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Communications

Internet country code [time series]

.bd

Internet users (Internet hosts) [time series]

1,440 (2008)

Internet users [time series]

500,000 (2007)

Broadcast media (Radio broadcast stations) [time series]

AM 15, FM 13, shortwave 2 (2006)

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

general assessment: inadequate for a modern country; fixed-line telephone density remains less than 1 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and is approaching 25 per 100 persons domestic: modernizing; introducing digital systems; trunk systems include VHF and UHF microwave radio relay links, and some fiber-optic cable in cities 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 (2007)

Telephones - fixed lines (Telephones - main lines in use) [time series]

1.187 million (2007)

Telephones - mobile cellular [time series]

34.37 million (2007)

Broadcast media (Television broadcast stations) [time series]

15 (1999)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture - products) [time series]

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

Budget [time series]

revenues: $7.01 billion expenditures: $9.464 billion (2007 est.)

Central bank discount rate [time series]

5% (31 December 2007)

Commercial bank prime lending rate [time series]

16% (31 December 2007)

Exchange rates (Currency (code)) [time series]

taka (BDT)

Current account balance [time series]

$804.7 million (2007 est.)

Debt - external [time series]

$21.23 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Gini Index coefficient - distribution of family income (Distribution of family income - Gini index) [time series]

33.4 (2000)

Economic overview (Economy - overview) [time series]

The economy has grown 5-6% over the past few years despite inefficient state-owned enterprises, delays in exploiting natural gas resources, 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, nearly two-thirds of Bangladeshis are employed in the agriculture sector, with rice as the single-most-important product. Garment exports and remittances from Bangladeshis working overseas, mainly in the Middle East and East Asia, fuel economic growth.

Electricity - consumption [time series]

21.37 billion kWh (2006 est.)

Electricity - exports [time series]

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - imports [time series]

0 kWh (2007 est.)

Electricity - production [time series]

22.78 billion kWh (2007 est.)

Exchange rates [time series]

taka (BDT) per US dollar - 69.893 (2007), 69.031 (2006), 64.328 (2005), 59.513 (2004), 58.15 (2003)

Exports [time series]

$12.45 billion (2007 est.)

Exports - commodities [time series]

garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish and seafood

Exports - partners [time series]

US 23%, Germany 13%, UK 9.1%, France 5.5%, Belgium 4% (2007)

GDP (official exchange rate) [time series]

$72.42 billion (2007 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (GDP (purchasing power parity)) [time series]

$208.3 billion (2007 est.)

GDP - composition, by sector of origin (GDP - composition by sector) [time series]

agriculture: 19% industry: 28.7% services: 52.3% (2007 est.)

Real GDP per capita (GDP - per capita (PPP)) [time series]

$1,400 (2007 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (GDP - real growth rate) [time series]

6.3% (2007 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share [time series]

lowest 10%: 3.7% highest 10%: 27.9% (2000)

Imports [time series]

$16.67 billion (2007 est.)

Imports - commodities [time series]

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

Imports - partners [time series]

China 15%, India 14.3%, Kuwait 8.3%, Singapore 6.2%, Hong Kong 4.2% (2007)

Industrial production growth rate [time series]

8.4% (2007 est.)

Industries [time series]

cotton textiles, jute, garments, tea processing, paper newsprint, cement, chemical fertilizer, light engineering, sugar

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

9.1% (2007 est.)

Investment (gross fixed) [time series]

24.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

Labor force [time series]

69.4 million note: extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE, Oman, Qatar, and Malaysia; workers' remittances estimated at $4.8 billion in 2005-06. (2007 est.)

Labor force - by occupation [time series]

agriculture: 63% industry: 11% services: 26% (FY95/96)

Market value of publicly traded shares [time series]

$3.61 billion (2006)

Natural gas - consumption [time series]

15.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - exports [time series]

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - imports [time series]

0 cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - production [time series]

15.7 billion cu m (2007 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves [time series]

141.6 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)

Oil - consumption [time series]

89,940 bbl/day (2006 est.)

Oil - exports [time series]

1,351 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports [time series]

83,220 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - production [time series]

6,746 bbl/day (2007 est.)

Oil - proved reserves [time series]

28 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)

Public debt [time series]

37.4% of GDP (2007 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold [time series]

$5.278 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad [time series]

$104 million (2007 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment - at home [time series]

$4.971 billion (2007 est.)

Stock of domestic credit [time series]

$40.15 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of narrow money (Stock of money) [time series]

$8.444 billion (31 December 2007)

Stock of narrow money (Stock of quasi money) [time series]

$32.4 billion (31 December 2007)

Unemployment rate [time series]

2.5% (includes underemployment) (2007 est.)

