthest from Dhaka is Lima, Peru with a distance of 18,150 kilometers or 11,219 miles.

The economy of Bangladesh is characterized by a developing market economy. Even though Bangladesh has experienced a steady growth of nearly three decades, it is still plagued by corruption which hinders further economic development. As a result, the Bangladeshi economy is still for a large part an agricultural economy with the service sector or being slightly larger. Its main export products are clothing, clothing related products and rice with the United States being its largest economic partner.

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

In total, Bangladesh is a member of 14 international economic organizations. This ranks Bangladesh as the 55th most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Alliance for Financial Inclusion
Asian Development Bank
Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
International Monetary Fund
Islamic Development Bank
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation
International Bamboo and Rattan Organisation
Indian Ocean Rim Association
International Renewable Energy Agency
International Solar Alliance
Group of 77

The GDP of Bangladesh is just under US$300 billion which ranks it with the 44th highest GDP in the world. This corresponds to roughly 0.35 percent of total global GDP.

The GDP per capita is around US$1770. This ranks its citizens as the 150th highest in the world.

The absolute earnings (GDP per capita) has shown that the average Afghani earns $517.54 per year. The figure below displays the average amount that inhabitant of other states earn for every 1$ that an average Bangladeshi citizen makes.

Its GDP per square kilometer is just under US$2000 or just over US$5000 per square mile. This ranks Bangladesh is the 50th highest state in terms of GDP per surface area.

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

The purchasing power per capita is around three times this high with an average purchasing power of US$4767 per capita.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of Afghanistan with the rest of the world.

The graph on the left displays the purchasing power parity of the rest of the world in relation to the purchasing power of 1$ in Bangladesh.

Around 99 percent of the population is estimated to speak the Bengali language. Most inhabitants are of Indian, Turkish and Persian descent with the last two arriving during the Arab conquest around the eighth century. It is also home to the sixth largest population in the world with a population of around 165 million inhabitants.

Population

Population density

The population per square kilometer is around 1105 people or 2862 people per square mile which ranks Bangladesh as the eighth most densely populated state in the world.

Emigration

As for emigration, citizens from Bangladesh have emigrated to middle eastern states in order to find work. Saudi Arabia is the largest receiver of Bangladeshi workers. In total, around 7.8 million people are currently living abroad which corresponds to roughly 4.6 percent total population. Due to this high number, Bangladesh is ranked as the sixth state in terms of highest emigration numbers.

Immigration

Aside from internal immigration, which is mainly done by Bangladeshi work in the cities instead of the countryside, most people that have immigrated to Bangladesh do so for economic or family related to reasons. In total, Bangladesh is ranked as the 33rd highest state in terms of immigration with a total of 1.9 million people which is around one percent of its total population.

Literacy

At present, around 82 percent of Bangladeshi citizens are literate. This ranks Bangladesh as one of the lowest literacy rates of Asia with a rank of 134.

Health

In recent decades, healthcare has improved rapidly in Bangladesh. Even so, Bangladesh still experiences a wide variety of noncommunicable diseases that can be traced back to an unhealthy lifestyle. Other health hazards that spread throughout Bangladesh are caused by natural disasters which in turn create floods and spread disease. On average, life expectancy in Bangladesh is arounds 73.5 years. Women have an average lifespan of 75.6 years while men have an average lifespan of 71.8 years. This ranks Bangladesh as the 91st state with the highest life expectancy.

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Since its independence, Bangladesh has tried to become a secular state. However, shortly after its independence, the Islamists within the Bangladeshi parliaments have made laws and amendments to its constitution which designated it as an Islamic state. Even though the government respects the practice of minority religions, discrimination by the Bangladeshi government still occurs. It is estimated that Bangladesh is the 118th most multi religious state in the world.

Christianity arrived with the arrival of the Portuguese in the 16th century. Among these Portuguese, there were Christian missionaries that attempted to convert the Bangladeshi population which only partly succeeded. At present, around 0.26 percent of the Bangladeshi population adheres to the Christian faith. This makes Bangladesh one of the least Christian states in the world with the rank of 190.

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Islam arrived in Bangladesh during the eighth and ninth century. During this time, the inhabitants of the Bangladeshi territory came into contact with Islamic traders as well as Islamic conquerors, the most notable of these conquerors was the Bengal Sultanate and to the Mughal Empire. Due to its high population as well as 90 percent of its population adhering to Islam, Bangladesh is ranked as the third highest states in terms of Muslim population size and 30th in terms of highest share of Muslims.

Around 0.52 percent of the population adheres to Buddhist. This corresponds to roughly 1.5 million Bangladeshis. It is claimed that Tantric Buddhism has originated in Bangladesh. This form of Buddhism has evolved into the Theravada form of Buddhism that is prevalent in most Bangladeshis.

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism plays a large role within Bangladesh. It is estimated that around 8.7 percent of the total population adheres to Hinduism.

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

Under British colonial rule, there were some Jewish communities that lived in Bangladesh. Also, with the partition of the Indian continent and the creation of Israel, many Jews emigrated. At present, the Jewish community is relatively small with around 0.003 percent population adhering to the Jewish faith. These Jews mainly resides within the capital Dhaka.

Other religions (share of the total population)

The share of people that adhere to other religions is relatively small with around 0.2 percent of the population. Other religions that are present in Bangladesh mainly consist of Sikhs. These Sikhs mainly arrived after the Bangladeshi war of Independence when they migrated from India.

Non-religious (share of the total population)

Irreligion is looked down upon in Bangladesh. There have been many reports of atheists that have been attacked and even murdered. It is estimated that around 0.05 percent of the population formally to not adhere to any faith.

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

In total, Bangladesh spends around US$4.3 billion or around 1.37 percent of its GDP on its military. This ranks Bangladesh as the 44th highest global military spender.

After independence, the Bangladeshi military was founded. Its military consist of three branches, the Navy, the air Forces and the Army which are mainly tasked with ensuring the territorial integrity of Bangladesh.

Military membership

It is also a member of five international military organizations. These are:

Conference on Disarmament
Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

Bangladesh has partaken in four international wars. Aside from these international wars, Bangladesh also partakes in peacekeeping missions mandated by the United Nations. The international wars that Bangladesh was involved in, were:

Bangladesh Liberation War 1971-1971
Bangladesh-India border clashes 2001-2001
Bangladesh India border clash 2015-2015
Bangladesh India border clash 2008-2008

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

Bangladesh is a member of 14 international political organizations, which ranks it as the 49th most politically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Member states of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
Asia Cooperation Dialogue
South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation
Colombo Plan
Asian–African Legal Consultative Organization
Commonwealth of Nations
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
International Criminal Court
Interpol
Permanent Court of Arbitration
Partners in Population and Development
World Organisation for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

During colonial rule, the British government had created political institutions that resembled its own. After independence from Pakistan in 1971, Bangladesh had installed a democratic political system which has been overthrown in 1975 by the military. Democratic reform has taken place since the 1990s, but special privileges to the military are still in effect. Therefore, Bangladesh is ranked as the 124th most democratic state in the world

Democracy/Dictatorship

After its war of independence, the Bangladeshi government has created its Constitution in 1972. This has given Bangladesh a representative democratic republic that is represented by a multiparty system with the Prime Minister as head of government.