Bangladesh

parliamentary republic

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

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 but fled the country on 5 August 2024 following mass protests against her government in July and August 2024; Mohammad YUNIS was appointed as interim Prime Minister on 8 August 2024 expected date of next election: 2028 note: On August 5, 2024, former prime minister Sheikh HASINA fled the country as protesters stormed her official residence, and army chief General Waker-Uz-Zaman announced that an interim government would be formed to run Bangladesh; the President dissolved Parliament on 6 August and swore in Nobel laureate Muhammad YUNUS as interim prime minister on 8 August

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

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; Metropolitan Magistrate Courts; Magistrate Court; special courts/tribunals

history: previous 1935, 1956, 1962 (pre-independence); latest enacted 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended March 1982, restored November 1986 amendment process: proposed by the House of the Nation; approval requires at least two-thirds majority vote of the House membership and assent of the president of the republic

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, MINUSCA, MONUSCO, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNISFA, UNIFIL, UNMISS, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

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.)

Armed Forces of Bangladesh (aka Bangladesh Defense Force): Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force Ministry of Home Affairs: Bangladesh Police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), Bangladesh Coast Guard, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Ansars, Village Defense Party (VDP) (2025) note 1: the Armed Forces of Bangladesh are jointly administered by the Ministry of Defense (MOD) and the Armed Forces Division (AFD), both under the Prime Minister's Office; the AFD has ministerial status and parallel functions with MOD note 2: the RAB, Ansars, and VDP are paramilitary organizations for internal security; the RAB is a joint task force comprised of Police, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Border Guards personnel seconded to the RAB; its mandate includes internal security, intelligence gathering related to criminal activities, and government-directed investigations

varies by service, but generally 17-23 for voluntary military service; length of service also varies (2025)

the military s primary responsibility is external defense but it also has a domestic security role; following widespread domestic protests in September 2024, the Army was given law enforcement powers, including making arrests, conducting searches, and dispersing unlawful assemblies; the military has traditionally been a significant player in the country's politics and has commercial business interests in such areas as banking, food, hotels, manufacturing, real estate, and shipbuilding, and manages government infrastructure and construction projects the military has a long history of participating in UN peacekeeping missions, which has provided operational experience and a source of funding; it runs an international institute for the training of peacekeepers; the military also conducts multinational and bilateral exercises with foreign partners, particularly India (2025)

approximately 1,400 Central African Republic (MINUSCA); 1,700 Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO; plus about 200 police); 120 Lebanon (UNIFIL); 1,600 South Sudan (UNMISS); 500 Sudan (UNISFA) (2024)

$1.473 trillion (2024 est.) $1.413 trillion (2023 est.) $1.336 trillion (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

$8,500 (2024 est.) $8,200 (2023 est.) $7,900 (2022 est.) note: data in 2021 dollars

4.2% (2024 est.) 5.8% (2023 est.) 7.1% (2022 est.) note: annual GDP % growth based on constant local currency

10.5% (2024 est.) 9.9% (2023 est.) 7.7% (2022 est.) note: annual % change based on consumer prices

33.3% of GDP (2016 est.)

$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

$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

4.7% (2024 est.) 4.5% (2023 est.) 4.6% (2022 est.) note: % of labor force seeking employment

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

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

rice, milk, potatoes, maize, sugarcane, onions, jute, vegetables, mangoes/guavas, tropical fruits (2023) note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage

total: 174,370,536 (2025 est.) male: 83,908,720 female: 90,461,816

0.91% (2025 est.)

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)

19.45 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

6.05 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-4.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

total population: 75.2 years (2024 est.) male: 73.1 years female: 77.5 years

urban population: 40.5% of total population (2023) rate of urbanization: 2.88% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Bengali at least 99%, other indigenous ethnic groups 1% (2022 est.) note: Bangladesh's government recognizes 27 indigenous ethnic groups under the 2010 Cultural Institution for Small Anthropological Groups Act; other sources estimate there are about 75 ethnic groups

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.

Muslim 91%, Hindu 8%, other 1% (2022 est.)

total population: 79% (2022 est.) male: 81.4% (2022 est.) female: 76.5% (2022 est.)

natural gas, arable land, timber, coal

Harakat ul-Jihad-i-Islami/Bangladesh (HUJI-B); Islamic State of Iraq and ash-Sham (ISIS) in Bangladesh (ISB); al-Qa'ida; al-Qa'ida in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) note: details about the history, aims, leadership, organization, areas of operation, tactics, targets, weapons, size, and sources of support of the group(s) appear(s) in the Terrorism reference guide

refugees: 1,005,637 (2024 est.) IDPs: 756,743 (2024 est.) stateless persons: 1,005,520 (2024 est.)

17 (2025)

total: 2,460 km (2014) narrow gauge: 1,801 km (2014) 1.000-m gauge broad gauge: 659 km (2014) 1.676-m gauge

total: 558 (2023) by type: bulk carrier 68, container ship 10, general cargo 170, oil tanker 162, other 148

total subscriptions: 188 million (2024 est.) subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 108 (2024 est.)

percent of population: 45% (2023 est.)