Geography

Area [time series]

total: 144,000 sq km land: 133,910 sq km water: 10,090 sq km

Area - comparative [time series]

slightly smaller than Iowa

Climate [time series]

tropical; mild winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); humid, warm rainy monsoon (June to October)

Coastline [time series]

580 km

Elevation (Elevation extremes) [time series]

lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Keokradong 1,230 m

Environment - current issues [time series]

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

International environmental agreements (Environment - international agreements) [time series]

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

Total water withdrawal (Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)) [time series]

total: 79.4 cu km/yr (3%/1%/96%) per capita: 560 cu m/yr (2000)

Geographic coordinates [time series]

24 00 N, 90 00 E

Geography - note [time series]

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 [time series]

47,250 sq km (2003)

Land boundaries [time series]

total: 4,246 km border countries: Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km

Land use [time series]

arable land: 55.39% permanent crops: 3.08% other: 41.53% (2005)

Location [time series]

Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India

Map references [time series]

Asia

Maritime claims [time series]

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 [time series]

droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely inundated during the summer monsoon season

Natural resources [time series]

natural gas, arable land, timber, coal

Terrain [time series]

mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast

Total renewable water resources [time series]

1,210.6 cu km (1999)

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

6 divisions; Barisal, Chittagong, Dhaka, Khulna, Rajshahi, Sylhet

Capital [time series]

name: Dhaka geographic coordinates: 23 43 N, 90 24 E time difference: UTC+6 (11 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Constitution [time series]

4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972; suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986; amended many times

Country name [time series]

conventional long form: People's Republic of Bangladesh conventional short form: Bangladesh local long form: Gana Prajatantri Banladesh local short form: Banladesh former: East Bengal, East Pakistan

Diplomatic representation from the US [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador James F. MORIARTY 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 [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador M. Humayun KABIR 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 [time series]

chief of state: President Iajuddin AHMED (since 6 September 2002) note: the country has a caretaker government until a general election is held; Iajuddin AHMED remains as President and Minister of Defense, and all other Cabinet portfolios are held by Caretaker Advisers (CAs); the Chief CA, Fakhruddin AHMED, is roughly equivalent to a prime minister elections: president elected by National Parliament for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election scheduled for 16 September 2002 was not held since Iajuddin AHMED was the only presidential candidate; he was sworn in on 6 September 2002 (next election NA); following legislative elections, the leader of the party that wins the most seats is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Iajuddin AHMED declared president-elect by the Election Commission; he ran unopposed as president; percent of National Parliament vote - NA

Flag (Flag description) [time series]

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 [time series]

parliamentary democracy

Independence [time series]

16 December 1971 (from West Pakistan); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is known as Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh

International organization participation [time series]

ADB, ARF, BIMSTEC, C, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MINURCAT, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OIC, OPCW, SAARC, SACEP, UN, UNAMID, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court (the chief justices and other judges are appointed by the president)

Legal system [time series]

based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch [time series]

unicameral National Parliament or Jatiya Sangsad; 300 seats elected by popular vote from single territorial constituencies; members serve five-year terms; note - parliament not in session during the extended caretaker regime elections: last held 1 October 2001 (the scheduled January 2007 election has been postponed until 29 December 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - BNP and alliance partners 41%, AL 40%, other 19%; seats by party - BNP 193, AL 58, JI 17, JP (Ershad faction) 14, IOJ 2, JP (Manzur) 4, other 12; note - the election of October 2001 brought to power a majority BNP government aligned with three other smaller parties - JI, IOJ, and Jatiya Party (Manzur)

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 26 March (1971); note - 26 March 1971 is the date of independence from West Pakistan, 16 December 1971 is Victory Day and commemorates the official creation of the state of Bangladesh

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

Awami League or AL [Sheikh HASINA]; Bangladesh Communist Party or BCP [Manjurul A. KHAN]; Bangladesh Nationalist Party or BNP [Khaleda ZIA]; Islami Oikya Jote or IOJ [Mufti Fazlul Haq AMINI]; Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh or JIB [Matiur Rahman NIZAMI]; Jatiya Party or JP (Ershad faction) [Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD]; Jatiya Party (Manzur faction) [Naziur Rahman MANZUR]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Badrudozza CHOWDHURY and Oli AHMED]

Political parties (Political pressure groups and leaders) [time series]

Advocacy to End Gender-based Violence through the MoWCA (Ministry of Women's and Children's Affairs) other: environmentalists; Islamist groups; religious leaders; teachers; union leaders

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Introduction

Background [time series]

Europeans began to set up trading posts in the area of Bangladesh in the 16th century; eventually the British came to dominate the region and it became part of British India. In 1947, West Pakistan and East Bengal (both primarily Muslim) separated from India (largely Hindu) and jointly became the new country of Pakistan. East Bengal became East Pakistan in 1955, but the awkward arrangement of a two-part country with its territorial units separated by 1,600 km left the Bengalis marginalized and dissatisfied. East Pakistan seceded from its union with West Pakistan in 1971 and was renamed Bangladesh. A military-backed caretaker regime suspended planned parliamentary elections in January 2007 in an effort to reform the political system and root out corruption; the regime has pledged new democratic elections by the end of 2008. About a third of this extremely poor country floods annually during the monsoon rainy season, hampering economic development.

Military

Manpower available for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 41,199,340 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service [time series]

males age 16-49: 31,968,168 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually [time series]

male: 1,311,850 female: 1,246,012 (2008 est.)

Military and security forces (Military branches) [time series]

Bangladesh Defense Force: Bangladesh Army, Bangladesh Navy, Bangladesh Air Force (Bangladesh Biman Bahini, BAF) (2008)

Military expenditures [time series]

1.5% of GDP (2006)

Military service age and obligation [time series]

16 years of age for voluntary military service; 17 years of age for officers (both with parental consent); conscription legally possible in emergency, but has never been implemented (2008)

People

Age structure [time series]

0-14 years: 33.4% (male 26,364,370/female 24,859,792) 15-64 years: 63.1% (male 49,412,903/female 47,468,013) 65 years and over: 3.5% (male 2,912,321/female 2,529,502) (2008 est.)

Birth rate [time series]

28.86 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Death rate [time series]

8 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Education expenditure (Education expenditures) [time series]

2.7% of GDP (2005)

Ethnic groups [time series]

Bengali 98%, other 2% (includes tribal groups, non-Bengali Muslims) (1998)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate [time series]

less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths [time series]

650 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS [time series]

13,000 (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate [time series]

total: 57.45 deaths/1,000 live births male: 58.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 56.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

Languages [time series]

Bangla (official, also known as Bengali), English

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 63.21 years male: 63.14 years female: 63.28 years (2008 est.)

Literacy [time series]

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 43.1% male: 53.9% female: 31.8% (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases [time series]

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 (2008)

Median age [time series]

total: 22.8 years male: 22.8 years female: 22.9 years (2008 est.)

Nationality [time series]

noun: Bangladeshi(s) adjective: Bangladeshi

Net migration rate [time series]

-0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

Population [time series]

153,546,896 (July 2008 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

2.022% (2008 est.)

Religions [time series]

Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, other 1% (1998)

School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education) [time series]

total: 8 years male: 8 years female: 8 years (2004)

Sex ratio [time series]

at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.15 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.08 children born/woman (2008 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international [time series]

discussions with India remain stalled to delimit a small section of river boundary, exchange territory for 51 small Bangladeshi exclaves in India and 111 small Indian exclaves in Bangladesh, allocate divided villages, and stop illegal cross-border trade, migration, violence, and transit of terrorists through the porous border; Bangladesh protests India's fencing and walling off high-traffic sections of the porous boundary; a joint Bangladesh-India boundary commission resurveyed and reconstructed 92 missing pillars in 2007; dispute with India over New Moore/South Talpatty/Purbasha Island in the Bay of Bengal deters maritime boundary delimitation; after 21 years, Bangladesh resumes talks with Burma on delimiting a maritime boundary

Illicit drugs [time series]

transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries

Refugees and internally displaced persons [time series]

refugees (country of origin): 26,268 (Burma) IDPs: 65,000 (land conflicts, religious persecution) (2007)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

16 (2007)

Airports - with paved runways [time series]

total: 15 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 5 (2007)

Airports - with unpaved runways [time series]

total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)

Merchant marine [time series]

total: 40 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 27, container 5, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4 foreign-owned: 1 (China 1) registered in other countries: 10 (Comoros 2, Honduras 1, Malta 2, Panama 2, Singapore 2, Togo 1) (2008)

Pipelines [time series]

gas 2,644 km (2007)

Ports (Ports and terminals) [time series]

Chittagong, Mongla Port

Railways [time series]

total: 2,768 km broad gauge: 946 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)

Roadways [time series]

total: 239,226 km paved: 22,726 km unpaved: 216,500 km (2003)

Transportation - note [time series]

the International Maritime Bureau reports the territorial waters of Bangladesh as high risk for armed robbery against ships; numerous commercial vessels have been attacked both at anchor and while underway; crews have been robbed and stores or cargoes stolen

Waterways [time series]

8,370 km note: includes up to 3,060 km main cargo routes; network reduced to 5,200 km in dry season (2006)